Terms of Reference for the Young Surgeon’s Endowment Fund (Tomlinson Fund) and the Tomlinson Award Committee
Objectives: The Department of Surgery is committed to its tripartite mission to provide highest quality clinical care, train the next generation of surgeons and surgeon-scientists and lead in the development of new knowledge and innovations for the benefit of our communities. The main objective of the Tomlinson Young Surgeon’s Endowment Fund is to support the recruitment and retention of outstanding young surgeons and surgical scientists who will contribute to our academic mission. The fund provides start-up salary support that must be matched by funding from the recruiting Hospital, Research Institute or Division to be used as start-up operating funds.
Eligibility: Recruits with a primary full-time appointment to the McGill Department of Surgery who are developing an academic focus are eligible for the award. Exceptional recruits with cross-appointments to the Department of Surgery may also be considered if their academic activities will be of benefit to the Department of Surgery.
Use of the funding: The Tomlinson Award is generally used as salary support. Based on specific circumstances, the funds may be requested to be directed towards start-up research funds, following approval by the committee.
Committee Membership: The decision for funding will be made by a committee chaired by the Chair of the Department of Surgery. Members of the committee will include the Vice Chairs (Research, Clinical, Education, Faculty Development) and 3 members-at-large appointed by the Chair of the Department of Surgery for a term of 3 years. Members-at-large will be chosen to reflect the diversity of the Department. Their terms will overlap such that one of these members will rotate off the committee each year. Committee members must hold an appointment in the Department of Surgery.
The Tomlinson Committee meets at least once a year, with more frequent meetings scheduled as required. Committee members shall attend committee meetings regularly and shall, whenever possible, give prior notice to the committee secretary if they are unable to attend. If a committee member fails to attend two consecutive meetings, the committee chair shall review with the member his or her ability to continue to serve on the committee.
A committee member who has a conflict of interest with respect to a matter being considered at a meeting as defined by the University’s conflict of interest regulations (https://www.mcgill.ca/apo/forms/conflict-interest-reporting) must disclose this conflict and request to have it recorded in the minutes of the meeting and must absent himself or herself from the meeting for the duration of the presentation of the item and abstain from voting on that matter.
Process: Candidates for Tomlinson support are identified by the Division Director or Department Chair. The recruiting Department is responsible for preparing a Letter of Offer (LOO) detailing the expectations for the academic role for the recruit and what the specific deliverables are to measure performance. The academic focus may include research, education, innovation, quality improvement, leadership or other roles. Note that within the LOO, the Tomlinson funding can be mentioned as a possible source of funding, but this funding is not confirmed until the Tomlinson Committee approves the request. In all cases, Tomlinson funds awarded must be matched by other sources of funding from the hospital, research institute, University or Division. Written confirmation of a commitment to match the Tomlinson funding is required before the request will be taken to the Tomlinson committee for consideration.
Submission of the Tomlinson Support Request package to the committee is required from the Departmental Chair and the Division Director. This will include:
- Tomlinson Request checklist
- Letter from the Division Director identifying the specific academic responsibilities and expectations of the candidate; how this activity will enhance the academic mission of the Division and Department; source of matching funds from the recruiting hospital, Division, foundation and/or research institute; resources that the recruiting institution and/or research institute are committing in support of these activities (eg lab/office space, research assistant, equipment); mentorship plan including members of a mentorship committee
- Proposal from the Candidate (maximum 2 pages) with an overview of how the funds will be used to support their academic development; how this will build on previous training or how it will be used to acquire new skills; how this program will meet a need identified in the Division and Department
- Written confirmation of commitment to match the Tomlinson funding
Duration of Funding: The term of the award is for up to 3 years, nonrenewable. A progress report is required at the end of the second year. At this point, the committee will decide whether a third year of funding will be awarded. The review process includes an evaluation of a progress report supplied by the candidate and a letter of support from the Division Director.
June 2010
Revised April 19, 2012
Revised June 11, 2013
Revised June 30 2021
Revised Feb 29 2024
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