Lead, Inspire, Thrive

This handy reference will help medical school department chairs and other Academic Health Center (AHC) leaders navigate the important, challenging and complex responsibilities and opportunities of their positions, whether they are new, experienced or future leaders. Medical school department chairs support four distinct missions (education, research, clinical care and public service), which serve multiple constituents, have different measures of success, and sometimes are in direct conflict for resources across the different priorities of their AHC and its component organizations. Having served as medical school department chairs, program and center directors, medical school deans, and AHC chief executives, the authors have seen first-hand the increasing difficulty and complexity of these roles and the inspiring impact these leaders can have on those they serve.  This book shares their insights by providing contemporary and comprehensive information to help these leaders navigate the many issues and opportunities they face.

While serving as a medical school department chair is challenging on many levels, it is one of the most important roles in AHCs and can be an extremely rewarding leadership position. Timely advice and guidance are keys to success, and this book articulates and answers the most common questions faced by medical school department chairs and other leaders over their careers.

Abbreviations used in the Text.- Introduction.- Section 1: Getting Started.- Setting Initial Goals.- Expectations.- Dealing with Your Predecessor.- Section 2: Interpersonal Interactions, Culture, and Behavior.- Communication.- Organizational Culture.- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.- Building Collaborations and Collegiality.- Promoting Department Work-Life Balance.- Negotiation.- Section 3: Operational Issues.- Organizing the Department.- Strategic Planning.- Resources.- Budgets and Finance.- Balancing the Missions.- Crisis Management.- Section 4: Faculty Issues.- Faculty Recruitment and Retention.- Faculty Career Development and Wellness.- Faculty Compensation Plans.- Dealing with Difficult Faculty.- Section 5: Student and Trainee Issues.- Student and Trainee Recruitment.- Student and Trainee Career Development and Wellness.- Dealing with Difficult Students and Trainees.- Section 6: StaffIssues.- Staff Recruitment and Retention.- Staff Career Development and Wellness.- Staff Compensation.- Dealing with Difficult or Unproductive Staff.- Section 7: Interactions Beyond Your Department.- Interacting with Institutional Leaders.- Interdepartmental Interactions.- Departmental and Institutional Alignment.- Interactions with External Entities.- Fundraising and Donor Development.- Section 8: Personal Issues.- Leadership Attributes.- Getting Advice and Assistance.- Handling Reviews.- Achieving Work-Life Balance.- Career Transitioning.- Changing Positions.- Final Thoughts.- Acknowledgements.- References.- About the Authors.