A workshop on leadership for senior MD-PhD students

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Physician-Scientist Training
• Leadership Development

Background:

• Leadership skills are crucial for physician-scientists.
• Many MD-PhD programs lack formal leadership training.
• Vanderbilt MSTP previously offered a successful workshop for early-stage graduate students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a leadership workshop for clinical-year MD-PhD students (M3/M4).
• To provide continued leadership training beyond the initial graduate years.
• To equip students with skills for conflict management and leadership transitions.

Main Methods:

• A half-day workshop curriculum was designed, incorporating student-generated cases.
• The workshop focused on both short-term (clinical team) and long-term (research team) leadership competencies.
• The inaugural workshop was held in August 2015 for M3/M4 MSTP students.

Main Results:

• Student participants found the workshop well-organized and highly relevant.
• The training provided concrete strategies for conflict management and leadership transitions.
• The workshop successfully fostered continued leadership development.

Conclusions:

• A senior leadership workshop is a valuable addition to MD-PhD training.
• This program addresses a critical need for ongoing leadership skill development.
• The workshop will be offered biennially to M3/M4 MSTP students.