Describing What It Means to be A Star Faculty Member in Academic Pharmacy
Objective. This study sought to: (1) identify attributes or performance aspects most notably defining what constitutes a “star” faculty in academic pharmacy; (2) describe differences in perceptions of the strength of these aspects across faculty varying by discipline, academic rank, experience, type of institution employed, and supervisory experience. Methods. A questionnaire survey designed in Qualtrics was distributed via email link to a census sample of 3378 members within 2018 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) list-servs. Performance aspects were derived from key literature enumerating academic responsibilities and behaviors. Reminders were employed to maximize survey responses. Frequency distributions and Kruskal-Wallis tests were conducted to describe the data. Results. Responses from 463 persons identified quality, rather than quantity of teaching; publishing in refereed journals, and demonstrating collegiality to be among the more salient aspects defining a star faculty member. There were differences in perceptions of what constitutes a star mostly by institution type employed and among pharmacy practice respondents versus those from other disciplines. Respondents from private institutions indicated less likely involvement from their deans and chairs in attempting to recognize and retain star faculty. However, responses were generally in the same direction and congruent, even between those with, versus without supervisory responsibility. Conclusion. This study highlighted the importance of demonstrating collegiality in concurrence with high-quality teaching and productivity as warranting star status in an academic pharmacy. Given their importance, all academic pharmacy organizations, particularly private institutions, should make an effort to recognize and retain their star faculty.