Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine (KPSOM) recently welcomed faculty leaders from seven institutions for the inaugural Southern California Consortium of Faculty Affairs, a new regional forum dedicated to supporting faculty success across medical schools. The half-day gathering marked the first time local academic medicine partners have come together in this way to share strategies, explore collaboration, and help shape a shared vision for faculty affairs in the region.
The new consortium is a KPSOM-hosted initiative designed to bring together leaders who oversee faculty recruitment, advancement, professional development, and well-being at medical schools across the region. Its purpose is to share best practices and innovative approaches, foster networking across institutions, discuss common challenges and opportunities, and build a collegial, interactive forum that strengthens regional connections in support of faculty success. KPSOM Dean and CEO John L. Dalrymple, MD, noted that the idea was first suggested by Maureen Connelly, MD, MPH, former KPSOM Senior Associate Dean for Academic and Community Affairs, who recently retired.
“In this time of change, every single medical school is facing different challenges,” said Nahid Rianon, MBBS, DrPH, Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs. “But some of them are universal. So, how can we learn from each other's best practices and grow together? This consortium is really the beginning of a shared journey, to make our faculty advancement a big project that's successful for all Southern California medical schools.”
Invited to participate in the event were representatives from California University of Science and Medicine, Charles R. Drew University College of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University, City of Hope, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Keck School of Medicine of USC, and Stanford University School of Medicine. Bringing together both long-established and newer medical schools created a diverse mix of perspectives on faculty affairs and development, from evolving promotion processes to emerging models for mentoring and leadership training.
