To the YSM Community:
In follow-up to the recent message from President McInnis regarding the fall 2025 university-wide faculty survey, I write to share Yale School of Medicine (YSM) results and the next steps. Top level YSM results are posted on this webpage.
The university has now conducted the survey three times, in 2021, 2023, and 2025. Over this period, we have seen a steady increase in participation–I am grateful for your feedback.
The survey addresses five broad themes–unit climate, responsibilities and recognition, professional growth, Yale climate, and freedom from disrespect–and there is much good news. YSM results have improved year-over-year in all five areas. All trends from 2021 to 2025 and from 2023 to 2025 are statistically significant. I will highlight a few takeaways.
The areas of highest satisfaction among faculty were unit climate and freedom from disrespect. Eighty-four percent of faculty agreed or strongly agreed that “My department, section, or division creates a collegial and respectful climate,” compared to 71% in 2021 and 78% in 2023. The proportion of faculty who agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that they “feel a sense of belonging in [their] department, section, or division” increased from 70% in 2021, to 74% in 2023, to 79% in 2025. Eighty-one percent agreed that their “department, section, or division has a vibrant and engaging academic community,” up from 71% in 2021 and 77% in 2023.
YSM has seen the greatest improvement in feelings about professional growth. For example, the proportion of faculty responding positively to the statement, “I have access to clear information about the promotion and appointment process,” increased from 57% in 2021, to 71% in 2023, to 76% in 2025. This pattern was seen across tracks and across all subgroupings. Similar consistent increases were seen in positive responses regarding “sponsorship for advancement" (67% positive in 2025, versus 54% in 2021 and 61% in 2023), “formal mentoring" (61% positive in 2025, versus 46% and 55% previously), “informal mentoring" (79% positive in 2025, versus 67% and 74%), and “leadership opportunities" (65% positive in 2025, versus 54% and 60%). Although starting from a lower place, research track faculty marked the biggest increase in these areas. We have more work to do to enhance mentorship and sponsorship, but these trends suggest we are starting to see a return on investment in efforts such as workshops provided by the Office of Academic and Professional Development, leadership development resources, the faculty development annual questionnaire (FDAQ), and departmental commitment to strengthen mentorship, well-being, support, communication, and leadership.
The area where we have the greatest opportunity for improvement relates to recognition and responsibilities. While faculty generally feel recognized for their mentoring/advising (73%, up from 67% in 2023), teaching (70% up from 64%), and service (71%, up from 66%) responsibilities, a smaller proportion feel that teaching (62%, up from 52% in 2021 and 60% in 2023) and service (63%, up from 51% and 59%) responsibilities are allocated fairly in their department. We will continue to develop best practices for standardization of the delegation of responsibilities within a department, and review for consistency and compliance with school policies.
Completing surveys takes time but this longitudinal view enables us to continue to make the school better for faculty. Each department–and in large departments, each section–has received department- or section-specific results. We have asked chairs and section chiefs to review these data with their department or section so that together they can celebrate strengths and identify areas on which department/section faculty would like to work, just as we are doing school-wide.
I will also review results at town halls and at the next State of the School presentation.
Sincerely,
Nancy J. Brown, MD
Jean and David W. Wallace Dean of Medicine
C.N.H. Long Professor of Internal Medicine