Our Faculty Advisory Group

The Faculty Advisory Group of the Center for Community Health is comprised of 51 faculty and staff members who have a strong interest in promoting community health improvement efforts. Members come from departments throughout the University, and work together to promote the community health mission of the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC). The Faculty Advisory Group meets quarterly, and has four committees: Communications, Partnership, Community Health Research Support and Strategic Planning. Faculty and staff members who are interested in joining the Faculty Advisory Group should contact Donna Drews at 276-3056, or via e-mail at Donna_Drews@urmc.rochester.edu. The following is an example of the efforts of the Faculty Advisory Group. These recommendations were developed by the Partnership Committee, and approved by the Faculty Advisory Group in January 2008 and presented to the URMC Community Health Executive Committee in February 2008.

Recommendations to Better Support URMC/Community Partnerships to Improve Health

The Partnership Committee of the Center for Community Health Faculty Advisory Group has developed the following recommendations. They were developed with extensive input from community-involved faculty and staff throughout the Medical Center. The Partnership Committee believes that the implementation of these recommendations by the URMC would significantly improve the effectiveness of this institution in partnering with the Rochester community for health improvement. Implementation plans are under development. The Partnership Committee welcomes faculty and staff interested in working on this effort. Please contact Committee Chair Sheldon Fields, School of Nursing: sheldon_fields@urmc.rochester.edu

A. DEPARTMENTAL COMMUNITY SERVICE PLANS: Create expectation that each URMC department will develop a community service plan. The Center for Community Health would be available to assist departments with plan development.

B. EXPECTATIONS/RECOGNITION FOR COMMUNITY WORK: Consider ways to incorporate community involvement into performance evaluations and advancement/tenure criteria. Make community involvement an expected/evaluated portion of everyone’s job and every department’s mission

C. COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT AWARDS: To increase professional recognition for community work, URMC (through Center for Community Health) should develop awards for various categories (junior faculty, senior faculty, staff, interdisciplinary effort, community partner) for exemplary community health improvement work.

D. COMMUNITY ORIENTATION FOR NEW FACULTY/STAFF: Incorporate community orientation (community health and social issues, options for involvement) into professional orientation. Include written information about what the Center for Community Health can do to connect faculty and staff to the community. Provide a community bus tour, but not only to distressed communities.

E. SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDS FOR COMMUNUITY INITIATIVES: Establish a fund within URMC for supplemental funds to facilitate faculty and staff to work with community groups (e.g. to support supplies for meetings, food for focus groups, transportation, etc.).

Partnership Committee Members: Sheldon D. Fields, School of Nursing (Committee Chair); Delores J. Banks, Center for Community Health; Catherine Bunce, Department of Medicine; Sangeeta Gajendra, Eastman Dental Center; Gabrielle A. Kapsak, Department of Community & Preventive Medicine; David Korones, Richard Kreipe, Laura Shone, and Susan Taylor-Brown, Department of Pediatrics; Katherine J. Lewis, Center for Community Health; Caroline Nestro and Ann Marie White, Department of Psychiatry