Brigham Leadership Program: Bridging Disciplines and Perspectives

Barbara Bierer, MD, (center) joins Brigham Leadership program graduates Barbara Dworetzky, MD, (left) and Roya Ghazinouri, PT, DPT, MS.

Gianna Zuccotti, MD, MPH, can't praise the Brigham Leadership Program (BLP) enough.

"It was a fabulous experience on many levels," said Zuccotti, the medical director of BWH's Clinical Documentation Programs. She was part of the program's second cohort, from 2009 to 2010. She returned to the program as a sponsor for the fourth cohort of participants, who graduated in May.

BLP is a unique, cross-disciplinary program for mid-career physicians, scientists, and nursing and clinical directors in management or leadership roles. The program, designed by the Center for Faculty Development and Diversity, the Physicians' Council and the Brigham and Women's Physicians Organization, collaborates with Harvard Business School (HBS) to provide participants with leadership instruction, coursework and training.

"I thought the caliber of teaching at HBS was unbelievable, including the methodology, level of engagement, and creativity in cases and class discussions," said Zuccotti. "My cohort was very collegial, and I loved the fact that there were not just physicians, but staff in many different hospital roles learning together."

The program meets for three days at a time, every six weeks from September through May.

"It's like going back to school," Zuccotti said. "You arrive with your group at HBS on a Thursday morning and leave midday Saturday. You attend lectures and discussion groups all day Thursday and Friday, have meals and guest speaker events, and sleep in the dorms." Class topics include everything from finance, statistics and economics to organizational leadership and business principles.

Beginning in December, participants team up in groups of six to eight to tackle process improvement projects identified by BW/F senior hospital leaders. Participants are matched with sponsors who help to guide their projects, which are presented on graduation day. Topics have included surgical volume and case distribution as well as building an educational course on quality and safety.

"Our most important resource is our people. And therefore, the investment in our faculty and staff is critical; this program allows them to grow as leaders and to expand their capabilities and talents," said Barbara Bierer, MD, senior vice president of Research. "The emerging leaders who participate infuse new ideas and creativity into the BWH, into their work areas and into process improvement projects. It's a true privilege to be part of this program and see the incredible growth and commitment of the participants."

Calum MacRae, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS), recently completed the program. He decided to apply in order to learn more about strategic and leadership skill sets as he grows his lab and bridges his work to translational and clinical programs. MacRae called the program "transformative" and said it was one of the best things he has ever done.

"I thought the combination of skills that were taught was incredibly useful, thoughtfully chosen and well-integrated," said MacRae, whose project - overseen by sponsor Zuccotti - focused on electronic health records. "The level of teaching was unlike anything I've previously experienced, and the class was very engaged. I think we all learned a lot together from the faculty and from each other."

One of the biggest highlights of the program is the cross-disciplinary team-building that it fosters.

"Now because of BLP, I pass people in the hall from Finance and can say hello and know what they do," Zuccotti said. "We have increased the standardization in the way we speak about and understand things and can communicate more effectively."

As for the project recommendations each group developed, Allen Kachalia, MD, JD, says that the program is working toward implementation in the future.

"I would say that one of the greatest impacts is participant learning and the resulting collaboration in activities outside of the program," said Kachalia, associate chief quality officer, who served as a sponsor this past year. "It's setting the foundation for leaders across departments to work together."

The next BLP cohort will begin in fall 2013. The application will be available in spring 2013.

Click here to view a photo gallery of the graduation ceremony >>