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Creating a Senior Brain Trust

The Academy at Johns Hopkins allows retired faculty members at the schools of medicine, nursing and public health to continue academic and scholarly pursuits.

From left to right: Bill Baumgartner, inaugural chair of The Academy at Johns Hopkins; Patricia Davidson, dean of the school of nursing; Paul Rothman, dean of the school of medicine, and Janet DiPietro, vice dean of the school of public health.

By Linell Smith on 11/15/2018
Published in Dome - Dome November/December 2018

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine faculty members now have another reason to look forward to retirement: becoming eligible to join The Academy at Johns Hopkins, a new program that invites them to continue research and teaching while offering new opportunities for institutional and community service.

Also open to retired faculty from the schools of nursing and public health, the academy is located in the east wing of the Welch Medical Library on the East Baltimore campus.

Paul Rothman, dean of the medical faculty and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine, says the program will connect retired clinicians, researchers and educators with one another while encouraging ongoing scholarship. The program also provides opportunities to precept, mentor and coach trainees and junior faculty; perform archival research or history of medicine projects; offer critical review of proposals, grants and manuscripts; serve on committees and advisory panels for the individual schools; and engage in community service.

More than 100 faculty members and staff attended the academy’s opening ceremony on Oct. 2. At the event, distinguished service professor Bill Baumgartner, former vice dean for clinical affairs at the school of medicine, was introduced as inaugural chairman of the academy.

“We retirees all still possess years of experience and knowledge and would like to stay active and continue to be productive,” he said, urging audience members to submit suggestions for shaping the program.

The academy’s suite has spaces suitable for private meetings, individual study, small and larger group gatherings, symposia and social events. There is also a kitchen and a business center with five desktop/workstations with the capability to dock one’s own laptop for use of the monitor and keyboard. Jennifer Van Beek serves as program administrator.

Retired faculty or faculty in phased retirement who seek membership in the academy can apply through a form on the academy’s website. For details, visit the Office of Faculty Development's Senior Faculty Retirement Resources.