Dr. Hui-Ju “Zoe” Young graduated from the Health Leadership Academy (HLA) on Wednesday after completing the 9-month program. As part of this program, Young was part of an interdisciplinary team and completed a group project titled “A Breath of Fresh Air: Improving Retention and Job Satisfaction at UAB,” which focused on improving job quality for respiratory therapists at UAB.

As a joint effort of the Heersink School of Medicine and the Collat School of Business, the HLA was established with the core belief that the future of academic health systems will be led and managed by clinicians and executives who operate at the frontiers of medicine and possess the leadership skills required to guide their organization into an increasingly complex future.

Young, associate director of the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD), was nominated for the program by her colleague and CEDHARS Co-Director Dr. Yuying Chen.

The HLA program includes classroom sessions, team projects and experiential learning activities designed to identify and strengthen leadership skills and capabilities across nine months.

One of the biggest benefits of the program for Young was having one day a month to step away from the daily grind and intentionally focus on leadership aspirations and large-scale goals.

“I have never been intentional about setting aside private time for myself to reflect on my career aspirations, and through the program, I realized the importance of that,” Young said.

Young said she is appreciative of the opportunity to grow in an environment with many other highly motivated, intelligent healthcare leaders. She believes the program helped her understand herself and her leadership approach, which she hopes to implement further at the SHP Research Collaborative.

“It’s not just for me, but for the importance of our team here at NCHPAD and the Collaborative,” Young said. “Having clear visions and expectations, along with the ability to communicate them to the team, will be a huge asset.”