APT Intellectual Development Statement Guidelines

Each Faculty dossier submitted for promotion and/or award of tenure should contain an Intellectual Development Statement authored by the candidate that addresses critical areas of experience, contribution, and accomplishment (e.g., educational background and training, professional activities, teaching contributions, academic achievements and scholarship, grant support, local, national, and international leadership, etc.). The Statement should also include the candidate’s vision and goals for continuing professional development within the academic environment.

The intellectual development narrative should be written in first person as if your own voice. The audience for this statement includes the external letter writers, faculty colleagues, and readers outside your direct area of study (e.g., Dean or APT committee members).

The length for the IDS should be up to 5 pages of text, not including the tabular summary of teaching / mentoring / education activities.

Intellectual Development Statement Format

  • Educational background & training
  • Clinical activities
  • Research activities
  • Teaching, mentoring, and education activities
    • Tabular summary (see below) 
  • Academic scholarship and achievements
  • Grant support
  • Local, national, and international leadership
  • Institutional service
  • Vision and goals for continued professional development

Example of an IDS


Teaching, mentoring, and education activities

Regarding the summary of educational contributions, content is to be provided primarily by the faculty member via the Intellectual Development Statement, supplemented by additional materials provided by the Department Chair. While appropriate summaries of teaching, mentoring and educational activities are expected from all faculty, comprehensive summaries of such activities will be especially important for faculty with a primarily clinical care focus (whether Faculty Career Track or Faculty Tenure Track). Faculty with a primarily research focus should include teaching and mentoring activities that occur within the context of ongoing research efforts (e.g., laboratory training and instruction).  The text and table below are provided as a general guide for organizing relevant materials and should be adapted to the specific activities of the individual faculty member.

Documentation of educational contributions to be prepared by the faculty member include: 

  1. In the Intellectual Development Statement, the candidate should address his/her accomplishments and plans as a teacher, mentor, and educator. Elements to be included regarding the faculty member’s educator role are:
    • Personal goals and strategies for achieving same
    • Approaches to and philosophy of teaching, learning, and mentoring
    • Courses, programs, and curricular activities, both accomplished and envisioned
    • Future directions
       
  2. Candidate’s self-report of educational activities and contributions, to include local as well as regional, national, or international contributions. This report should include:
    • Tabular summaries (see recommended format) of educational activities (identifying learners, context, and type of educational activities)
    • Identification and detailed description of the educational contributions considered by the candidate to be her/his best efforts

Example format – Tabular Summary

The table below includes an extended listing of activities to assist in identifying the broad range of teaching and educational activities contributed by our faculty. Adapt it as appropriate to effectively capture your educational contributions to the academic mission of the School of Medicine and the University. It is suggested that a separate table be used for each fiscal year (July 1 - June 30) to simplify presentation. Expand (or eliminate) sections as appropriate. At least three (3) years of documentation are required for the dossier. 

Tabular Summary Of Teaching, Mentoring and Education Activities
(C.V. may be referenced as appropriate) 

Activity Fiscal year
Clinical Teaching Include ward rounds, routine supervision of learners in clinical settings, preceptor activities.  Estimate number and type of learners as well as hours working with learners.
Lectures Number and audience (course names if applicable)
Seminars/Case Conferences Formal Seminars / Case Conferences that you present or direct.  Note the audience and number of seminars.
Laboratories Document supervision in laboratories, such as the surgery practical labs, pathology labs and physiology labs.
Mentoring Activities Names of those mentored; indicate formal vs. informal mentoring
Research Preceptorship Include preceptorships of medical students, residents/fellows, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty
CME (within Duke) Include Grand Rounds, journal clubs, and all other formal CME activitiesat Duke in which you have participated as instructional faculty. Indicate audience and sponsor, and program name/dates.  
Course/Curriculum Development Note any major role in designing or revising an educational activity, such as medical school courses, resident seminars or CME programs
Materials Development Note any educational materials you developed, such as video or audio teaching tapes, or CD-ROM modules.
Educational Committees Include standing medical school, departmental and institutional committees which are primarily focused upon education, such as the Medical Center Continuing Medical Education Committee and the Medical School Curriculum Committee.
Invited Presentations 
(outside Duke)
Include Grand Rounds and other educational activities outside Duke to which you contribute as instructional faculty
Other: (describe)