Designing a health care system that better meets societal needs provides a tremendous opportunity for meaningful change. Inspiring and developing physician leaders are key strategies to catalyze these efforts during dynamic times. The UCSF Institute for Physician Leadership (IPL) program provided a vehicle for such an investment. Though this program is no longer active, you can learn about our other leadership training programs.

The program fostered a network of physician leaders that promotes ongoing collaboration and a sense of community across the health care system. Since 2008, more than 170 physicians from 53 different organizations and representing a variety of practice settings and clinical disciplines completed IPL training.

What Makes IPL Unique?

• Personal. IPL used several psychometric instruments (e.g., 360-degree reviews, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) to emphasize the importance of self-awareness as a tool for lifelong leadership development.
• Diverse. IPL created exposure to a network of colleagues from different organizations, care delivery models, and practice settings, promoting sharing of ideas and best practices.
• Customized. IPL translated key leadership concepts into familiar frameworks for physicians. All topics, case studies, and role playing were designed to foster immediate application.
• Practical. IPL combined four in-person seminars with significant distance learning to minimize time away from one’s practice setting.
• Reputable. IPL leveraged UCSF’s internationally recognized health science institution and drew on the expertise of Healthforce Center, which has decades of experience in leadership development programs.

Program Elements

The IPL program used a multifaceted approach to deliver the curriculum, including knowledge acquisition (didactics, readings), experiential simulation (role plays, case studies, simulations), application (improvement initiative), and reflection and feedback (smaller learning group, executive coaching). The IPL program consisted of the following elements:

• In-person seminars: Four dynamic core seminars taught by nationally recognized teachers and facilitators. The seminars focused on small-group learning, role playing, case studies, and other exercises that allowed for immediate application of new skills and tools into daily leadership behaviors.
• Executive coaching: Participants received professional development coaching with a certified executive coach. Discussion of personal assessments and self-identified goals provided a customized experience for individual growth and development.
• Leadership project: Participants completed an organizationally aligned improvement initiative that allowed for a systematic approach to project development, implementation, and evaluation. The mentored project served as a vehicle to apply new skills, tools, and leadership behaviors.
• Small-group distance learning: Participants were organized into small groups (“pods”) to promote peer learning and mentoring, to build a smaller networking community within the cohort, and to collaborate on intersession activities. Each pod was assigned a pod advisor, an experienced physician who facilitated a teaching and learning environment, provided mentorship for projects, and served as an additional development resource.
• Intersession activities: Between the core seminars, participants were assigned selected readings, practical applications of seminar topics, and the use of a Leadership Lab Book to solidify important lessons learned. Designated activities were done independently, while others were done virtually via pod meetings.

Testimonials

The IPL program consistently demonstrated its value to participants and their organizations. One hundred percent of alumni said they are more effective leaders as a result of the program and all said they would recommend it to a peer. See a report of quantitative improvement data that participants reported in specific competencies.

Below are a few participant testimonials:

• “IPL was a transformative experience. It opened my horizons in both personal and professional development. I am thankful for the tools, instruction, and personal connections that will keep me going long after graduation.”  – Eva Balint, MD, Brown and Toland
• “The IPL leadership course opens your eyes to skills that are developed and practiced on a daily basis in other industries but are lacking in medicine. At this time when health care needs internal leadership to guide the direction for the future, practicing health professionals need to develop and use these skills. Thanks, IPL, for a course that will help me for the rest of my career.”  – Anthony Luke, MD, MPH, UCSF  
• “IPL was one of the most positive educational programs of my career. It has made me feel I can take on a role within an organization to effect large-scale change, rather than one patient at a time. I have become involved in multiple projects, partly because I am more capable of leading and developing ideas, and partly because I am more confident taking on these responsibilities. Also, a great networking experience getting to know a group of interesting, diverse physicians who I believe can be great resources in the future.”  – Jack Dobkin, MD, CareMore
• “My organization has now given me lead positions at new offices and is confident that I will bring back the learnings from this course and implement them to improve team spirit.”  – Madhuri Desai, MD, HealthCare Partners Medical Group
• “I created a CKD/ARF program which will hopefully be implemented region wide. The program helped me align with the vision of my organization and senior leadership.”  – Mohit Shahani, MD, Kaiser Permanente