WittKieffer Impactful Leaders Podcast

Accelerating Physician Leader Impact: Jennifer Baccon, M.D., Ph.D., MHCM

As a pathologist, Jennifer Baccon, M.D., Ph.D., MHCM learned early in her career to appreciate and understand colleagues across the organizations she worked in – clinicians and non-clinicians alike. These experiences translated well into a philosophy of leadership that prioritizes the input of others in decision-making. "Listen first and then speak," she says. "A lot of leaders want to be in charge and tell people what to do. To me that's completely backward . . . Seek first to understand and then to be understood." 
Dr. Baccon is Chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Akron Children's. She is also the organization's Medical Director of Value Analysis in Supply Chain, which illustrates how she has challenged herself as a physician leader to step outside her clinical comfort zone to expand her career opportunities. 

Delivering Results and Finding Reward in Advancement Leadership: Julie Lucas

Julie Lucas, Vice President of Resource Development at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, believes these two objectives define her work in advancement for more than 25 years and should be guiding principles for anyone who works in the field. Results are critical, of course, for any philanthropic leader, but creating community, unity, and enthusiasm around an institution's mission and vision are also imperative.
In this conversation with WittKieffer Senior Partner and Advancement Practice Leader Greg Duyck, Lucas shares the story of becoming enamored with the potential of advancement and development to make a difference in society. Today, Lucas has overseen some of the largest and most successful campaigns in higher education, including MIT's current Campaign for a Better World. Her success can also be traced to an interdisciplinary approach to fundraising, much like the traditional interdisciplinary framework of universities. "Everybody is working together" to generate the capital to keep the institution's mission-critical activities going. Lucas uses weekly "huddles" to get leadership and advancement team members on the same page by:
Setting goals and priorities aligned with the organizational mission
Ensuring role clarity
Encouraging partnerships and collaboration within advancement and across the university
Lucas is still driven by the same things that led her to advancement in the first place – to make a "meaningful and tangible" difference in the lives of others. She states: "What drives so many of us in higher education is a deep connection to the people we're working with and a shared dedication to the mission."

Academic Medicine Dean Insights: Sandra Wong, M.D.

Dr. Sandra Wong has a decorated C.V. and vast experience but, she admits, nothing can truly prepare a person to assume an academic medicine dean role. Six months into her position as dean of the Emory School of Medicine, Dr. Wong reflects on what got her here, and what success now means, in this podcast discussion with WittKieffer's Joyce De Leo, Ph.D.
The traditional path to a deanship (division chief, chair, associate dean, dean) may no longer hold, but that's okay, says Dr. Wong. Leaders learn from the unique experiences and peer advice that force them to be "comfortable being uncomfortable."
Good leaders also help their teams through change and uncomfortable times, with an eye on the "why" and the end goal of change initiatives. “If people really feel like their cheese is being moved for no reason, that’s a very different equation,” she says. Dr. Wong also believes that good leaders are good team members, "leave their egos at the door", and realize that leadership is not about them but about others.
Ultimately, success as a dean is not about perfection (especially in an era of high pressure and razor-thin margins in academic medicine), but about embracing the moment, she believes. "None of us get away without having some failures," she says. "Embrace those failures . . . learn from them and move on." She adds: "Stay in the moment. Enjoy the work that's in front of you."

An "Accidental Administrator" Builds Momentum for Change: Kumble Subbaswamy

As a youth in India, Kumble Subbaswamy was inspired by space exploration to pursue a degree in physics, which ultimately led to him to postdoctoral work in the U.S. He got a taste of leadership by being an active member of the academic community, which led from one opportunity to the next. "When you do a good job, you're rewarded by being asked to do more," he says. Ultimately, this path led him to a decade-long tenure as Chancellor of UMass Amherst, then to his current position as Interim Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs and Equity at the University of Massachusetts system.
In this Impactful Leaders podcast, WittKieffer Senior Partner Lucy Leske speaks with "Swamy" about his career journey and lessons he's picked up along the way, beginning with his chosen field. "Physics teaches you to look for the true essence of the problem and solve it first, and to not get lost in the complexity," he says.
Swamy has also learned that, to overcome inertia, the leader must exert force, make the case for change, and get all constituents (students, faculty, staff, trustees, alums, and more) on board. This is more important than ever, he says, as the public's trust in higher education has waned. "Leaders today have an uphill task to reverse this trend," he says.

Academic Medicine Dean Insights: Robert Golden, M.D.

Being a medical school dean is much more challenging than 20 years ago, believes Robert Golden, M.D., Dean of the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Things are tougher for academic physicians, researchers, and instructors, meaning deans "need to work harder, smarter, and longer." 
Despite the challenges, Dr. Golden takes them in stride and still finds tremendous reward in his profession. He leans on tried-and-true leadership principals ("Communicate, communicate, communicate") while maintaining a healthy perspective on his work, balancing the "crisis of the day" with long-range thinking and planning. He also exudes an infectious passion and sense of humor.
In this Impactful Leaders episode – the second of our Academic Medicine Dean Series – WittKieffer Principal Valerie Weber, M.D. (herself a former medical school dean) engages with Dr. Golden in a lively discussion of the tribulations of deanships as well as, more importantly, secrets of success.  

Accelerating Physician Leader Impact: Niraj Sehgal, M.D.

In his dual roles as Chief Medical Officer of Stanford Health and Senior Associate Dean of the Stanford School of Medicine, Niraj Sehgal, M.D. is afforded a unique perspective on the challenges facing healthcare today across the clinical and academic realms. Dr. Sehgal sees himself as an integrator and "bridging leader" who finds fulfillment in this dual clinical-academic capacity.
Dr. Sehgal's path to physician leadership was hardly predetermined and was fraught with "imposter thoughts" that could have derailed him. He persisted through a focus not just on himself but on others. This includes "the patient in front of me as well as the building behind me." Since his post-doctoral days at Stanford and M.P.H. studies at UC Berkeley, Dr. Sehgal has prioritized making the "building" of healthcare (i.e., the organization or system) stronger and better. This includes developing and supporting programs for physicians (including academic physicians, clinical investigators, and medical directors) to grow as professionals and leaders. 
In this conversation with WittKieffer's Michael Anderson, M.D. – part of the Accelerating Physician Leader Impact Series of podcasts – Dr. Sehgal reflects upon his own journey and lessons that other physician leaders may take away from it.   

Taking a Big Swing at Enrollment Success: Candace Boeninger

Like many institutions in higher education, Ohio University saw enrollment plummetduring the Covid pandemic. Rather than take small, incremental steps to turn thingsaround, Ohio U – led by Candace Boeninger, VP for Enrollment Management –"stepped up to the plate" and took a "big swing" at reversing the course of enrollmentdeclines and, in fact, producing record enrollment numbers in the past few years. Itwas this baseball metaphor that resonated with Boeninger, the mother of four boyswho play the sport. It prompted her to think big: the school overhauled its student visit structure and space; reimagined its financial aid approach; revamped its studentoutreach strategy; and took other bold steps to re-energize enrollment efforts.
In this discussion with WittKieffer Senior Partner Amy Crutchfield, Boeninger reflectsupon the challenges she and colleagues at Ohio U have faced, and how their boldvision of the future has benefited the institution. They also discuss current challengesin enrollment management (including FAFSA uncertainty) and how enrollment leaderscan shape their strategies for the future – with the support of peers and their presidents. 

Academic Medicine Dean Insights: Terence Flotte, M.D.

In this Impactful Leaders episode – the first in our special Academic Medicine Dean Insights series– WittKieffer Executive Partner Kim Smith speaks with Dr. Flotte about his early inspirations to become a physician leader, and how he supports other physicians to develop the skills and mindset to lead others. Even the most high-functioning physicians, he explains, need to develop the team orientation and fearlessness to excel as leaders.
"Great leadership requires achieving a sense of satisfaction in yourself by the success of others," believes Terence Flotte, M.D., Executive Deputy Chancellor and Provost of UMass Chan Medical School and the Dean of the T.H. Chan School of Medicine. Over a long career as an academic physician and physician leader, Dr. Flotte has strived to bring others into change and growth initiatives, which is essential for success. "When you're contemplating a change," he adds, a good idea "will remain your idea unless you bring other people into the process of helping to create the change."

Accelerating Physician Leader Impact Michael Parmacek, M.D.

Like many physician leaders, Michael Parmacek, M.D., had to be nudged in the direction of leadership by others who saw his potential in that realm. Now, as Chair of Medicine at Penn's Perelman School of Medicine, Dr. Parmacek has made it a point to support other clinicians in their leadership journeys. He worked with the Penn Medicine Academy to develop the Enhancing Leadership Training program to help experienced and up-and-coming physician executives gain the competencies they need to excel in their roles. Job number one for physician leaders today, he says, is to solve the burnout issue that is prevalent among practicing physicians and caregivers. "People trump strategy," he believes, suggesting that the health and well-being of clinicians must supersede other initiatives to move academic medicine forward.

Accelerating Physician Leader Impact: Joan Zoltanski, M.D.

Clinically trained in pediatrics, Joan Zoltanski, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals, finds it easy to stay fully engaged in her work – with physicians and caregivers as well as patients, their families, and the broader community. Being fully engaged, for pediatricians, is "the norm," she says. "It's our sweet spot." In the world of "adult" care at UCSF, Dr. Zoltanski has turned this penchant for engagement into success as a leader.
In this Impactful Leaders episode, part of our Accelerating Physician Leader Impact series, Dr. Zoltanski speaks with WittKieffer Principal and fellow pediatrician Mike Anderson, M.D. about how to support the well-being of clinicians, and to best support those physicians who wish to pursue leadership.