Clarity in understanding the responsibilities of the Chair of a Search Committee is important to a successful process. The goal of the process is to identify the best candidate for the position that is to be filled. This conversation highlights the importance of the charge given to the committee. Noteworthy is the attention to details borne by the Committee Chair e.g. to have in place the preparatory documents, standardization of the process, appropriate selection of committee members, legal and HR supports to ensure the integrity of the search with adherence to Title VII and IX mandates. Discussed also is the engagement of a broad representation of committee members, individuals who are invested and do not detract from reaching a positive outcome for the Department, School of Medicine and University.
Pediatric Insight: Passing Leadership Wisdom To The Next Generation
Topic: New Leader Engagement: Part 2
Making New Leaders Successful
Career Physician’s New Leader Engagement Program is a comprehensive leadership development approach that has proven to optimize a leader’s success in his/her new role. An experienced leader in the specialty performs an extensive review of the institution and the program prior to the search identifying respective strengths, weaknesses and challenges. Now post-search and in the role of mentor/coach, the same national expert remains engaged and is able to connect their pre-search preparatory work to their current efforts of supporting the new leader in critical strategic planning and process improvement. While this mentor/coach role differs somewhat from a formal executive coaching role, the value of an outside, arms-length advisor with situational knowledge who can serve as a confidant with no conflict of interests, has proven powerful.
“For a new leader, having access to an outside perspective is really important, someone that you can talk to who can help you look into problems and develop potential solutions.”
– Arnold (Arnie) Strauss, MD
Listen to the Podcast:
Duration: 00:28:50 | Recorded on September 5, 2023, posted January 29, 2024 Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Our moderator:
Robert S. Sawin, MD
Dr. Sawin is a pediatric surgeon, Emeritus Professor and Surgeon in Chief at Seattle Children’s Hospital and the University of Washington. Dr. Sawin served as the Vice-Chairman of the Department of Surgery, University of Washington School of Medicine, Senior Vice President and Chief Surgical Officer of the Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Our panel:
Bruder Stapleton, MD
Dr. Stapleton is a pediatric nephrologist, Professor Emeritus and Chair Emeritus at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He served as Chair of the Department of Pediatrics from 1996 to 2018, as well as Chief Academic Officer and Associate Dean from 2005 to 2018.
Craig Hillemeier, MD
Dr. Hillemeier is a pediatric gastroenterologist and Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at Penn State University. He served most recently as the CEO of Penn State Health 2014 to 2019.
Valerie Opipari, MD
Dr. Opipari is a pediatric hematologist/oncologist and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Michigan School of Medicine and C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. Dr. Opipari has held a number of administrative roles at the University of Michigan including Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, Associate Chair for Research in the Department of Pediatrics and Chair of the University of Michigan Biomedical Research Council.
Arnold (Arnie) Strauss, MD
Dr. Strauss is a pediatric cardiologist, Emeritus Professor and Chair of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Dr. Strauss served as the Chair of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati, Director of the Cincinnati Children’s Research Foundation (CCRF), and Chief Medical Officer of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) from 2007 to 2014.
Wesley D. Millican, MBA
Wesley D. Millican, MBA, is CEO and Physician Talent Officer of CareerPhysician, LLC, providers of comprehensive talent solutions for academic children’s hospitals, colleges of medicine and academic medical centers across the nation. Mr. Millican is an acknowledged expert in completing complex faculty and executive leadership initiatives across academic medicine.
Jon Hayes
Jon Hayes serves as the Executive Vice President (EVP) of child health for CareerPhysician. He has a comprehensive understanding of both academic department and children’s hospital operations. Prior to joining CareerPhysician, Jon served as President of Oklahoma Children’s Hospital. His previous experience also includes his role as Director of Finance and Administrator for the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine.
At the Child Health Advisory Council, we conduct regular roundtable discussions. What topic would you like to see featured in upcoming discussions? Let us know.
Pediatric Insight: Passing Leadership Wisdom To The Next Generation
Topic: New Leader Engagement: Part 1
We are in a challenging time for medicine, particularly academic medicine. Consequently, effective leadership is even more important now than ever before in academic medical centers. Yet unfortunately, the pipeline of up-and-coming physician leaders seems to be less robust. Thus, new leaders are often placed in important academic leadership roles with less experience while facing these frequently daunting challenges. This conversation focuses on how institutions can effectively support these new leaders to maximize their effectiveness and success.
Dr. Sawin is a pediatric surgeon, Emeritus Professor and Surgeon in Chief at Seattle Children’s Hospital and the University of Washington. Dr. Sawin served as the Vice-Chairman of the Department of Surgery, University of Washington School of Medicine, Senior Vice President and Chief Surgical Officer of the Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Our panel:
Bruder Stapleton, MD
Dr. Stapleton is a pediatric nephrologist, Professor Emeritus and Chair Emeritus at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He served as Chair of the Department of Pediatrics from 1996 to 2018, as well as Chief Academic Officer and Associate Dean from 2005 to 2018.
Craig Hillemeier, MD
Dr. Hillemeier is a pediatric gastroenterologist and Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at Penn State University. He served most recently as the CEO of Penn State Health 2014 to 2019.
Valerie Opipari, MD
Dr. Opipari is a pediatric hematologist/oncologist and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Michigan School of Medicine and C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. Dr. Opipari has held a number of administrative roles at the University of Michigan including Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, Associate Chair for Research in the Department of Pediatrics and Chair of the University of Michigan Biomedical Research Council.
Arnold (Arnie) Strauss, MD
Dr. Strauss is a pediatric cardiologist, Emeritus Professor and Chair of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Dr. Strauss served as the Chair of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati, Director of the Cincinnati Children’s Research Foundation (CCRF), and Chief Medical Officer of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) from 2007 to 2014.
Wesley D. Millican, MBA
Wesley D. Millican, MBA, is CEO and Physician Talent Officer of CareerPhysician, LLC, providers of comprehensive talent solutions for academic children’s hospitals, colleges of medicine and academic medical centers across the nation. Mr. Millican is an acknowledged expert in completing complex faculty and executive leadership initiatives across academic medicine.
Jon Hayes
Jon Hayes serves as the Executive Vice President (EVP) of child health for CareerPhysician. He has a comprehensive understanding of both academic department and children’s hospital operations. Prior to joining CareerPhysician, Jon served as President of Oklahoma Children’s Hospital. His previous experience also includes his role as Director of Finance and Administrator for the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine.
At the Child Health Advisory Council, we conduct regular roundtable discussions. What topic would you like to see featured in upcoming discussions? Let us know.
Success in leadership for academic medicine is much more complex and characterized by an accelerating pace of change. For new leaders, a robust support team is essential. To optimize that support, a thorough assessment of the individual leaders’ skills and experience, as well as the institutional environment is imperative at the beginning of their tenure. For that reason, a structured program or institutional review preceding the placement of a new leader can have great value. Once the institutional and leader assessments are completed, an ideal support team can be created to buttress areas where the leaders may face their greatest challenges. Furthermore, when leading a new team, a leader’s thorough understanding of different team members skills, experience, and styles of work and communication can be leveraged to optimize the success of the program, division, or department.
Recruitment is one of the most critical responsibilities of leaders to ensure the success of their departments. To avoid unsuccessful recruitment searches, all departments, regardless of their national esteem, must carefully prepare both the candidate and the department. With this preparation, departments can better present the opportunities that would attract the candidate, evaluate the cultural alignment, and to meet the candidate’s personal and professional goals. Personal respect for the candidate, not institutional arrogance, is required for successful recruitment. The Child Health Advisory Council (CHAC) and leadership of CareerPhysician discuss their perspectives on best practices to respect candidates during leadership search.
Every leader working with faculty and staff to define the mission and vision for the organization needs to articulate the core values and principles that will ignite and inspire the community. A #1 priority is providing a positive work and learning environment that supports the well-being of the organization. This conversation identifies key attributes of a healthy culture and gives examples of explicit messages that support a healthy culture.
Financial management is often an area that physician leaders have not yet developed experience prior to assuming their leadership role. The complexity of clinical reimbursements, research funding sources and institutional compensations has greatly increased the management demands for physician leaders. Fortunately, department chairs, and most division chiefs, often have an administrator available to share this responsibility. In this conversation of members of CareerPhysician’s Child Health Advisory Council, experienced leaders reflect on the nature of this relationship and how it might be maximized.
The executive search services provided by CareerPhysician can include a search-focused division or department review by a member of its Child Health Advisory Council (CHAC). This unique review can lay important groundwork for a successful leadership search outcome. In this conversation, CHAC members discuss goals and deliverables of these reviews; their experience doing the reviews; and their reflections on how these reviews would have helped in their own leadership searches.
Many of our faculty may not recognize the many roles they play that require leadership perspective and skills. It is a tremendously exciting opportunity to help our faculty become the most effective leader they can be. There are many ways that clarity and education can be provided around these leadership opportunities. This discussion will highlight many of the successful modalities that leaders in academic medicine have utilized in developing and mentoring leadership skills in faculty.
Innovative and effective education programs are essential to prepare students, residents, and pediatricians to address the dynamic social and health environment facing children. Often the medical education mission is undervalued for faculty advancement and under resourced to support educators. This conversation discusses how members of the Child Health Advisory Council advanced their medical education programs.
Robert S. Sawin, MD
Bruder Stapleton, MD
Craig Hillemeier, MD
Valerie Opipari, MD
Arnold (Arnie) Strauss, MD
Wesley D. Millican, MBA
Jon Hayes