Mary T. Hawn, M.D., professor of Surgery, and Robin G. Lorenz, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Pathology, recently completed fellowships in the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® program, a rigorous one-year program preparing senior female faculty for leadership in the top levels of academic medicine. ELAM, a core program of the Institute for Women’s Health and Leadership at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, Penn., is the only program in North America dedicated to preparing women for senior leadership roles in academic health science institutions, where they enhance institutional leadership diversity while contributing to organizational strategy and innovation.
Robin G. Lorenz, M.D., Ph.D.“ELAM provided me with both essential leadership tools, including negotiation and financial management skills, as well as a new circle of supporters and advisors from 50 plus other academic medical centers,” said Lorenz, who joined the UAB faculty in 2002. She is the assistant dean for Physician-Scientist Education in the School of Medicine and director of the Medical Scientist Training Program.Hawn, the director of the gastrointestinal section in the Division of General Surgery, said the opportunity to participate in ELAM has greatly enhanced her knowledge of both the challenges and opportunities facing academic medical centers.
“Through my participation, I have rich interactions both with my colleagues at UAB as well as women leaders from academic institutions across the country,” she said. “The network I have created will benefit me for years to come."
Written by Kendra Carter
--This article was reprinted for the UAB SOM News website.