Process for School of Medicine Leaves of Absence

Faculty may take leave for various reasons. See Chapter 4 of the Duke Faculty Handbook for details. For sabbatical, the leave is with full pay from the department for a half a year or half pay for a full year.

For details on faculty leaves, view the Leaves of Absence Policy in the Duke Faculty Handbook, Chapter 4 Professional Affairs of the Faculty. 

All Faculty Leaves from the University must be entered into dFac for reporting to the Provost Office.

Process Steps:

  • The faculty member or the department representative completes the Leave of Absence (LOA) Request Form. 
    • The form is signed by the faculty member and Chair/Department Administrator. 
    • If any portion of salary is supported by sponsored funds, please check the appropriate block on the leave form.
  • Depending on the type of leave request, complete the appropriate supporting documentation (e.g., 1002-E, 1002-F, 1003) or letter of request to Chair (if sabbatical request).
  • The department submits/uploads above named documentation (LOA request form and supporting documents) using the SOM/cDHIP/DHIP Faculty Leave of Absence (LOA) Intake Form. 
  • Requests are routed to the SOM APT Office or DHIP Clinician Service Center (DCSC) to begin review and approval.
    • Family Medical Leave (FML) requests are routed by the SOM APT Office or DCSC to Employee Occupational Health and Wellness (EOHW) for initial determination before SOM APT or DSCS begins their review.
  • SOM/DHIP notifies faculty member and department initiator of approval via email.
  • Department dFac user enters leave request in dFac and uploads the leave request form into the attachment section of the dFac form.  Also attach letter to Chair, if applicable (e.g. sabbatical request, research request, etc.).
    • Do not attach any documents from Health Care Providers.
    • The start and end dates on the leave form and the dates in dFac must match. 
  • The SOM APT office approves the dFac leave form, and the form is routed to the Provost Office.
  • The Provost reviews and approves.
  • The Provost Office notifies the SOM APT office of the approval.​​​​​​​
  • If the leave is with partial pay or no pay, the department submits “Out of Cycle & Anticipated Salary, Effort and/or Appointment % (SEA) Change Form” in REDCAP. 
  • Once approval is received, the department processes a rate and schedule iForm to adjust the salary and effort.