It is increasingly clear that 2026 will be a pivotal moment within the academic child health leadership continuum. Escalating workforce shortages, rising burnout, national policy changes and increasing financial pressures are rapidly reshaping the strategies and tactics leaders must embrace for meaningful advancement across all missions. While solutions are complex and challenging, 2025 has shown us leadership opportunities for high impact:
As we move into the new year, I look forward to sharing perspectives and learning alongside colleagues who are navigating this rapidly changing environment.
Based on what we are seeing, high-impact leaders in 2026 will consistently demonstrate four core behaviors:
Be Proactive
Evolving beyond traditional university and HR faculty recruitment and retention practices—many of which remain adult-medicine centric—is required this year. Effective leaders will proactively engage in rethinking faculty talent strategies early in 2026 and will seek to formalize innovative best practices and programs in partnership with their children’s hospital colleagues. Relying solely on advertisements and limited in-house resources will be futile and will continue to drive escalating faculty shortages and retention challenges.
Be Present
Faculty are under extraordinary stress and dealing with unprecedented levels of burnout and moral injury. Leaders achieving impact in these areas are viewed as “present” by their faculty in both clinic and hospital settings. Visibility, engagement and accessibility matter more than ever.
Be an Advocate
Competitive compensation is an absolute requirement for effective recruitment and retention strategies. All strategies for solving current workforce issues will be a risk if competitive compensation remains unsolved. In 2026, pediatric subspecialty compensation will need to be at or above the 50% for faculty and 75% for leaders. Determined diligence and advocacy with health system and university partners is the only path for getting there. Medical Students and undergraduates are watching!
Be a Delegator
Leadership styles are evolving from top-down toward greater delegation and autonomy. Such cultures appear to me to be healthier and suffering from fewer retention challenges, especially with mid-career and younger faculty. The intentional creation of opportunities for growth and development, even in small measures, will be critical.
We believe academic pediatrics can make real strides forward in 2026 but we must be diligent and look forward to seeing the innovative solutions that will evolve from the efforts of effective leaders who understand that strong leadership is no longer optional and is essential to protecting patient care, supporting faculty wellbeing and sustaining the academic mission for the next generation.
Wesley Millican | Post Date: January 25, 2026