Leading ladies: Why leadership programs are so valuable to female physicians

Sheryl Sandberg, Angela Merkel, Nancy Pelosi, Mary Barra, Suzanne Olbricht. These are a few examples of high-profile, successful female leaders in modern society—a refreshing change from the historically male-dominated leadership landscape. Despite the rise in visibility of female leaders, the reality is that a large gap in female leadership remains in almost every sector of society, including medicine. Dermatology as a specialty has seen a sharp increase in the number of female physicians over the past 25 years, but the presence of female leaders within dermatology remains low. Fifty-six percent of assistant professors in dermatology are women compared with 31% of full professors and 16% of department chairs (Association of American Medical Colleges, 2015). These percentages have remained relatively constant over the past decade (Pincus, 1994). Female leadership is also critical outside of academia because female private-practice dermatologists need to be well positioned to assume leadership roles within their practices.

Some women may feel they are natural-born leaders, while others may feel they do not have the personality or skillset to be an effective leader. Leadership development experiences are valuable opportunities to develop leadership skills and to recognize the leadership potential in all of us. Our belief is that these experiences have both intentional and unintentional benefits for the women who choose to participate. Leadership development opportunities exist at every level of medicine, from institution-sponsored programs to state medical society programs to national workshops. Most leadership courses will have 2 to 3 areas of leadership skill focus, so understanding what specific skillset you should acquire from each program is important. These skills could include conflict management, creating successful teams, negotiation skills, advocacy training, mentorship, strategies for acquiring leadership positions, and media training. Many leadership courses ask participants to complete some type of personality or leadership-style assessment, which allows participants to better understand themselves and how they effectively interact with colleagues. The skills gleaned from these courses can increase job satisfaction and help combat professional burnout within the health care team (Shanafelt et al., 2015).

The unintentional benefits of leadership programs are just as valuable as the intended benefits. These programs are excellent networking opportunities with colleagues from a variety of backgrounds and with varied interests, which can lead to collaboration and further professional development. Specific to women-only courses, a sort of kinship can arise between participants as they realize they are not alone in their struggle for a work-life balance and achieving career goals. Another benefit of these courses is hearing what other physicians have done to solve certain problems or success strategies you can apply to your own career. Particularly for female physicians in academic careers, participation in leadership courses can impress promotion and tenure committees.

In the United States, a multitude of leadership programs exist that vary with respect to skill focus, time commitment, competitiveness, and cost. These programs are offered at institutional, local, state, and national levels, and while some specifically target women or academicians, others are open to men and women or private practice and academic physicians. Table 1 lists several leadership courses but is certainly not a comprehensive list. We encourage academic physicians to look for programs available within their own institution or check for scholarship availability for national programs. Many state medical societies have leadership programs available to any member of their medical society, and these programs can be a great way to become more involved in patient and physician advocacy at the state level. Multiple national dermatology societies offer courses or experiences, including the Women’s Dermatology Society, Medical Dermatology Society, and American Academy of Dermatology. The American Association of Medical Colleges offers an impressive 14 leadership programs for physicians in early, mid-, and advanced career positions. Even if you have never considered yourself a leader, we encourage you to consider applying for a leadership course, for your own personal benefit as well as for the benefit of our specialty.

Table 1.

Examples of existing leadership opportunities, both specific to dermatology and nonspecific medical leadership programs

Leadership course category	Course name	Eligibility criteria	Time commitment	Cost	Course focus
Dermatology-specific	Women’s Dermatology Society Mentorship Program	U.S. or Canadian resident who are American Board of Dermatology or Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada certified in dermatology, or American Osteopathic Board of Dermatology certified. Residents in a dermatology training program accredited by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education	1 week	Recipients receive $2000 scholarship for travel and housing costs	The WDS Mentorship Program provides leadership development in medicine through mentorship opportunities with senior mentor
Dermatology-specific	Medical Dermatology Society Mentorship Program	Academic dermatologists, office- or hospital-based dermatologists, and dermatology researchers who have a focus of interest in medical dermatology and are certified by the American Board of Dermatology or have received specialty certification in dermatology from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or a comparable national organization. Individuals currently enrolled in fellowship, residency, or medical school are also eligible.	4 weeks	Recipients receive $2000 scholarship for travel and housing costs	The MDS Mentorship Program aims to further the understanding of dermatologic diseases through education and research and to advance the training of future medical dermatologists. The program offers recipients an opportunity to spend time learning from a faculty member with expertise in caring for patients with severe skin disease and ensures the development of the next generation of medical dermatologists.
Dermatology-specific	American Academy of Dermatology Leadership Forum and Advanced Leadership Forum	Participants must be a member of the American Academy of Dermatology in good standing, ≥ 10 years since completing dermatology residency training, or 6 years past Leadership Forum attendance. Must not have attended Advanced Leadership Forum in the past. Must have interest in developing leadership skills around practice and advocacy.	3 days	$250	The AAD Leadership Forum emphasizes gaining insight into individualized leadership style, channeling personal strengths for influential leadership, improving communication skills, and understanding policy processes.
Non–dermatology-specific example of state Medical Society Leadership Program	North Carolina Medical Society Kanof Institute for Physician Leadership: Leadership College-Health Care Leadership & Management-Customized Programs	Any physician or advanced practice provider practicing in North Carolina. Must be nominated and endorsed by their health care organization/practice.	1 year	North Carolina Medical Society member: $1500; Nonmember: $3000	The KIPL Leadership College focuses on professional development to positively impact the health system and community. The HCLM course emphasizes leadership development and skills that include strategic planning, negotiation, and financial literacy and application.
Non–dermatology specific	Association of American Medical Colleges Early Career Women Faculty Leadership Development Seminar	Women at the assistant professor level, with a minimum of 1 year in their faculty appointment at a U.S. or Canadian medical school, but generally but generally < 6 years.	4 days	$1950	The seminar addresses expanding self-awareness and leadership styles, improving communication and developing strategies for leading effective teams, navigating gender dynamics in the workplace, improving financial acumen, and strategic planning.
Non–dermatology-specific	Association of American Medical Colleges Mid-Career Women Faculty Leadership Development Seminar	Women physicians and scientists at the associate professor level, with 8-15 years of experience in their faculty appointment at a U.S. or Canadian medical school, looking to advance in their career within academic medicine and science.	4 days	$2225	The seminar covers organizational leadership topics and skills specifically relevant for mid-career faculty, such as sponsorship, negotiation, funding the academic mission, resilience and wellness, communication and influence, and other topics central to enacting effective collaboration and demonstrated leadership in various mission-critical activities.
Non–dermatology-specific	Executive Leadership Academic Medicine	Senior women faculty at the associate or full professor level who demonstrate the greatest potential for assuming executive leadership positions at academic health centers within the next 5 years. Participants must be nominated by school dean or chief executive officer of the academic health center and have two additional recommendations from a direct supervisor and senior colleague.	1 year	$14,600	The ELAM program, is an intensive 1-year leadership training fellowship that includes extensive coaching, networking, and mentoring opportunities aimed at expanding the national pool of qualified women candidates for leadership in academic medicine.
Non–dermatology-specific	Harvard School of Public Health: Leadership Development for Physicians in Academic Health Centers	Physicians in administrative leadership positions at academic health centers who lead a clinical division and report directly to the chair of their department. Potential participants include individuals in positions such as chief of a clinical division within a major clinical department, vice chair of a clinical department, medical director with similar responsibilities as a division chief, and associate dean for clinical affairs.	12 days	$8400	The program’s overall objective is to enhance and develop participants’ leadership abilities and effectiveness. This is accomplished by providing increased understanding of their responsibilities as leaders; perspective on the critical leadership and management issues they face; and understanding and awareness of concepts and techniques relevant to management.

Note: This table is not meant to be a comprehensive list, but rather offer examples of different types of leadership opportunities.

Conflict of Interest

None.

Funding

None.

Study Approval

The authors confirm that any aspect of the work covered in this manuscript that has involved human patients has been conducted with the ethical approval of all relevant bodies.