Recruiting Faculty Leaders at U.S. Medical Schools: A Process Without Improvement?

Area of Science:

• Academic Medicine
• Medical Education
• Leadership Studies

Background:

• Recruiting faculty leaders in medical schools is a significant challenge.
• Limited quantitative data exists on current leadership recruitment processes and outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine contemporary leadership recruitment methods and outcomes in U.S. medical schools.
• To compare academic search strategies with those in other intellectual-capital-rich industries.

Main Methods:

• A 2015 survey of internal medicine department chairs at U.S. medical schools.
• Inquiry into selection methods, search duration, recruitment of women and underrepresented minorities (URM), and satisfaction with outcomes.

Main Results:

• Department chairs are heavily involved in numerous leadership searches.
• Most searches take 7–12 months; longer searches (19+ months) correlate with dissatisfaction.
• Few searches yield diverse finalists (women and URM); relocation and candidate scarcity are key challenges.

Conclusions:

• Leadership recruitment in academic medicine has seen little change in over 25 years.
• Process improvements, including search committee reform and leadership development, are essential.
• Specific strategies are proposed to enhance the recruitment of women and URM individuals into leadership roles.