The following case studies illustrate representative client situations and outcomes. All identifying details have been generalized to protect client confidentiality.
Case Study 1: The Overlooked Subspecialist
Specialty: Pulmonology / Critical Care | Institution Type: Major Research University
THE SITUATION
A nine-year faculty member with consistently strong wRVU performance and two active NIH grants had received only cost-of-living adjustments for five consecutive years, despite a record that clearly warranted more.
WHAT GREGG DID
Gregg conducted a comprehensive salary review using specialty benchmark data: wRVU productivity relative to peers and NIH indirect cost recovery contribution. A written report was produced and a Winning Strategy presentation was built for the department chair meeting.
THE RESULT
A $57,000 base salary increase was awarded, plus a $12,000 annual research fund allocation—an outcome the department chair described as "long overdue."
Case Study 2: The New Appointment Left Money on the Table
Specialty: Cardiology | Institution Type: Academic Medical Center Affiliated with Top-20 Medical School
THE SITUATION
A faculty physician had accepted an appointment and signed a contract before seeking any outside counsel. Two months in, there was reason to believe the offer had been below market for the specialty and clinical productivity projections.
WHAT GREGG DID
Gregg performed a post-signing salary review, benchmarked the compensation against his own knowledge for the specialty and region, and developed a strategy for reopening the compensation conversation with administration at the 6-month review.
THE RESULT
A $33,000 salary adjustment was secured, plus a signing bonus applied retroactively to the start date—something the physician had not believed was negotiable.
Case Study 3: The Researcher Who Didn't Know His NIH Value
Specialty: Genetic Medicine / Translational Research | Institution Type: Ivy-Affiliated Research Institution
THE SITUATION
A prolific NIH-funded researcher whose grants had grown to over $4 million annually had a salary that had not kept pace with the growth of the grant portfolio.
WHAT GREGG DID
Gregg quantified the indirect cost recovery the grants generated for the institution annually, translated this into institutional financial impact language, and built a compensation argument grounded in institutional ROI.
THE RESULT
Base salary was increased by $78,000—the largest single salary adjustment in the department's history—with an additional commitment to dedicated research staff support.
Case Study 4: The Mid-Career Physician Considering Leaving Academia
Specialty: Hematology/Oncology | Institution Type: NCI-Designated Cancer Center
THE SITUATION
A faculty physician was seriously considering leaving academic medicine for private practice due to salary dissatisfaction, without yet having made any formal approach to institutional leadership.
WHAT GREGG DID
Gregg conducted a full salary review, compared compensation to both academic and private-practice benchmarks, and helped determine that with the right strategy, staying in academic medicine was both financially and professionally viable. A complete Winning Strategy presentation was developed.
THE RESULT
A $67,000 salary increase was awarded—bringing academic compensation within 12% of the private-practice offer under consideration. The physician elected to remain in the academic role and received a formal promotion pathway commitment from the Chair and Dean.
Case Study 5: The MD/PhD Underpaid on Both Sides
Specialty: Neurology / Neuroscience | Institution Type: Free-Standing Medical School
THE SITUATION
A faculty member holding both MD and PhD appointments was being compensated primarily on the clinical track, with little recognition of research contributions. Salary was being benchmarked incorrectly against purely clinical faculty.
WHAT GREGG DID
Gregg reframed the compensation argument to reflect the dual nature of the academic appointment, identified the correct peer comparison group, and produced a written salary analysis citing industry data for MD/PhD faculty at research-intensive institutions. Most importantly, Gregg coached the faculty member so it was easily explained and logically presented to achieve self advocacy.
THE RESULT
Compensation was restructured with a $49,000 increase and a new research supplement—a change the institution acknowledged reflected a corrected classification error.
Case Study 6: The High Performer Passed Over for Resources
Specialty: Gastroenterology | Institution Type: University Hospital System
THE SITUATION
The highest wRVU producer in the division had been denied requests for additional staff and a larger budget for two consecutive years, despite a clear and demonstrable productivity record.
WHAT GREGG DID
Gregg built a Contribution Margin Analysis—the same tool he developed during his tenure at Vanderbilt—showing the net revenue generated versus total compensation and support costs. The case for additional resources was reframed as an institutional investment, not an expense.
THE RESULT
Approval was granted for one additional staff member for the procedure suite, a $25,000 equipment budget, and a $36,000 salary increase—all within 90 days of the leadership presentation.
Case Study 7: The Researcher Facing Soft-Money Risk
Specialty: Epidemiology | Institution Type: School of Public Health within Academic Medical Center
THE SITUATION
A 60% grant-supported researcher faced grant renewals coming up in 18 months and needed to increase the hard-money base before any funding gap could threaten compensation stability.
WHAT GREGG DID
Gregg helped build a bridge-funding argument using historical grant success rate, a current pipeline of pending applications, and a nine-year indirect cost recovery track record. The Practice Strategy Plan included a multi-year compensation security roadmap.
THE RESULT
An increase to hard-money base salary was negotiated plus a guaranteed bridge-funding commitment of $60,000 for any potential gap period.
Case Study 8: The Physician Who Wanted a Promotion, Not Just a Raise
Specialty: Internal Medicine | Institution Type: Regional Academic Medical Center
THE SITUATION
A faculty member had been an Associate Professor for seven years and was ready for full Professor status and a formal leadership role. Prior conversations with the department chair had stalled without resolution.
WHAT GREGG DID
Gregg developed a Practice Perfect Plan that included a complete review of clinical output, research portfolio, teaching contributions, and administrative service—framing all of it in terms of the institution's strategic priorities. A comprehensive leadership presentation was prepared.
THE RESULT
Promotion to full Professor was granted within eight months, along with an appointment as Associate Division Director and a corresponding $44,000 salary increase.
Case Study 9: The Faculty Member with a Documented Pay Gap
Specialty: Nephrology | Institution Type: Large Urban Academic Medical Center
THE SITUATION
There was reason to believe compensation was significantly below that of colleagues with comparable or lesser clinical and research output. What was needed was data—not just an anecdotal concern—to make a credible case to leadership.
WHAT GREGG DID
Gregg performed a detailed specialty-specific compensation analysis, with attention to gender pay equity for Nephrology faculty, and built a factual, data-driven case for the department chair and Dean's office—presented calmly and professionally, without personal conflict after extensive coaching by Gregg.
THE RESULT
The institution conducted an internal equity review and made a $52,000 salary correction retroactive to the beginning of the fiscal year.
Case Study 10: The Surgeon Who Needed Practice Reorganization
Specialty: General Surgery | Institution Type: University Hospital
THE SITUATION
A high-volume surgical faculty member's OR time, scheduling support, and staffing allocation had not scaled with growing clinical demand. Compensation had remained flat while patient volume increased 30% over three years.
WHAT GREGG DID
Gregg's Practice Perfect Plan included a complete operational analysis of the surgical practice, an assessment of the revenue gap attributable to scheduling and staffing inefficiencies, and a formal practice reorganization proposal for hospital and department leadership.
THE RESULT
A $58,000 salary increase was awarded, along with additional OR days per week and a dedicated surgical scheduling coordinator—increasing both take-home pay and effective clinical capacity by an estimated 30%.
Academic Physician Advisors | Dr. Gregg Tarquinio, Ph.D., MBA, CPA | 646-899-7859 [email protected] | academicphysicianadvisors.com
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