Advancing Women Faculty to Senior Leadership in U.S. Academic Health Centers: Fifteen Years of History in the Making

Abstract

In 1993 the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program was developed in response to concerns regarding the organizational climate and leadership opportunities available to faculty women within academic health centers. Since that time the ELAM program has garnered a reputation as the premier leadership program for women in academic medicine, dentistry, and public health in the United States and Canada. This article details the design of the program and its curricular components as well as the conceptual framework and strategies that underlie it. The success of the program is demonstrated by demographic data on participants and their institutions; pre and postsurvey research on participants' and comparison groups' knowledge and skills; surveys of medical and dental school deans regarding their perceptions of program impact; the leadership career trajectory of ELAM fellows; and the development of leadership programs and numerous consultations based on the ELAM model.Our goal is to support the sustained success of women leaders. Our belief is that a critical mass of successful women leaders will be able to effectively address those deeply entrenched aspects of organizational culture and climate that prevent women from advancement. Further, a critical mass of successful women leaders will ultimately make it possible for all women, and the organizations they serve, to reach their full potential.

Retaining Faculty in Academic Medicine: The Impact of Career Development Programs for Women

“…Our findings are meaningful as they show that CDP participants gained advantage within a system that traditionally benefits men. 17,21 The higher retention associated with specific intervals of CDP participants at early career ranks has several positive implications. First, intervening to reduce early career attrition has the potential to build numbers and diversity in the AHC workforce.…”

“…The yearlong Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM Ò ) program at DUCOM aims to build capacity for individuals and institutions for leadership 16 and increase the number of women faculty in leadership. 17 We used AAMC data about faculty appointments, collected since 1966 from accredited U.S. medical schools, to test our hypothesis that women faculty CDP participants would remain longer in academic medicine than nonparticipating women and men faculty at the same career stage. The overarching research questions posed were whether CDP participation was associated with retention in academic medicine and whether the association varied by academic rank.…”

Systems of Career Influences: A Conceptual Model for Evaluating the Professional Development of Women in Academic Medicine

“…Successful programs allow the participant to adapt lessons to her own work over time, involve superiors as coaches and facilitators in real-work applications, and incorporate systems by which those who improve performance are rewarded for their achievements. [60][61][62] Not surprisingly, program participants who most actively engage in the lessons and follow through to apply them to work circumstances benefit most. Goldsmith and Morgan write that ''the more consistent and frequent the follow-up [after a program or coaching intervention], the greater the perception of improved leadership effectiveness.…”

Perceptions of Skill Development of Participants in Three National Career Development Programs for Women Faculty in Academic Medicine

“…10 The ELAM program differs from the AAMC programs in its duration (a 1-year, part-time fellowship with 18 days in residence), focus on strategic finance, intentional community building among a large network of women leaders in academic medicine, and mentored institutional action project. It targets women who have been successful in their academic careers and are supported by their institutions for their leadership potential.…”

“…12 All three are offered annually, are well-respected nationally, and have high levels of participant satisfaction. 10 Participants are selected from a competitive pool of candidates holding appointments from academic medical institutions in the United States and Canada. Between 1988 and 2010, 4,575 women faculty completed at least one of these programs; they form the population from which our study cohort was drawn.…”