Marie A. Chisholm-Burns, Dean, The University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy ALFP Cohort: 2007–2008 My top 5 strengths are: Achiever Analytical Learner Deliberative Woo How do you define leadership? Leadership is the ability to influence others to strive to achieve a vision. Leaders should work with integrity, moral fortitude and courage. How did the program help you grow in your career? The program helped me grow in my career through two key mechanisms: it developed my networking skills and demonstrated the importance of mentorship.
Executing an Idea During her year as AACP president in 2002–2003, Dr. Barbara G. Wells, dean emeritus at The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, identified a void in development programs available for faculty. Schools were focusing on enhancing other skills, such as research, teaching and clinical practice capabilities, but leadership was not a high priority, she said. “It was clear to me, and others, that this was a serious oversight.” At her direction, the Board of Directors began discussing potential ways to assist faculty in enhancing their leadership abilities. Wells credits former AACP staff, including Dr. Ken W. Miller and Dr. Arlene A. Flynn, for playing critical roles in bringing the program to fruition. Other key players were Dr. Robert E. Smith, Dr. Patricia W. Chase and Dr. N. Karl Haden, who offered advice on the program’s structure, speaker quality and overall curriculum. After a year of planning, the Academic Leadership Fellows Program commenced its first cohort in 2004.
A Balancing Act With Miller’s and Flynn’s departure in 2010, Dr. Buzz A. Kerr, a professor emeritus at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, assumed the primary staff oversight position for the program. His longstanding focus on department chair development and faculty leadership was an excellent complement to the program and to his staff role. Kerr noticed that his predecessors had a strong emotional connection to the program, and it didn’t take him long to see why. “Watching the growth of the Fellows—in personal and professional ways—is extremely rewarding,” Kerr said. “At the end, they are very emotional, and you feel it too.” Kerr retired from his post at AACP in December 2012, passing the ALFP oversight reigns to Dr. Ruth E. Nemire, AACP’s associate executive vice president.
What was the most rewarding aspect of the program? There were two aspects of the program that I consider most rewarding. The first was interacting with my cohort and developing peer relationships. The second was identifying my strengths using StrengthsFinders. What lessons learned do you use in your professional or personal day-to-day life? There are so many lessons related to leadership that I took away from the program. Briefly, I think my primary lessons relate back to: being an authentic leader and the concept of servant leadership; knowing my strengths and when and how to get others involved; and keeping an eye on the vision and mission, while being cognizant of environmental cues.
But before the commencement ceremony and bittersweet goodbyes, Program Manager Bradford E. Miller works carefully to put together the next cohort of Fellows. Staff and an external review committee of Academy members evaluate applications and make the final selections based on the candidate’s merit. After determining the top candidates, the group pays careful attention to the balance of the cohort; the goal is to make the group reflect AACP’s institutional membership. It is a carefully crafted equation that incorporates several factors, such as: Is the Fellow from a private or public school? How well is the research spectrum of our member institutions represented? Does the cohort include institutions from various geographical regions? When those questions and others are answered, six groups comprised of five Fellows are selected, and each is assigned a leadership facilitator.
ACADEMIC PHARMACY NOW Winter 2013
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