Office of Academic and Faculty Affairs
The University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital Colorado are large institutions whose success depends on excellence in our faculty missions of education, clinical care, research and discovery, and service. We know that our faculty are the most valuable resource in maintaining our nationally respected leadership position among pediatric academic medical centers.
The Department of Pediatrics Office of Academic and Faculty Affairs offers support services and career guidance, and maintains helpful information for faculty regarding appointments, policies, and promotion and tenure. We hope our efforts assist faculty members in setting meaningful goals and in pursuing paths to successful, fulfilling careers.
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Career Development and Mentoring
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Faculty Resources
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Faculty Working Groups
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Promotion and Tenure
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2024 Faculty Promotions
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Contact Us
Department of Pediatrics Faculty Affairs is committed to the success of all faculty members in the Department. Our goal is to promote faculty advancement and well-being by providing tools to successfully navigate a career at the University of Colorado. The resources provided here are not intended to replace what many sections are already doing, but rather to enhance any existing programs and ensure all faculty have a foundation for a fulfilling career.
Successful academic careers are the result of thoughtful planning and knowledgeable guidance. A defined career plan is an essential “road map” for reaching your goals. Use the resources below to develop your own plan and to find colleagues
who can advise you along the way.Under this section, you will find information tailored to early career, mid-career, and senior-career faculty.
Early career faculty have less than 7-10 years of faculty experience in their fields. Early career faculty should focus on procuring and maintaining the mentoring, training, and resources necessary as they begin to define their career paths. Career development will vary by area of focus, training, interests, and anticipated faculty series. Please refer to the Faculty Handbook [link will be inserted] for additional details on career development.
Mid-career faculty generally have more than 7-10 years of faculty experience in their fields. Mid-career faculty should focus on achieving excellence in their chosen career path, e.g. building on accomplishments as early career faculty towards a path of increasing independence, focusing on primary areas of interest, actively mentoring trainees and early career faculty, and developing leadership skills. Please refer to the Faculty Handbook [link will be inserted] for additional details on career development.
Senior-career faculty generally have more than 14 - 20 years of faculty experience in their fields. Senior faculty should focus on adding to their accomplishments; contributing to the missions of our department; making an impact on the next generation of clinicians, educators, and scientists; and, in many cases, becoming leaders at the local, regional, national, and/or international levels.
Mentoring
The Department of Pediatrics views mentoring as an important aspect of faculty professional and career development. Our Office of Faculty Affairs, along with the School of Medicine Office of Faculty Affairs, is dedicated to enhancing faculty development through our mentoring program, especially for junior faculty.
Mentoring is a reciprocal and collaborative learning relationship in which mentor and mentee agree to a partnership and share responsibility and accountability toward the achievement of mutually defined goals that will develop a mentee’s skills, abilities, knowledge, and thinking.
Learn more about our mentoring policy, navigator program, and other School of Medicine resources through these links below.
Mentor Navigators will help faculty identify potential mentors and provide objective assessments of career and research plans. The concept of a Mentor Navigator has been developed to augment, not replace, the role of any established faculty mentor or mentoring team.
Mentoring Resources
Clinical Faculty Scholars Program (CFSP)
Helps emerging investigators obtain a career development award (e.g. K08, K23), or a first independent project award (R21, R01 or equivalent) via development of an individual career plan and regular individual mentorship from four experienced senior researchers.
Colorado Immersion Training (CIT)
Brings together experts in community engagement to help investigators address the community relevance of their research activities as well as to help communities ask and answer questions about their health
Colorado Mentor (CO-Mentor) Training Program
Provides evidence-based strategies to teach mentor/mentee pairs the practical skills they need for mentoring success
Colorado PROFILES
A search engine which helps investigators and students find experts, potential collaborators, or mentors both at AMC and across the nation
Adult & Child Center for Outcomes Research & Delivery Science (ACCORDS)
ACCORDS supports both methodologic cores and programs. Our methodologic cores provide support for the development of new projects, grant proposals for faculty, consultative support to investigators, as well as support for our programmatic areas. Programs focus on the development of an educational or scientific discipline and may also have a methodologic core component.
I-Corps@CCTSI
An entrepreneurial training that and uses proven customer-discovery methodologies for startups and guides teams through the early stages of discovery where they can test their business model hypotheses for their technology/idea and thereby accelerate the translation of innovations from the lab to clinical practice.
KL2 (K12) Research Scholar Awards
Provides career development to train awardees to obtain individual funding via participation in monthly mentoring/career development sessions and the annual national CTSA consortium meeting.
Optional Clinical Research Training and Resources
Available for study coordinators and investigators and cover issues such as UCD IRB processes, budgeting for a clinical trial, recruitment and informed consent, FDA audits, and good clinical practice guidelines. View regulatory tools and forms.
PreK and K to R Review Programs
Grant pre-submission mock grant review processes for faculty who are submitting their first K- or R-level application to the NIH and provides internal review prior to submission to increase the chances for success
Research Studio Program
A 90 minute structured, collaborative roundtable discussion with relevant research experts to help investigators with specific questions and is based on models from industry that demonstrate that multidisciplinary content experts can increase research impact. The service is free and funded by the CCTSI
Department of Pediatrics Faculty Affairs has compiled a number of resources to assist faculty and staff. You may find the list on our intranet page.
Instructor Faculty Working Group (IFWG)
A faculty working group for instructors, senior instructors, and APPs of any years of experience.
Mission: The Instructor Faculty Working Group (IFWG) represents our inter-professional faculty members including instructors, senior instructors, and advanced practice providers. Our mission is to support opportunities for career development and inter-professional collaboration among these faculty members in the Department of Pediatrics.
For more information including members, events, and resources, please see the dedicated page on the Department of Pediatrics intranet.
PhD Faculty Working Group (PhDFWG)
A faculty working group for PhD research faculty of all ranks and years of experience.
Mission: The function of this group is to serve as a bridge between our diverse PhD faculty within the Department of Pediatrics and our departmental leadership.
For more information including members, events, and resources, please see the dedicated page on the Department of Pediatrics intranet.
Early Career Faculty Working Group (ECFWG)
A working group for faculty with up to seven years of faculty experience in their fields. The group focuses on supporting early career faculty including with topics that include mentoring, training, and resources necessary as they begin to define their career paths.
Mission: The Early Career Faculty Working Group is a small group of junior faculty members with a primary mission to address topics of specific interest to early career faculty in the Department of Pediatrics.
We strive to promote discussion and facilitate interaction among faculty members who may otherwise never work together.
This group also serves as a support network to allow for research and clinical collaborations and for representation of early career faculty interests at the Department of Pediatrics Academic and Faculty Affairs meetings.
We strive to provide seminars on topics of interest to early career faculty and to organize a formal retreat every other year.
For more information including members, events, and resources, please see the dedicated page on the Department of Pediatrics intranet.
Mid-career Faculty Working Group (MCFWG)
A working group that supports faculty who generally have between seven and thirteen years of total experience in their field, regardless of rank or institution. A maximum of 6 members will be elected for a three-year term. The primary charter for this group includes pathway to professor planning, resourcing, and mentoring, increasing awareness of specific faculty needs, provider wellness, and growing networking opportunities across fields and ranks.
Mission: The MCFWG will develop and support activities and projects to enrich and improve the career development of all mid-career faculty in the Department of Pediatrics with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We will advocate for issues important to faculty and help create connections between faculty members that would not otherwise exist.
For more information including members, events, and resources, please see the dedicated page on the Department of Pediatrics intranet.
Late-career Faculty Working Group
A working group that supports faculty who generally have more than thirteen years of total experience in their field, regardless of rank or institution. A maximum of 6 members will be elected for a three-year term. The primary charter for this group includes identifying and raising awareness of specific faculty needs, provider wellness, generating new opportunities for connections to earlier-career faculty, succession planning, long-range planning including career transition and retirement, and emeritus faculty engagement.
For more information including members, events, and resources, please see the dedicated page on the Department of Pediatrics intranet.
The Department of Pediatrics Academic Affairs Office provides guidance for and oversees the processes of assigning academic rank for new hires, mid-point reviews for assistant professors, academic promotion, and awards of tenure.
Mark Abzug, MD, serves as Vice Chair for Academic Affairs, and Nancy Krebs, MD, MS, serves as Associate Vice Chair for Academic Affairs. Rhonda Buckner and Nikki Ruderman are the administrative support for the Department of Pediatrics Academic Affairs Office.
For resources and guidelines for faculty in the School of Medicine, please visit the School of Medicine’s Faculty Affairs website
For information specific to faculty within the Department of Pediatrics, please visit the Academic and Faculty Affairs intranet page “Promotions and Tenure.” Note you will need to log in with your University of Colorado credentials to access the intranet.
For complete School of Medicine information about promotion/appointment processes and rules, promotion/appointment criteria, awards of tenure, and dossier preparation, see the School of Medicine Promotion and Tenure Page.
Celebrating Faculty Promotions and Awards of Tenure
We are pleased to announce our faculty who have been promoted to associate professor, professor and awarded tenure during the 2024–25 academic year, which go into effect on July 1, 2024.
| Section of Allergy and Immunology | |
| Pia Hauk, MD | Promotion to Professor |
| Vijaya Knight, MD, PhD | Promotion to Professor |
| Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes | |
| Maki Nakayama, MD, PhD | Promotion to Professor |
| Section of Cardiology | |
| Scott Auerbach, MD | Promotion to Professor |
| Benjamin Frank, MD | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Christopher Rausch, MD | Promotion to Professor of Clinical Practice |
| Child Health Associate/Physician Assistant Program | |
| Amy Akerman, PA-C, MPAS | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Tanya Fernandez, PA-C, MS '05 | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Section of Child Neurology | |
| Krista Eschbach, MD | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Jennifer Janusz, PsyD | Promotion to Professor |
| Kelly Knupp, MD, MSCS '17 | Promotion to Professor |
| Section of Critical Care Medicine | |
| Angela Czaja, MD, PhD '19, MSc | Promotion to Professor |
| Michele Loi, MD '10 | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Erin Stenson, MD | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Section of Developmental Biology | |
| Peter Dempsey, PhD | Promotion to Professor |
| Stephen Santoro, PhD | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Kelly Sullivan, PhD | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Section of Developmental Pediatrics | |
| Abigail Angulo, MD, MPH '17 | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Section of Emergency Medicine | |
| Christopher Cavagnaro, MD | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Maya Haasz, MD | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Kristin Kim, MD, PhD | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Maria Mandt, MD | Promotion to Professor |
| Leana May Moser, DO, MPH | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Section of Endocrinology | |
| Sarah Bartz, MD | Promotion to Associate Professor of Clinical Practice |
| Laura Pyle, PhD | Promotion to Professor |
| Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition | |
| Tolulope Falaiye, MD | Promotion to Associate Professor of Clinical Practice |
| Section of General Academic Pediatrics | |
| Mandy Allison, MD, MEd, MSPH ’06 | Promotion to Professor |
| Steven Federico, MD | Promotion to Professor |
| James Feinstein, MD, MPH ’12 | Promotion to Professor |
| Amanda Bird Gilmartin, MD | Promotion to Associate Professor of Clinical Practice |
| James Kaferly, III, MD ’09 | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Anna-Lisa Munson, MD | Promotion to Associate Professor of Clinical Practice |
| Joshua Williams, MD, FAAP | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Section of Genetics and Metabolism | |
| Austin Larson, MD | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Tim Wood, PhD, MS | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Section of Hematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation | |
| Hesham Eissa, MD, MB ChB, MSc | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Sandra Luna-Fineman, MD | Promotion to Professor |
| Chris McKinney, MD | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Christopher Ng, MD | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Section of Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology | |
| Edwin Asturias, MD | Award of Tenure |
| Jessica Cataldi, MD, MSCS '17 | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Sara Saporta-Keating, MD, MSc | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Section of Neonatology | |
| Jim Barry, MD, MBA | Promotion to Professor |
| Stephanie Bourque, MD, MSCS '18 | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Mauricio Palau, MD | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Section of Nephrology | |
| Bradley Dixon, MD | Promotion to Professor |
| Vivian Shih, MD | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Section of Pediatric Hospital Medicine | |
| Justin Lockwood, MD, MSCS '18 | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Kaitlin Widmer, MD | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Section of Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine | |
| Monica Federico, MD | Promotion to Professor |
| Jane Gross, MD, PhD | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Amanda Messinger, MD, MS | Promotion to Associate Professor |
| Christina Papantonakis, MD | Promotion to Associate Professor of Clinical Practice |
Academic Affairs
Contact Rhonda.Buckner@childrenscolorado.org or nicole.ruderman@childrenscolorado.org for questions regarding
- Scheduling an appointment with Mark Abzug or Nancy Krebs
- Faculty promotion process including
- Nominations
- Dossier preparation
- Mid-Point Review
- Promotion readiness
- Diversity and Inclusion Committee
Faculty Affairs
Contact Justin.Lotspeich@childrenscolorado.org for questions regarding
- Scheduling an appointment with Andrew Sirotnak about faculty concerns, feedback, or questions
- PRiSM (Performance Review in the School of Medicine)
- Pediatrics LAUNCH Program
- New Faculty Reception
- Academic and Faculty Affairs webpages and intranet pages
- Early Career Faculty Interest Group (ECFWG), events, and webpage
- Mid-Career Faculty Interest Group (MCFWG), events, and webpage
- Late-Career Faculty Interest Group (SCFWG), events, and webpage
- PhD Faculty Working Group (PhDFWG), events, and webpage
- Instructor Faculty Working Group (IFWG) events, and webpage
Vice Chairs
Mark Abzug
Vice Chair for Academic Affairs
Mark.Abzug@childrenscolorado.org
My role is to provide counseling to faculty on academic rank and advancement and guidance regarding midpoint, promotion, and tenure reviews. I serve as Co-Chair of the Department of Pediatrics Promotions and Tenure Committee.
Nancy Krebs
Associate Vice Chair for Academic Affairs
Nancy.Krebs@ucdenver.edu
I support the Department of Pediatrics’ academic actions for faculty including appointments, midpoint reviews, promotions, and tenure awards. I directly assist faculty by providing counseling and reviewing CV’s, dossiers and activities related to their academic position. I co-Chair the Department of Pediatrics’ Promotions and Tenure Committee, and maintain a close liaison with the SOM Office of Faculty Affairs.
Andrew Sirotnak
Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs
Andrew.Sirotnak@childrenscolorado.org
My Vice Chair role for all department faculty is to provide a venue for confidential support, career satisfaction counseling, and assistance with conflict management. I manage initiatives in mentoring, faculty development and the annual PRISM performance review process.
Administration
Gene Liffick
HR Program Director
gene.liffick@childrenscolorado.org
Rhonda Buckner
Talent Management & Academic Affairs Coordinator
Rhonda.Buckner@childrenscolorado.org
Nikki Ruderman
Talent Management & Academic Affairs Coordinator
nicole.ruderman@childrenscolorado.org
Justin Lotspeich
Faculty Affairs Program Coordinator
Justin.Lotspeich@childrenscolorado.org