52 BUMC Faculty Attend Emerging Leaders Program

Resuming after one-year delay due to COVID, the BUMC Emerging Leaders Program returned with a robust class of 52 representing Medical Campus schools and, for the first time, faculty affiliated with St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center (SEMC). Initiated in 2007, the program has been offered seven times and served 237 participants.

This year the two-day intensive workshop was held on the Charles River Campus where the cohort of late assistant professors and early associate professors learned about the characteristics and key leadership skills of effective leaders and participated in discussions and panels where they practiced and discussed those skills with a network of peers.

“I thought this was the right meeting for my current position in my academic career. I loved having an opportunity to focus on leadership qualities, examining communication and negotiation skills that are so applicable in interactions with colleagues, trainees and patients, thinking about financial considerations that academic institutions face and networking with other BU faculty,” said Alena Goldman, MD, assistant professor of medicine, and associate program director of Cardiovascular Fellowship Training Program, Division of Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology, SEMC.

“The Emerging Leaders Program was a great experience. It was a unique opportunity to meet Medical Campus colleagues and receive training in soft skills such as team communication, negotiation and conflict resolution. I especially appreciated learning about formal leadership and administration at the university level as well as how I can improve my interpersonal communication and organization on a daily basis,” said Prasad Patil, PhD, assistant professor of biostatistics.

“The Emerging Leaders Program was a two-day opportunity to learn many high-yield pearls of leadership wisdom from fantastic speakers from across Boston University as well as a chance to get to know tomorrow’s future leaders on the Medical Campus,” said Kevin J. Chang, MD, associate professor of radiology and section chief of Abdominal Imaging & director of MRI, Boston Medical Center.

Showing their commitment to developing emerging leaders, Medical Campus Provost Karen Antman, MD, and Deans Sandro Galea, MD, and Cataldo Leone, DMD, attended and made themselves available for informal networking. Presenters shared their expertise in dental medicine, public health, medicine, healthcare, research, finance, academic legal issues and communication.

Participants were nominated by their department chairs, division chiefs, associate deans and center directors who showed promise as leaders evidenced by their effectiveness, innovation, reliability and capacity to energize and motivate others.

“Faculty are key to our teaching, research and community outreach mission on the Medical Campus. This program is one way we help develop early-career faculty into future leaders on the Medical Campus,” said Hee-Young Park, associate dean for faculty affairs, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and professor and chair of Medical Sciences & Education. Graduates of the program now serve as department chair, section chief, associate dean, assistant dean and program director.