A Developmental Approach to Mid-Career Faculty Leadership Training at Two Academic Medical Centers

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Professions Education
• Academic Medicine Leadership

Background:

• Increasing complexity of health care and health professions education requires skilled faculty leaders.
• Academic medical centers need to provide leadership development opportunities for faculty.
• Internal programs cultivate leaders from within, fostering a specific institutional culture.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the structure and implementation of two internal mid-career faculty leadership development programs.
• To highlight the benefits of internal, longitudinal leadership training for academic medical centers.
• To provide a model for other institutions to develop similar leadership programs.

Main Methods:

• Two year-long, internal leadership development programs established in 2017 and implemented annually.
• Utilized a developmental approach with project-based, experiential learning.
• Included multidisciplinary participants to foster diverse perspectives and collaborations.

Main Results:

• Programs cultivate context-specific leadership skills and a culture of leadership.
• Experiential learning allows for immediate and meaningful application of skills.
• Internal programs foster collaborations and comprehensive faculty development.

Conclusions:

• Internal, mid-career leadership programs are effective for developing institutional leaders.
• These programs promote context-specific skill development at individual, interpersonal, and institutional levels.
• The described programs offer a replicable model for other academic medical centers.