Application Process and Packages

Group of faculty

Application Process

The Department of Family and Community Medicine is an academic department composed of health care professionals dedicated to leadership in teaching, research, service and the advancement of the discipline of Family Medicine, locally, nationally and internationally. We teach, create and disseminate knowledge in primary care, advancing the discipline of family medicine and improving health for diverse and underserved communities locally and globally. The Department of Family and Community Medicine, in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, is North America’s largest Department of Family Medicine with over 2,000 faculty.

The application and approval pathways for appointments and the documents a candidate must submit vary greatly depending on the policy under which the appointment falls, as well as the category and rank of the appointment. Review the categories below to identify the appropriate steps.

If you are a physician seeking a faculty appointment, speak to your Family Physician-in-Chief or DFCM Program Director/Division Head to review the application process. Please note that College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) membership is a departmental requirement for Clinical Appointments in the DFCM.

All Chiefs/Program Directors/Division Heads should meet with the applicants or speak to knowing them in the submitted letter of support. If the Chief/Program Director/Division Head does not know the individual and cannot meet with them, we ask for the site FD Lead to meet with them instead – which should be reflected in the Chief/Program Director/Division Head's letter and/or in an additional letter of support from the FD Lead. In the event that neither the Chiefs/Program Director/Division Head or FD Lead can meet with an applicant, we ask that a letter of reference be submitted along with the application from an individual who holds a faculty appointment at an institution who can accurately speak to the applicant's character and work ethic.

All clinical (MD) academic appointments are governed by the Policy for Clinical Faculty and the Procedures Manual for the Policy for Clinical Faculty, available at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine Clinical Affairs website.

Steps to prepare a clinical (MD) faculty academic appointment application:

Simcoe Hall during convocation

Pre-application

SUMMARY

Applicant meets with Site Chief and Lead 
Work with administrator and FD Lead on application
All application templates found on our website

PRE-APPLICATION

  1. What kind submission do you need to make: an application, promotion or three-year performance review?
  2. What percentage of time is the candidate engaged in academic activities:
  3. Determine the academic rank of the candidate:
    • i.e., Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Full Professor. For initial appointments at the rank of Assistant Professor, contact dfcm.facultyappt@utoronto.ca 
  4. Determine the category of the candidate:
    • i.e., Clinical Teacher, Clinician Leader/Administrator, Scientist (Non-MD Researcher), Clinician Scientist, Clinician Investigator, Clinician Educator and Clinician Quality and Innovation.

APPLICATION PROCESS

  1. Prepare the application package by referencing the appropriate application package checklist below and complete all required documentation listed.
  2. Submit the completed application package following the instructions outlined below.
  3. The application is brought to the Department Appointments Committee (DAC) for review and support.
  4. The application is forwarded to Human Resources and/or the Faculty Academic Advisory Committee (FAAC) for approval.

FOLLOWING APPROVAL

  1. A Letter of Offer is emailed to the appointee and a copy is sent to the Family Physician-In-Chief or approved Program Director as well as the site or program coordinator.
  2. The Letter of Offer is signed and returned to the DFCM by the appointee.
  3. A welcome letter with information on a University of Toronto library card and email address is emailed to the appointee.
  4. The appointee is entered in the DFCM faculty database and appointee email address is added to the DFCM Listserv.

Application Packages

Listed below are the various application packages and their required documents for submitting to the Department Appointments Committee. Applications are submitted via an online application form using the Temerty Faculty of Medicine step-by-step guide to applying for an academic appointment. Please ensure all supporting and required documents are attached to the application form at the time of submission.

Clinical (MD) Adjunct Application

Engaged in academic activities for less than 20% of his/her professional working time.

For an adjunct appointment application please complete the online application form and attach all the completed documents listed below at the time of submission. You will be prompted to attached documents when completing the application form.

Required Documents:

Use our checklist and naming conventions when attaching the following required documents to the online application form:

*TAHSN Hospitals: Under the University of Toronto/TAHSN hospital affiliation agreements, clinical adjunct appointments should not be given to hospital active staff (or equivalent) at a TAHSN site.

Clinical (MD) Part Time Application

Engaged in academic activities for 20-79% of his/her professional working time.

For a part time appointment application please complete the online application form and attach all the completed documents listed below at the time of submission. You will be prompted to attached documents when completing the application form.

Required Documents:

Use our checklist and naming conventions when attaching the following required documents to the online application form:

*TAHSN Hospitals: Under the University of Toronto/TAHSN hospital affiliation agreements, university clinical part time appointments for hospital active staff (or equivalent) can only be approved with an accompanying Letter of Exemption specifically outlining the reason for a part time appointment. The Letter of Exemption must be signed on letterhead and be provided with the application package.

Clinical (MD) Full Time Application

Engaged in academic activities for at least 80% of his/her professional working time and must participate in a practice plan or equivalent arrangement.

For a full time appointment application please complete the online application form and attach all the completed documents listed below at the time of submission. You will be prompted to attached documents when completing the application form.

Required Documents:

Use our checklist and naming conventions when attaching the following required documents to the online application form:

Initial Clinical (MD) Appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor or above

While most new DFCM faculty members are appointed to DFCM at the rank of Lecturer, some may qualify for the rank of Assistant Professor (or even Associate or Full Professor) based on their academic contributions. Applicants interested in this option should discuss with their Family Physician-in-Chief or DFCM Program Director/Division Head.

1) Advanced Degree

An initial appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor requires the successful completion of a Master's Degree, PhD, or an advanced training experience deemed to be equivalent to a Master's level program. In some cases, 1-2 years of fellowship training, including secondary level resident training, will be considered the equivalent to an advanced degree. Normally, the degree program must have been completed as documented by a successful defence of a thesis and awarding of the degree before submission of the appointment request. 

2) Academic Impact

The candidate must demonstrate the impact of scholarship at a local or regional level. It is expected that the candidate will have at least 1-2 recently published first author peer-reviewed publications in well-regarded journals in their field OR documentation demonstrating educational accomplishments in one or more of the following:

  1. sustained teaching excellence (i.e. a summary of a strong teaching dossier that includes evaluations, numbers and types of trainees and evidence that the candidate has taught in a variety of teaching environments, and teaching awards)
  2. Design and development of curricula, educational offerings and/or educational materials
  3. Creative Professional Activity (CPA) in teaching/education (such as the setting of practice standards)

Transferring rank from another institution

Applications from candidates who hold an appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor or above at another university will be reviewed by the Faculty Appointments Advisory Committee (FAAC) to ensure that they meet the Temerty Faculty of Medicine standards for the requested rank. Rank will not transfer automatically as each institution has its own criteria.

Required Documents

Please refer to and complete an application package for a new adjunct, part time or full time appointment listed above, with the following amendments:

  1. The letter of support written by the Family Physician-in-Chief or DFCM Program Director must be more robust than a letter for the rank of Lecturer. It must state the rationale for the rank of Assistant Professor and discuss the applicant’s qualifications.
  2. All initial clinical appointment submissions at the rank of Assistant Professor or above are required to use the Temerty Faculty of Medicine Academic CV Format (*NEW* effective November 3, 2021).
  3. Letters of reference are required for all applications at an advanced rank. This should include 2 internal and 2 external letters.
  4. If the candidate does not have 1-2 first author peer-reviewed publications, they MUST include documentation in the package that clearly demonstrates their educational and/or creative professional accomplishments (i.e. teaching dossier, curriculum design, etc).

If you have questions about initial appointment ranks, please contact dfcm.facultyappt@utoronto.ca for more details.

DFCM Emergency Medicine Division

To apply for a DFCM faculty appointment under the Division of Emergency Medicine, the applicant is likely CCFP (EM) trained and teaching Family Medicine residents in their Emergency Rotation.

Adjunct, Part-Time or Full-Time Emergency Applications

Please refer to and complete the application package for an adjunct, part-time or full-time appointment listed above, with the following amendments:

  • The application is prepared on site with a letter of Support from the Family Physician-In-Chief/Local EM Chief/Local Department Head.
  • An additional letter of recommendation is required from the Director of the Emergency Division, Dr. Megan Landes. To receive this letter, kindly submit the complete appointment application with a saved and printed version of the online application form, via email to dfcm.divisionem@utoronto.ca
  • When a letter has been provided by Dr. Landes to your office, you may then submit the entire application via online application form.

DFCM Mental Health and Addiction Division

To apply for a DFCM faculty appointment under the Division of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA), the applicant must be a Family Medicine physician practising in mental health and/or substance use and be involved in DFCM activities, for example as a teacher for U of T family medicine residents.

Adjunct, Part-Time or Full-Time Mental Health and Addiction Applications

Please refer to and complete the application package for an adjunct, part-time or full-time appointment listed above, with the following amendments:

  • Please contact dfcm.divisionmha@utoronto.ca to make us aware of your intention/desire for an appointment in our Division.
  • The application is prepared on site with a letter of Support from the Family Physician-In-Chief/Local Department Head. 
  • An additional letter of recommendation is required from the DMHA Head, Dr. Nikki Bozinoff. To receive this letter, kindly submit the complete appointment application via email to dfcm.divisionmha@utoronto.ca. You may be asked to schedule a meeting with Dr. Bozinoff to review your contributions to the Division.
  • When a letter has been provided by Dr. Bozinoff, you will be supported to submit your application.

DFCM Palliative Care Division

To apply for a DFCM faculty appointment under the Division of Palliative Care, the applicant must be a Family Medicine physician practicing in Palliative Care and likely teaching Family Medicine residents in their Palliative Care Rotation.  To apply under the DFCM Division of Palliative Care, contact dfcm.divisionpalliative@utoronto.ca

Adjunct, Part-Time or Full-Time Palliative Care Applications

Please refer to and complete the application package for an adjunct, part time or full time appointment listed above, with the following amendments:

  • Letter of Support from the Family Physician-in-Chief must instead be written by the Head of the Division of Palliative Care, Dr. Kirsten Wentlandt. 
  • All applications also require a letter of reference from the applicant's Division of Palliative Care Site Lead.
  • To submit an application under the Division of Palliative Care, kindly contact dfcm.divisionpalliative@utoronto.ca

Family Medicine Longitudinal Experience (FMLE)

If you are interested in applying for a Department of Family and Community Medicine academic appointment under the FMLE program, contact the FMLE Coordinator at fmle.recruit@utoronto.ca.

Who can apply?

The applicant must:

  • Be in good standing with the CPSO
  • Have CCFP Certification or be a member of the CFPC
  • Work in a community-based clinic that is accessible by public transit or car within a 40–60 minute commute from the downtown Toronto campus or the Mississauga campus (located at 3359 Mississauga Road North) even if it is a locum practice (no extra office space required)

Transition to Residency (TTR) or Undergraduate Electives

If you are interested in applying for a Department of Family and Community Medicine academic appointment under the TTR or Undergraduate Electives program, contact familymed.undergrad@utoronto.ca.

Who can apply?

The applicant must:

  • Be in good standing with the CPSO
  • Have a CCFP Certification or be a member of the CFPC

Teaching Practices/Integrated Communities/Rural Northern Initiative Program

To apply under the Teaching Practices, Integrated Communities or Northern Initiative program please contact DFCM.TeachingPractice@utoronto.ca.

Required Documents:

Clinical Category Change Application

For existing Clinical (MD) faculty who wish to change their clinical category due to an increase/decrease in time commitment or site change, a category change application is required.

Category Change to Full Time

For existing faculty who wish to change their category from Clinical Adjunct/Part Time to Clinical Full Time, a complete Full Time application is required. Please see the requirements for a Clinical (MD) Full Time application above.

Category Change to Adjunct or Part Time

For existing faculty who wish to change their category to Part Time or Adjunct, a truncated (shortened) application is acceptable. The required documents are outlined below.

Required Documents for Truncated Application to Adjunct/Part Time:

Use our checklist and naming conventions when attaching the following required documents to the online application form:

*TAHSN Hospitals: Under the University of Toronto/TAHSN hospital affiliation agreements, university clinical part time appointments for hospital active staff (or equivalent) can only be approved with an accompanying Letter of Exemption specifically outlining the reason for a part time appointment. The Letter of Exemption must be signed on letterhead and be provided with the application package.

University Adjunct Lecturer (Non-MD) Appointment Application

What Is a University Adjunct Lecturer (Non-MD) Faculty Appointment?

*Not to be confused with Clinical Adjunct (MD) appointment type for physicians (section above).

This category is for non-MD individuals who possess specialized expertise or learning that is of value to our department. The individual must hold employment with another institution with a job description that is primarily non-academic in nature. For example, a candidate might be an employee in industry or government or a professional who has specialized qualifications for teaching purposes. It could also be an individual who works at an affiliated site but is not employed full time.

These are limited term appointments (1-3 years) and renewable upon successful re-appointment.

Important note: the university does not normally allow individuals to hold more than one Adjunct (non-MD) appointment. Therefore, if you already hold an Adjunct appointment in another department/faculty, you will not be able to apply for a secondary Adjunct appointment in the DFCM unless there are extenuating circumstances. 

For a University Adjunct Lecturer appointment, complete the online application form and attach all the completed documents listed below at the time of submission. You will be prompted to attached documents when completing the application form.

Required Documents:

Status-Only (Non-MD) Appointment Application

What Is a Status-Only (Non-MD) Faculty Appointment?

Status-only appointments are non-salaried and normally receive no remuneration from the University of Toronto. Such appointments are normally made to allow an individual faculty member to participate more fully in an academic unit's teaching or research program.

Individuals being considered for status-only positions should hold full time employment arrangements with another institution with a job description that is primarily academic (research and teaching) in nature. Most often, status-only appointments are granted to employees of affiliated hospitals and research institutions. Clinical faculty represent a special class of status-only faculty as their appointments are governed by the Policy on Clinical Faculty. University of Toronto employed faculty members appointed to other University of Toronto academic units on a non-salaried basis are non-budgetary cross-appointments, and not status-only.

For a status-only appointment application complete the online application form and attach all the completed documents listed below at the time of submission. You will be prompted to attached documents when completing the application form.

If you are a Health Professional Educator (HPE), please visit our HPE webpage for more information about the DFCM HPE community of practice and our useful HPE guidelines document.

Applicants with an Existing University Appointment:

Individuals who already hold an existing status only appointment elsewhere in the University may apply for a secondary ("concurrent") status only appointment in the DFCM.

Required Documents:

Use our checklist and naming conventions when attaching the following required documents to the online application form:

Status Only Appointment at the rank of Lecturer:

Status Only Appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor (please discuss with Site Chief to ensure candidate meets qualifications):

 *If the candidate has a PhD Scientist designation this letter must come from the VP of Research at the hospital or institution where the scientist is employed. The letter must state that the hospital or institution will provide salary and lab facilities for the duration of the academic appointment.

Cross-Appointments

A cross-appointment may be given to an individual who already holds an existing appointment at the University of Toronto.

The type of cross-appointment in the DFCM is determined by the nature of the primary appointment they already hold. Please reference the chart below:

Primary Appointment Type Eligible Cross Appt in the DFCM
Clinical MD Appointment (i.e. Clinical Full Time, Part Time or Adjunct) Clinical Cross Appt
Tenure/Tenure Stream, CLTA, Teaching Stream Non-Budgetary Cross Appt
Status Only (non-clinical) Status Only (non-clinical)
Adjunct (non-clinical) Adjunct (non-clinical)

Clinical Cross Appointments

Clinical Cross-Appointments may be given to a practicing MD who already holds a primary 'clinical' appointment in another clinical department in the Faculty of Medicine. It is given to allow appointees to participate in the teaching activities of the DFCM.

For a clinical cross-appointment, complete the online application form and attach all completed documents listed below at the time of submission. You will be prompted to attached documents when completing the application form.

Required Documents:

Non-Budgetary Cross Appointment

Non-budgetary cross appointments are given to an existing faculty member who is on paid salary in an academic unit at the University of Toronto and who is subsequently appointed to another academic unit on a non-salaried basis. These are fixed-term appointments, usually 1 to 3 years.

For a non-budgetary cross appointment, please complete the online application form and attach all completed documents listed below at the time of submission. You will be prompted to attached documents when completing the application form.

Required Documents:

Concurrent Status-Only or Adjunct (non clinical) Appointments

Individuals with existing Status-Only appointments or Adjunct (non clinical) appointments at the University of Toronto may seek a concurrent (secondary) appointment in the DFCM. These are fixed term, the length of which should be tied to the term of the appointment in the faculty member's primary department.

For details and requirements, see the drop down section above titled "Status-Only (Non-MD) Appointment Application", or "University Adjunct Lecturer (Non-MD) Appointment Application".

Visiting Professorship

This category of appointment is used for faculty members visiting from other institutions for less than a year that require access to university services during their visit and/or require a formal relationship with the university for visa purposes. This category of appointment does not normally enable participation in clinical activities. These appointments are usually for one year or less.

In cases of candidates visiting from outside Canada, an application must be made well in advance of the expected start date of the professorship (at least a few months) to prepare the necessary immigration documents. The application should be arranged prior to the candidate arriving in Canada.

Please note that while we can support a visiting professorship application, Our department cannot advise on immigration policy or procedure.

To find out more about a visiting professorship, contact the DFCM Academic Appointments Administrator at  dfcm.facultyappt@utoronto.ca.

Site/Program Transfer: Current DFCM Faculty Member to a New Site/Program

Please meet with your new faculty member to review and initiate the appointment transfer from another site. A faculty transfer may only be completed if the rank and FTE remain exactly the same; if not, a new appointment application will need to be completed by your site. To initiate a site/program transfer, please complete the online application form and attach the required documentation in a single PDF. For the “Appointment Type Requested,” please select “change in an existing appointment”.

Required documentation includes:

  • Letter of Confirmation from Hospital Departmental Physician-in-Chief (Template letter). If transferring to a new program/division, the letter of confirmation should be from the relevant program director/division head.
  • Updated CV – should include start date at new site/program/division
  • Updated Academic Position Description:

Combine documents into a single PDF, use naming convention: LastName_FirstName_Transfer_MonthYear (ex: Doe_John_Transfer_Feb2024).

Secondary Division/Programs

Faculty in the DFCM only require appointment through one main Site/Program/Division under a single DFCM Chief.

However, there may be some applicants who would like to join a Secondary Division or Program given their academic involvement. For example, an individual who is appointed at their home site Baycrest may want an official secondary Palliative Care Division affiliation. In these instances, this must be supported by both Chiefs, with a letter confirming that all parties are aware of the Secondary Division/Program and that there will be open communication between the two as it pertains to the faculty member's appointment.  

Existing Faculty Joining a Secondary Division/Program

For existing DFCM faculty who already hold an appointment and would like to join a secondary Division/Program, submit the following two documents to dfcm.facultyappt@utoronto.ca:

  1. Letter of Support from both Chief/Directors
  2. Updated Position Description (PD) Form to include description of academic activities in secondary division:
    1. PD form for MD adjunct or part time
    2. PD form for MD full time or fully affiliate TAHSN sites

NEW Faculty Applications (applicants who are not already appointed)

Please refer to and complete the application package for a Clinical Adjunct, Clinical Part Time, Clinical Full Time, Status Only (Non-MD) or Adjunct (non-MD) appointment listed above, with the following inclusions:

  1. Primary Chief's letter that acknowledges secondary Division/Program:
    1. for clinical MD adjunct or part time
    2. for clinical MD full time
    3. for Status Only (non MD) - lecturer or assistant professor
    4. for University Adjunct Lecturer (non MD) 
  2. The addition of a secondary Chief/Division Letter:
    1. for all clinical MD applicants (adjunct, part time, full time)
    2. for all non-MD applicants (status only, non MD adjunct)

Junior and Senior Promotion

Are you interested in a junior or senior promotion? Visit the links below for more information. If you have any questions, contact dfcm.promotion@utoronto.ca

DAC and FAAC Meeting Dates

All new faculty and junior promotion applications are reviewed by the DFCM Department Appointments Committee (DAC), which meets on a monthly basis from September–June. Once supported, Clinical Full Time promotions, status only appointments and initial Clinical Full Time appointments at the rank of Assistant Professor or higher are also reviewed by the Faculty Appointments Advisory Committee (FAAC) before they can be approved by the Dean.

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT APPLICATIONS FOR DAC 2023-2024 DAC MEETING DATES

August 29, 2023

September 12, 2023

September 19, 2023

October 3, 2023

October 24, 2023

November 7, 2023

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December 5, 2023

December 12, 2023 (early due to holiday close)

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June 4, 2024

INTERNAL DEADLINE FOR FAAC SUBMISSIONS 2023-2024 FAAC MEETING DATES

June 29, 2023

July 20, 2023

August 3, 2023

August 24, 2023

August 31, 2023

September 21, 2023

October 5, 2023

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