Three UC College of Medicine faculty chosen for AAMC leadership development seminar

Three faculty from the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine were chosen to attend the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Early Career Women Faculty Leadership Development Seminar held Feb. 2-5, 2019 in San Diego. Silvi Shah, MD, Kelly Brunst, PhD, and Alyson Ryan, MD, were among the 155 women from the United States and Canada selected for the seminar.

“The AAMC seminar was an excellent opportunity for me to interact with early career women leaders from all around the country,” says Shah, assistant professor in the Division of Nephrology. “I met some passionate leaders in education, clinical medicine and research. The sessions covered many aspects of leadership like managing time, building my resume, negotiation and conflict resolution. I learned great skills from the seminar and fostered collaborations.”

The seminar is designed for women physicians and scientists holding medical school appointments at the instructor or assistant professor level, and in the early stages of leadership positions within their discipline, department or institution. The seminar is designed to provide a foundation for modeling leadership behavior, assist in creating individual leadership goals and provide an opportunity to receive mentorship on career-building skills.

“Participating in the seminar provided a unique opportunity to interact with and learn from so many talented early career women faculty,” says Brunst, assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Health. “The seminar provided practical advice, inspiring stories and hands-on guidance, which I can now use to help me achieve short- and long-term goals.”

According to Christina DeLucia, program manager of leadership development for AAMC, 257 women applied for the February 2019 seminar. The selection progress is based on a variety of factors including number of years in the role, review of the online application, CV and letter of support, academic leadership experience and diversity in geographic and academic backgrounds as well as diversity in terms of specialty and mission areas.

“I felt that the seminar was an extraordinary opportunity and feel blessed that I was able to go,” says Ryan, assistant professor in the Division of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine. “Highlights for me were networking with women colleagues, attending the leadership lectures and workshops. I would highly recommend this seminar to early career women faculty interested in advancing their careers.”