campus news 52 Faculty Participate in Emerging Leaders Program

Resuming after a three-year delay due to the pandemic, 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.

Held on the Charles River Campus, the two-day intensive workshop hosted a cohort of later-career assistant professors and earlycareer associate professors who learned about the characteristics and key leadership skills of effective leaders. They then participated in discussions and panels, practicing and discussing 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,” says Alena Goldman, MD, assistant professor of medicine and associate program director of the 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,” says 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 leaders on the Medical Campus,” says Kevin J. Chang, MD, an associate professor of radiology and section chief of abdominal imaging and director of MRI at 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 the workshop 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 who showed promise as leaders—as evidenced by their effectiveness, innovation, reliability, and capacity to energize and motivate others—were nominated by their department chairs, division chiefs, associate deans, and center directors.

“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,” says Hee-Young Park, associate dean for faculty affairs and professor and chair of medical sciences & education. Program graduates now serve as department chairs, section chiefs, associate deans, assistant deans, and program directors. ●