Physicians in Academic Medicine

Leaders in Academic Medicine
Women Physicians in Academic Medicine

Academic physicians wear many hats. You write grants; conduct research; publish; oversee the performance of trainees, staff, and students; coordinate with co-investigators; serve on committees; and you do all of the above while staying up to date on new developments in medicine.

Whether on service or in outpatient settings, clinical work frequently spills over into time allocated to research. Physicians who are an “only” or one of very few members of groups that have been marginalized in medicine face the additional hurdle of bias in situations ranging from student evaluations to grant reviews.

Even with enough time for research, any number of things can go awry. A co-investigator may take a large percentage of your effort but drag their feet on the work. Staff members might underperform, or move on to different positions, leaving holes in your team. Grants that score poorly may result in the loss of funding, personnel, and morale. However, if every grant is funded, you will have the funds, but not the time to carry out the research.

We invite you to schedule a free twenty-minute consultation to learn how we can help you.

• Clarify your mission and goals
• Judiciously vet potential co-investigators, staff, and student workers
• Align your time use to support your most important objectives
• Delegate successfully in both the research and clinical realms
• Negotiate for resources, desired leadership roles, author order, and more
• Create cultures of equity and inclusion in both clinical and research settings

• Engage in a generative visioning process
• Strategically plan and carry out organizational change efforts
• Create cultures of inclusion and belonging for patients, faculty, students, and staff
• Manage difficult relationships at all levels
• Ensure adequate time for family, friends, and personal wellness
• Navigate the challenges that come with holding positional leadership and also having one or more marginalized social identities
• Strengthen your executive presence
• Make discerning choices about when to say “yes” and when to say “no”

Although there have been positive changes in medical culture as the number of women entering medicine has increased, there are still vast differences by specialty. Even in specialties where numbers are on par, women physicians still must contend with the effects of conscious and unconscious biases. While they value meaningful patient relationships, women physicians are subject to additional demands from patients who expect more availability and nurturing from female doctors as compared with men. Women physicians often struggle to combine demanding careers with the kind of personal and family lives that they long for. Leader Academic coaches support women physicians to achieve their professional goals without sacrificing their significant relationships or their own well-being.