ELAM: Expanding the Pool of Women Leaders
Since 1995, a program out of Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia has been training senior women faculty to be the leaders of the future. The Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program for Women has graduated five faculty members from Cincinnati Children's since its inception.
The mission of ELAM is to prepare women faculty at schools of medicine and dentistry in North America to move into higher administrative positions where they can effect positive change.
Sandra Degen, PhD, professor of pediatrics, Division of Developmental Biology, was the first ELAM student from Cincinnati Children's, graduating with the class of 1997-98. She has since become associate chair of pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's and associate senior vice president for Health Affairs at the University of Cincinnati. Degen attributes these career moves to her experience with ELAM.
Other Cincinnati Children's faculty who are ELAM alumnae are Paula Hillard, MD, Adolescent Medicine; Uma Kotsgal, MBBS, MSc, Health Policy and Clinical Effectiveness; Lori Stark, PhD, Psychology; and Ardythe Morrow, PhD, Epidemiology. Gail Slap, MD, Adolescent Medicine, is currently enrolled in the program.
Degen learned a great deal through ELAM, which focuses on the business aspect of medicine – skills not typically taught in medical and graduate schools. "You learn about your own personality and your leadership style, about organizational design and how to present yourself better," Degen says. Also covered are financial management and strategic planning. Communications skills are honed, including negotiating and conflict management. Networking opportunities abound.
Consisting of two week-long stays in Philadelphia, ELAM incorporates group projects throughout the year, as well as a one-on-one project with the student's dean. The society of ELAM alumnae allows graduates to keep in touch and learn about new job opportunities.
Degen is pleased with the support ELAM has received from Thomas Boat, MD, director of the Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation, as well as with the outcomes of the program at Cincinnati Children's. "It has moved women to higher administrative levels and increased our visibility nationally," she says. "It's given us skills that have made us better at what we do."
