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About the Program

January 25 – February 6, 2026

This program brings together chairs of major clinical departments in teaching hospitals for intensive and systematic study of the critical leadership and management issues facing chairs, their departments, and teaching hospitals

On-Site
Leadership and Management
Executive Leadership in Health Care Certificate of Specialization

Program Fees

  • Standard Price $11,600.00

Program Overview

Chairs of major clinical departments manage demanding tasks: patient care, teaching, research, and administration. The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified their role, requiring deeper involvement in institutional decision-making on staffing, budgets, and collaboration beyond their departments. This shift necessitates new leadership skills. The Program for Chairs of Clinical Services (PCCS) offers an intensive two-week study with interdisciplinary faculty to address these leadership and management challenges. The program curriculum is organized around the following interrelated courses taught by esteemed Harvard faculty:

  • Leadership Challenges
  • Competitive Strategy
  • Health Policy
  • Financial Analysis and Control
  • Innovative Problem Solving
  • Operations Management
  • Organizational Issues

Upcoming Program Details

The program’s overall objective is to enhance and develop participants’ leadership abilities and effectiveness. This is accomplished by providing broader understanding of their responsibilities as leaders; perspective on some of the critical leadership and management issues they face; and understanding and awareness of concepts and techniques relevant to management.

Upon Completion of the Program, Participants Will Have Gained:

  • Increased understanding of their responsibilities and tasks as leaders of clinical departments and members of the leadership group of their institution
  • A broader appreciation of and insight into the external challenges facing, and changes occurring in, academic medical centers; the range of options and responses available; and the implications for their own institution, clinical service, and academic program
  • New perspectives on issues they face currently and on those which arise in the future
  • Knowledge of relevant concepts and techniques in several key management disciplines
  • New methods to analyze problems and an enhanced capacity to identify the critical questions
  • Greater effectiveness as departmental and institutional leaders in formulating and implementing new initiatives and managing change

All Times are Eastern Time (ET).

Sunday, January 25, 2026
3:00–4:00 pm Final Registration
4:00–5:00 pm Opening Meeting
5:00–7:30 pm Cocktail Reception & Program Dinner
7:30–8:00 pm Meeting with Discussion Group Leaders
8:00–8:00 pm Study Time
Monday, January 26, 2026
8:00–9:00 am Discussion Groups
9:30–10:45 am What is Leadership?
10:45–11:15 am Break
11:15 am–12:30 pm Introduction to Financial Analysis & Control
12:30–1:30 pm Lunch
1:30–3:00 pm Introduction to Strategy
Tuesday, January 27, 2026
8:00–8:45 am Discussion Groups
8:45–9:00 am Coffee Break
9:00–10:30 am Provider Plan Negotiation
10:30–10:45 am Refreshment Break
10:45 am–12:45 pm You're It! Meta Leadership
12:45–1:45 pm Lunch
1:45–3:45 pm You're It! Meta Leadership
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
8:00–8:45 am Discussion Groups
8:45–9:00 am Coffee Break
9:00–10:30 am Through the Looking Glass
10:30–11:00 am Refreshment Break
11:00 am–12:30 pm Full Cost Accounting
12:30–1:30 pm Lunch
1:30–3:00 pm Operations Management
Thursday, January 29, 2026
8:00–8:45 am Discussion Group
8:45–9:00 am Coffee Break
9:00–10:45 am Leading Teams and Group Decision Making: The Value of Leaders
10:45–11:15 am Refreshment Break
11:15 am–12:15 pm Leading Teams and Group Decision Making: The Value of Leaders
12:15–1:15 pm Lunch
1:15–2:45 pm Differential Cost Accounting
2:45–3:00 pm Week 2 Orientation
3:00–3:30 pm Week 2 Discussion Group Leader's Meeting
Friday, January 30, 2026
8:00–8:45 am Discussion Groups
8:45–9:00 am Coffee Break
9:00–10:45 am Strategy: UCSF/Stanford
10:45–11:15 am Refreshment Break
11:15 am–12:45 pm Managing Change and Transition
12:45–1:45 pm Lunch
1:45–3:15 pm Equity in Health Care
6:00–7:00 pm Cocktail Reception at The Colonnade Hotel
Saturday, January 31, 2026
8:00–8:45 am Discussion Groups
8:45–9:00 am Coffee Break
9:00–10:45 am Understanding Policy Change & Affordable Care Act
10:45–11:15 am Refreshment Break
11:15 am–12:45 pm Understanding Policy & Desegregation of US Hospitals in 1966
12:45–1:45 pm Lunch
1:45–3:15 pm Management Control Structure
Monday, February 2, 2026
8:00–8:45 am Discussion Groups
8:45–9:00 am Coffee Break
9:00–11:00 am Innovation
11:00–11:30 am Break
11:30 am–1:00 pm Management Control Structure & Process
1:00–2:00 pm Lunch
2:00–3:30 pm Integrating the Management Control Structure and Process
Tuesday, February 3, 2026
8:00–8:45 am Discussion Groups
8:45–9:00 am Coffee Break
9:00–10:30 am Leading Teams and Group Decision Making: The Value of Teams
10:30–11:00 am Break
11:00 am–12:30 pm Leading Teams and Group Decision Making: The Value of Teams (cont.)
12:30–1:30 pm Lunch
1:30–3:30 pm Strategy: Hillside
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
8:00–8:45 am Discussion Groups
8:45–9:00 am Coffee Break
9:00–11:00 am Hospital Operations: Patient Flow Management
11:00–11:30 am Break
11:30 am–1:00 pm Managing Conflict
1:00–2:00 pm Lunch
2:00–4:00 pm Managing Conflict (cont.)
Thursday, February 5, 2026
8:00–8:45 am Discussion Group
8:45–9:00 am Coffee Break
9:00–10:30 am Transition from Physician to Leader
10:30–11:00 am Break
11:00 am–12:30 pm Strategy: Managing Governance at Reliance Hospital
12:30–1:30 pm Lunch
1:30–3:30 pm Physician Comp
6:45–7:00 pm Travel to Harvard Loeb House
7:00–9:00 pm Reception and Dinner Harvard Loeb House
Friday, February 6, 2026
8:00–8:45 am Discussion Groups
8:45–9:00 am Coffee Break
9:00–10:15 am What's in Your Leadership Toolbox?
10:15–10:45 am Break
10:45 am–12:15 pm Disruptive Innovation
12:15–1:00 pm Bringing the Learning Home
1:00–1:30 pm Takeaway Lunch

This agenda is subject to change.

Current faculty, subject to change

Renee Crichlow

Chief Medical Officer
Codman Square Health Center

Linda A. Cyr

Lecturer on Health Management
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Eric Dickson

President and CEO
UMass Memorial Health Care

Jeff Levin-Scherz

Assistant Professor
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Leonard J. Marcus

Director
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

John E. McDonough

Director, Center for Executive and Continuing Professional Education
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Gregg S. Meyer

Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School

Trishan Panch

Instructor
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Laurie Samuels Pascal

Senior Lecturer on Health Management
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Jo Shapiro

Associate Professor of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery
Harvard Medical School

Richard B. Siegrist Jr.

Senior Lecturer on Health Care Management
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Louise Weed

Instructor
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Theodore J. Witherell

Primary Faculty
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

The program is designed for chairs of major clinical departments in teaching hospitals whose responsibilities require them to allocate resources, develop policies, make difficult decisions in times of great uncertainty, and provide leadership. Potential participants report directly to the CEO/Dean and include heads of major departments of medicine, surgery, obstetrics-gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, neurology, anesthesiology, pathology, and radiology. Participants will be selected with a view to ensuring an appropriate mix and balance in the class.

Credits & Logistics

Early application is encouraged. Qualified candidates are admitted on a rolling, space-available basis, and programs often fill early. We will continue to accept applications until the program reaches capacity. No payment is due at the time of application. Applicants who are admitted to the program are required to pay the program fee to reserve their place.

Please note: Because this is a full-time, residential program and because of the cumulative and interactive nature of the educational experience, applicants who are accepted must plan and agree to attend and participate in all sessions of the program.

How to Apply

For your convenience, you may review the list of application questions for the program. We advise applicants to prepare their answers in a word document and then cut and paste them into the online application in order to avoid losing their work in the unlikely event of technical difficulty. Once your answers have been prepared and you are ready to continue with the application process please click the “apply now” button. Thank you for your cooperation, we look forward to reviewing your application.

All participants will receive a Certificate of Participation upon completion of the program.

This program also contributes to the 3-program Executive Leadership in Health Care Certificate of Specialization.  Click here for more information. 

January 2026

The Colonnade Hotel
120 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02116
TEL: (617) 424-7000 FAX: (617) 424-0968
$215/night + 16.45% tax

Special Amenities
  • Spacious guestrooms
  • Private suite for program participant use only, offering evening refreshments
  • Floor-to-ceiling windows that open
  • Complimentary Fríða* high-speed wired and wireless Internet access
  • Keurig® coffee and tea makers
  • Complimentary bottled water
  • Ample electrical outlets (and where you need them)
  • Outlet adapters
  • Pillow-top mattresses and high thread count linens
  • Dimmer lighting
  • In Room Safes
  • Refrigerators in every room
  • iPod / iPhone / Mobile device Cubie Blue™ alarm clock dock
  • Dual line speaker phone
  • Samsung® 55" LCD TV's with 60 HD television channels
  • Iron and ironing board
  • Boca™ Plush Terry bathrobes
  • 5x Make-up/Shaving mirror
  • Five Wits by La Bottega luxurious bath amenities
  • Full size hair dryer
  • Fitness center
  • Complimentary Shoe Shine Service
  • Turndown Service upon request
  • Plush Dog Beds, bowls, leashes and treats via our complimentary VIPet's program
  • 100% non-smoking by ordinance of the City of Boston
Once accepted to the program, Harvard will make your reservation for you. Room rate is not included in your tuition.

The Colonnade Hotel has provided genuine Bostonian hospitality to residents and visitors for more than 40 years. A beloved Back Bay landmark whose opening launched the neighborhood’s renaissance in the early 1970s, The Four-Diamond Colonnade Hotel is home to the city’s only rooftop pool, to a host of recently remodeled function rooms and the hotel’s grand ballroom, providing the setting for many of the city’s memorable business and social events. The Colonnade Hotel is within walking distance of Newbury Street and many of Boston’s finest shops, museums, galleries, and landmarks including the Hynes Convention Center, Symphony Hall and Fenway Park, and is located just minutes from Logan International Airport. The Colonnade Hotel is a member of the Preferred Hotels' LIFESTYLE collection. Preferred Hotels represents more than 800 of the world's finest hotels and resorts with an extensive global collection in more than 85 countries


The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health designates this live activity for a maximum of 42.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health will grant 4.3 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for this program, equivalent to 42.75 contact hours of education. Participants can apply these contact hours toward other professional education accrediting organizations.

All credits subject to final agenda.

Advance Your Career at Harvard with the Program for Chairs of Clinical Services