The Association of American Medical Colleges released its latest Analysis in Brief. These two-page reports synthesize large data sets into legible snapshots. In this case, the picture is of promotion rates for medical school faculty.
The results are discouraging. First-time assistant professors between 1967 and 1976 took 5.2 years to get promoted. In each subsequent decade, the average time to promotion has increased until the most recent cohort, which averages 6.2 years to reach promotion.
Men are more likely to be promoted than women and white faculty are more likely to be promoted than minorities. We’re still compiling statistics at Boston University’s Department of Medicine to see how we stack up with these national numbers.
Still, the trend is undeniable. A smaller proportion of the faculty are getting promoted, and it’s taking longer for them to do it.