Society for Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine
Home 
Newsletters SELAM Spotlights Volume 2, No. 3, Oct-Nov 2009 Pathways to Academic Success
Newsletters SELAM Spotlights Volume 2, No. 3, Oct-Nov 2009 Pathways to Academic Success 
| Pathways to Academic Success |
|
|
| Leilani Doty, PhD | |
|
Pathways to Academic Success & Leadership Recommended "Build the thrill of discovery and spread the excitement to others, be dogged with persistence despite roadblocks, find your passion for inquiry and focus in on your research, believe in yourself, and balance hard work with family life, fun with pets, and time for yourself" – just some of the advice 26 remarkable leaders laced through their autobiographical vignettes which Elizabeth L. Travis, PhD (editor) captured in a gem of a book, Legends and Legacies (2008). From a variety of countries and from a variety of cultures within the United States, Dr. Travis and 25 of her colleagues at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston shared their widely diverse and fascinating life stories, the barriers they surpassed during their career trajectories, and their words of wisdom to facilitate the career journey of others. The personal stories reflect the life paths of these 26 extraordinary explorers who forged through diverse barriers to the frontiers of academic health science. Most of them started with inquisitive minds during childhood. A few followed in the footsteps of their physician-parents. However, some of these memorable women entered the doors to health science serendipitously during their later years of high school or college. Sometimes encouraging invitations to explore a science course or work in a lab led to the discovery of and falling in love with science and medicine. Others reacted with a desire to achieve despite being admonished that they were trying to do the impossible or, in so many words, do a man’s work in a man’s world. Coming from a variety of socioeconomic and family cultures within the Important Leadership Skills Repeatedly their anecdotes described the need for communication and management skills to build success. These leaders reported the importance of developing skills in: teamwork, problem-solving, negotiation, consensus building, group buy-in, conflict resolution, hiring and firing, having one or two back plans, non-threatening styles of training in research and clinical or surgical skills; respect for diversity in patients, colleagues, and support staff; time management, organizational skills, quality and safety; fair access to services and research; networking on the local, national, and international levels; budgeting and economics especially the economics of running a research project, a lab, a department or an institution; mandates from legal and governmental regulatory agencies; and professional/ethical guidelines for practices. Based on their experiences these avatars urge junior faculty to set priorities for academic success early on by focusing on research, grant applications, responding to a reviewer’s comments appropriately, and revising peer-reviewed papers or grants as many times as necessary for acceptance. Many of these champions did stints as graduate students or junior faculty at the National Institutes of Health which strengthened their research expertise and grant skills leading to their career success. The value of strong mentorship was a common thread throughout the stories with exhortations for senior faculty to mentor fledgling scientists, physicians, and faculty. As Sharon Y.R. Dent, PhD (Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Rebecca Meyer Brown and Joseph Mellinger Brown Chair in Basic Science Research) found - networking with superb mentors leads their excitement about their own research to inflame you and others with that zeal and eventually to uncover nuggets of knowledge that translate to treatments and early interventions. An example is the work of Louise C. Strong, MD (Professor of Genetics and the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Chair), who learned from mentors. Dr. Dent’s work helped uncover information about cancer syndromes and highlight the importance of clinical cancer genetics with family counseling to address cancer susceptibility genes. Balance in Life These avatars stressed the importance of balance in life, working hard, enjoying family life, and having a team approach to marriage/partners. So many times they stressed having good paid help, in Dr. Travis’ words, “…as much as you can get…” for child-care, pet-care, driving children to activities, house/yard work, and cooking. Also, they emphasized that honoring absolute priorities included setting aside regular time for yourself (perhaps less time during childrearing years and more time later when the nest is empty and the grandchildren are not visiting). In dealing with guilt about dividing time between work and family, Ongoing Leadership Training Among many of these accomplished women, Janet M. Bruner, MD (Professor and Chair of Pathology, Ferenc and Phyllis Gyorkey Chair for Research and Education in Pathology) as well as M. Alma Rodriguez, MD (Vice President for Medical Affairs and Professor of Lymphoma and Melanoma) lauded the value of ongoing leadership training. Leadership training is available not only in the Faculty Leadership Academy of M.D Anderson Cancer Center, but also in special programs at ELAM (Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine, Drexel University), the American College of Physician Executives, the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges), and SELAM. Using This Book Elizabeth L. Travis, PhD (Associate Vice President for Women Faculty Programs, Professor of Experimental Radiation Oncology, and the Mattie Allen Fair Professor in Cancer Research) captured medical essay treasures in Legends and Legacies. The stories of Dr. Travis and her 25 colleagues are compelling and inspiring. They provide excellent material for career-development discussion groups and Journal Clubs. The 26 women are powerful resources for a Speakers Bureau serving to motivate others in local and national programs. Legends and Legacies should be available in K-12 schools, colleges, and medical schools; in fact, this book should be on home, school, and library bookshelves everywhere. Submitted by Leilani Doty, PhD Director, |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|