ELAM program provides leadership development opportunities for faculty
WashU Medicine event focused on building critical leadership skills, embracing sponsorship and communicating effectively
Faculty Promotions & Career DevelopmentNancy Spector, MD, delivered a keynote address to WashU Medicine faculty at the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program event on Oct. 10 at the Eric P. Newman Education Center.
Nearly 100 faculty members from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis attended a daylong session led by the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program focused on building critical leadership skills, embracing sponsorship and exploring effective ways to communicate as tools to advance their careers and professional impact.
The event, held Oct. 10 at the Eric P. Newman Education Center, included networking opportunities and two formal workshops, Empowering Excellence: The Art of Being an Effective Sponsor and Sponsee and Graceful Self-Promotion: Strategies to Support Success, Belonging and Inclusion. Led by Nancy Spector, MD, and Kheyandra Lewis, MD, the workshops addressed issues that impact career advancement for faculty from a range of experiences and disciplines. Research shows that faculty who are sponsored and who effectively communicate their impact typically advance further and faster than those who lack these supports.
“Sponsorship and effective communication are key leadership skills,” said Renée Shellhaas, MD, senior associate dean for faculty promotions and career development and the David T. Blasingame Professor of Neurology at WashU Medicine. “This full day of workshops and networking, capped off by an excellent keynote talk, exemplifies the proactive steps we are taking at WashU Medicine to develop and support the careers of our faculty and their leaders.”
Spector, a nationally recognized expert in faculty development and leadership education, concluded the day with a keynote address, “Moving the Needle: Strategies to Support Success, Belonging and Inclusion.”
The address, which drew attention to key areas impacting faculty advancement, from elder care responsibilities to representation, dovetailed with the priorities at the heart of WashU Medicine’s push to be a leader in faculty development, said David H. Perlmutter, MD, executive vice chancellor for medical affairs, the George and Carol Bauer Dean of WashU Medicine and the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor.
“Sponsoring this event is a symbol of our school’s commitment to leadership development, inclusion and belonging,” Perlmutter said in welcoming the ELAM team and introducing Spector’s address. “As our community becomes more diverse, it is important to me — and to all of us — that everyone who works and studies at WashU is supported to reach their full potential. That means we all need to work to build work environments where respect, professionalism, trust, inclusion, and belonging are prioritized.”
Now in its 30th year, ELAM is one of the nation’s most prestigious leadership development programs for women in academic medical and health sciences fields. The program has more than 1,500 alumnae (ELUMs), including several current WashU Medicine faculty. The Office of Faculty Promotions & Career Development sponsors eligible faculty to apply and participate in ELAM programs.
