Chairs of major clinical departments at teaching hospitals and health systems need to be effective in multiple roles, including clinician, educator, researcher, and administrator. For more than 50 years, an intensive two-week course at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has been helping these individuals develop their leadership abilities and learn concepts and techniques they can apply on the job.
The Program for Chairs of Clinical Services, offered through Executive and Continuing Education (ECE), is aimed at chairs who are within the first five years of their role, and contributes to ECE’s three-program Executive Leadership in Health Care Certificate of Specialization.
During the program, students supplement lectures on topics such as health policy, operations management, and competitive strategy with case-based readings and daily discussion groups. The goal is for students to come away with greater confidence to tackle management decisions in their organizations in such complex areas as negotiations, budgeting, and policy.
“The program brings together outstanding faculty and chairs of major clinical departments in leading institutions to equip leaders with the tools and skills needed to manage complex organizations,” said Rifat Atun, Vice Dean for Non-Degree Education and Innovation and Julio Frenk Professor of Public Health Leadership. “It is a powerful example of how cross-learning and experience sharing by leaders helps them to better prepare and manage in uncertain times.”
Leading during uncertain times
The most recent session, which ended earlier this month, brought together 55 students from across the country. Some had to delay their arrival due to a major snowstorm in Boston, but organizers were able to connect them virtually to the course until they could arrive in person a few days later. The students quickly bonded, and have committed to staying connected, said Becky Moore, associate director, strategic markets and program development. New this year were virtual sessions held prior to the program on financial literacy, and an on-campus session on Applied AI in Health Care.
Leonard Marcus
Leonard Marcus, lecturer on health practice and co-director of Harvard’s National Preparedness Leadership Initiative, led two sessions on meta-leadership, a model he and colleagues pioneered to train leaders of large organizations to connect and collaborate across organizations and teams. He introduced students to actionable tools including “A Walk in the Woods,” a method for reframing an adversarial negotiation by finding shared points of agreement. He also described how meta-leaders can effectively use swarm intelligence in a crisis, sharing findings from interviews he conducted with leaders in various sectors involved in the response to the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013.
In closing remarks to the students, Marcus said, “I give you a lot of credit for coming here and devoting your own time and attention to building your capacity to lead.” In the face of federal budget cuts and policy changes affecting research and health care access, Marcus noted that this is a difficult time to be a leader, but also an exciting time. By leading with confidence and humility, he said, the students can make a difference for their institutions, for medicine, and for society.
“One of the most valuable aspects of this course was the relevance and clear applicability of the concepts to my current situations,” said participant Benny Joyner Jr, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo. He also appreciated the program’s networking opportunities. “To be able to create such meaningful connections in such a short period of time is a testament to the structure of the program,” he said.
The program will next be offered Jan. 24-Feb. 5, 2027.
About The Author
Amy Roeder
Senior Editor, Harvard Chan Magazine; Senior Writer in the Office of Communications
