Charlotte Bolch, Christina Mehta, Margaret R. Stedman, and Emily Griffith

More than 130 people attended a free webinar, titled “Advice for the Promotion of Collaborative Statisticians in Research and Teaching Institutions,” May 26 given by the Pathways to Promotion Committee May 26.

Invited speakers were selected because of their expertise in tenure-track, non-tenure track, or staff positions. Bruce A. Craig, director of the Statistical Consulting Service and a professor in the department of statistics at Purdue University, represented the tenure-track perspective. Representing the staff perspective was Tina Davenport, a senior biostatistician in the department of biostatistics and bioinformatics at Duke University School of Medicine. Finally, Reneé H. Moore, a research professor at Drexel University, represented the nontenure-track perspective.

Three key points were highlighted by all the speakers. First, collaborative statisticians should seek out and cultivate relationships with multiple mentors who have different expertise so they can receive mentorship across a range of areas relevant to their position. Second, statistical consultants should actively seek input about promotion criteria and ask for regular assessments against these criteria. For faculty members, they suggested recognizing and avoiding common misunderstandings (e.g., first-authored papers are not needed, collaborators provide input on promotion, etc.) in promotion. Third, the speakers recommended thoughtfulness around determining career goals for each career stage. They noted the criteria used for promotion generally stress increasing independence and leadership for mid- and late-career stages.

Take-away points for audience members included learning how to take charge of their promotion by doing the following:

• Fully and descriptively documenting their contributions on their CV or other document as they occur
• Advocating for themselves as much as possible
• Starting now to plan their right path for promotion
• Switching to an institution that values statistical collaboration, if appropriate

All the panelists agreed promotion of statistical consultants is possible.

During the webinar, audience members were polled about how the Statistical Consulting Section’s Pathways to Promotion Committee could help with the promotion of statistical consultants. Survey results showed a strong need for mentoring at all levels, position types, and institutions. Faculty audience members also requested help with the development of promotion packets. In response, the Pathways to Promotion Committee has organized a webinar titled “Developing Your First Promotion Packet as an Academic Collaborative Statistician” for late this month.

The Pathways to Promotion committee was formed by the Statistical Consulting Section and includes members interested in the committee’s mission to develop recommendations and tools to help the advancement of collaborative/consulting academic statisticians. The committee’s goals are two-fold: create tools for promotion on the statistical consulting website and provide outreach/community connection for enabling and supporting promotion.

For information about upcoming initiatives and getting involved, visit the Pathways to Promotion microsite.