Summit brings together educators in leadership

By Christopher Austin

Educators from around the country gathered at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) this spring for the Leader and Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) Summit. Participants came from medical schools throughout the nation, the military service academies, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Association of American Medical Colleges.

The first such gathering of its kind, the goal of the day-long summit, sponsored by the Department of Military and Emergency Medicine’s USU LEAD program, was to create a network of professionals interested in medical student leader and leadership training, and to allow those professionals to share their knowledge. The meeting focused on conceptual frameworks, goals, curriculum, assessment, and current research. Organizers hope to have additional summits in the future to expand upon their discussions.

A panel takes questions from the audience at the USU LEAD Summit (Image Credit: Christopher Austin)

“I was struck by how enthusiastic the participants were,” said Dr. Neil Grunberg, director of Research and Development for USU LEAD. “Many of the participants have written to us about the value of the summit and are reaching out to work together.”

The LEAD team hopes to use this exchange of knowledge to bring attention to the need for developing future health care leaders. Currently, few medical schools include the training for leaders and leadership that USU emphasizes as part of its students’ professional development.

“USU is the only school in the country where 100 percent of students are expected to become health professional leaders,” Grunberg said. “While a handful of schools are addressing the issue as well, they are only training those students who volunteer to learn about leadership, or are part of a subset identified as potential leaders. It’s the first time we’ve brought together medical school and service academy educators interested in leadership education.”

Eric B. Schoomaker, MD, PhD, LEAD Director addresses participants at the first Annual Leader and Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) Summit and Working Group meeting. (Image Credit: Tom Balfour)

Grunberg came up with the idea for the summit when he participated in the inaugural Presidential Leadership Scholars program in 2015, an educational experience co-sponsored by the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the Clinton Foundation, the George Bush Presidential Library Foundation, and the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation. The summit was Grunberg’s Presidential Leadership project, which was refined by the USU LEAD team.

“Educating and developing leaders focuses on the people who will influence others, whereas leadership education and development focuses on the culture of an organization,” Grunberg explained. “At USU, we are working to do both.”

First formed in 2014, the core USU LEAD team is composed of Grunberg; Erin Barry, research associate; Hannah Kleber, education specialist; retired Air Force Col. (Dr.) John McManigle, director of Curriculum; and retired Army Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Eric Schoomaker, LEAD director.