Defining Scholarship for Today and Tomorrow

Abstract

Scholarship, required for academic advancement, has traditionally been defined narrowly, not keeping pace with the expansion of faculty academic activities in health professions schools. How can we refine the definition of scholarship so that it better aligns with the scope of current faculty practice within academic health systems? Revision of the academic policies for promotion and tenure at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School afforded an opportunity to redefine scholarship such that a broader platform was available for faculty recognition, aligning with current academic standards, yet providing flexibility for the future. The authors describe the historical context of the definition of scholarship and their institution's process to construct a definition of scholarship with three essential elements: advancement of knowledge, dissemination for critical review, and impact on a discipline, practice, or community. Application of this definition to team science and digital scholarship is also described. Following a widespread continuing education initiative, implementation of the new definition within promotion and tenure processes of the medical, nursing, and graduate schools resulted in broad acceptance across the institution. This forum article provides lessons in leading an academic health sciences institution to reassess academic processes and is a resource for advancing the vigorous debate on the evolving meaning and evaluation of scholarship.