Joint and Dual Appointments to the Faculty

Definition

Under exceptional circumstances, an individual may be recommended for appointments by more than one department at the Medical College, and, thus, receive joint or dual appointments to the faculty. In all cases, one department must be designated as the primary department.

Dual Appointment

A dual appointment may be warranted if the individual possesses equal qualifications in two fields and will assume significant responsibilities in both departments. He or she may hold undifferentiated or unqualified titles in more than one department. For example, an individual may be recommended for a dual appointment as Professor of Medicine (primary) and Professor of Healthcare Policy and Research.

Joint Appointment

A joint appointment may be warranted if an individual possesses the qualifications for appointment in a primary department, but also contributes significantly to the programs of another department. For example, an individual may be qualified for a primary appointment as Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and for a secondary appointment as Assistant Professor of Psychiatry in Pediatrics.1

Policies and Procedures for Joint and Dual Appointments

General Procedures for Joint & Dual Appointments

The policies and procedures pertaining to appointment and promotion of and the award of tenure to faculty members with joint and dual appointments are the same as those already given above in the subsections on the different faculty ranks and pathways, and in Tenure. One department is usually designated as the primary department and is responsible for initiating reviews for promotion, renewal, etc. as required by the policies and procedures of the Medical College.

The credentials of individuals at the rank of associate professor or above holding primary faculty appointments in a Medical College department, and recommended for secondary appointments in another Medical College department need not be brought to the Committee of Review. The Dean may grant secondary appointments to faculty members meeting the requirements enumerated in the Academic Staff Handbook, upon the recommendation of the department proposing the secondary appointment and with the concurrence of the department where the faculty member has a primary appointment.

Insofar as possible, the individual should be recommended for appointment or promotion to the same rank in both departments, and for the same term of appointment. In addition, the credentials for a dual or joint appointment should include the written approval of the chair of the primary department.

Faculty Members with Primary Appointments at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (P&S)

Any faculty member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons (P&S) seeking to initiate a request for faculty appointment, ongoing hospital or other clinical privileges, or programmatic activity either at Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC) or the Weill Cornell Medical Center (WCMC), must obtain approval of the chairs of the respective departments prior to committing to or initiating such activity.

The policies and procedures for appointment to the proposed rank and pathway as contained in the appropriate subsections above will be followed, with the following exceptions:

1. The chairs of the respective departments at the two institutions must first submit for the review and approval by the two Deans a Reciprocal Faculty Appointment Application Form that includes:
   a. The name and current faculty title at P&S and proposed faculty title at WCMC.
   b. The proposed teaching, research and/or clinical activities of the faculty member at WCMC.
   c. Funds flow, if any, related to income derived from the activities of the faculty member at WCMC or MC.
2. The proposed faculty member must sign a release authorizing the P&S to release any or all of the individual’s faculty file, except compensation information, to WCMC for the appointment to move forward.
3. The Office of Faculty Affairs will obtain those sections of the applicant’s faculty file (excluding compensation information), as agreed to by P&S and the WCMC and make the redacted faculty file available to the relevant departmental and Medical College review authorities. In the review process, the redacted file will procedurally serve in lieu of letters of recommendation from outside experts.
4. Insofar as possible, individuals should be recommended for appointment to the same rank in both departments, and for the same term of appointment.
   a. In the presence of a practice agreement between the P&S and WCMC establishing a joint program of the New York-Presbyterian Hospital, faculty members at P&S who take part in the program at both the Weill Cornell Medical Center and the Columbia University Medical Center may be recommended for a non-adjunct WCMC appointment to the rank and pathway most appropriate for their qualifications.
   b. In all other instances, if granted, the faculty appointment will include the qualifier Adjunct before the appropriate rank and department. Such Adjunct faculty appointments may be granted for an initial period of up to one year, and may be renewable annually. The school of primary appointment shall serve as the home institution with the other designated as the host institution.

• 1. See Differentiated Titles.