Mission

To develop military physicians able to lead and equip health care teams at all levels and to advance military medicine through innovation and research.

Vision

The Madigan Leader and Faculty Development fellowship will be the premier leader development pathway for military physicians.

Aims

To train fellows in the following areas to ensure readiness to fulfill leadership roles in the military:

• Train and Equip: To the ability to skillfully train and communicate complex concepts effectively.
• Lead and Manage: To enhance fellows’ leadership and management knowledge to develop the skills and competencies necessary to assume all leadership roles in the Military Health System.
• Innovate and Advance Military Medicine: To develop visionary leaders able to innovate and advance the MHS.

Fellow Seminar is two half days per week. Seminar agenda varies but typically includes a mix of reading materials assigned and discussed, collaboration on fellowship products/presentations, and guest speakers sharing their experiences in a variety of different academic and operational leadership roles.

The Leader and Faculty Development curriculum is unique in that there are no specific rotations throughout the academic year. Instead, the fellows’ schedule includes a mix of fellows’ seminar, clinical duties in one’s own specialty, and master’s degree work. A core aspect of the fellowship curriculum includes opportunities for fellows to teach and lead in a variety of different contexts so that concepts discussed during seminar can be practiced. This may include clinical teaching within one’s specialty, teaching formal didactics, teaching at local, regional and national conferences, leading the preparation for educational conferences, leading process/quality improvement projects or other initiatives based on fellow goals and interests.

Our fellowship offers a Resident Elective option for senior residents in their final year of training who are interested in learning more about foundational tools and concepts to enhance their skills as leaders and educators. The elective can be 2-4 weeks in length and a virtual option is also available for those not stationed at Madigan Army Medical Center.

Fellows take call within their primary specialty as the fellowship curriculum requirements allow. Fellows contribute 30% of their week to their clinical practice. This may include direct clinical duties, on-call clinical duties, and clinical teaching.

A key component of our fellowship curriculum is preparing fellows for leadership roles across the MHS. Fellows learn about the military heath system structure and leadership organization. Guest speakers including military operational leaders, academic leaders, and hospital administrative leaders are incorporated into our fellows’ seminar sessions. Fellows also have the opportunity to teach military-unique topics as part of Madigan’s central GME curriculum for all residents.

Fellows must complete as master’s degree program as part of our 2-year fellowship curriculum. See additional details under Professional Development section below.

Utilizing simulation to facilitate medical and operational training is a valuable tool for any medical educator. Fellows receive didactic education regarding facilitating simulation training events and attend a Sim Basics course. Within one’s specialty, fellows are encouraged to actively participate in simulation training events. Lastly, hospital-level military-unique simulation events occur annually, and fellows regularly participate as trainers.

The fellowship teaches concepts in leadership and management of health care organizations and Army organizations to ensure fellows’ readiness for leadership positions in academic, operational, and strategic billets after graduation. Graduates of the fellowship are uniquely suited for leadership positions in military medicine. Training in leadership and management skills are developed through attendance at local, regional, and national leadership conferences. These learned concepts are translated to the military health care setting. In addition to didactics and conferences, fellows have multiple opportunities for hands-on leadership experiences throughout their time in fellowship.

Fellows will develop and create innovative practices and leverage technology to advance military medicine. They will practice critical analytic skills in evidence-based medicine, appraising medical literature, and applying evidence-based medicine to the patients and the organization as a whole. Fellows will advance their individual skills in research as well as teach others. They will have the opportunity to identify gaps in clinical knowledge and hospital systems, formulate plans to address gaps, and participate in workgroups or projects to improve healthcare knowledge. Fellows are granted opportunities to disseminate their acquired knowledge across the MHS. Fellows will have the opportunity to perform original research, review articles, case reports, survey research, and process improvement/quality improvement projects.

Innovation is necessary in transforming systems, technology, leadership and management, research and development. Fellows are encouraged to pursue process improvement/quality improvement projects within their areas of interest to best support delivery of high quality, safe, equitable care for all military beneficiaries. Fellows will also be given opportunities to innovate through use of emerging technologies as well as traditional models in practical projects throughout the 2-year curriculum. Examples include, but are not limited to simulation, Telehealth, point of care and diagnostics, and emerging electronic health records, tele-education, and mobile health applications.

All fellows will remain fully credentialed in their primary specialty and will practice clinical medicine as well as participate as faculty in their specialty. Fellows will obtain a Master level degree in a field of their choice tailored to their Individual Learning Plan (ILP). Possible degrees may include Master of Public Health (MPH), Master of Business Administration (MBA), and Master of Health Professions Education (MHPE). Other degrees may be available on a one-to-one basis/needs of the military. Successfully completing the degree program is a requirement for successful completion of the fellowship.

Primary site is Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington.

Fellows travel once per academic year to a different military hospitals and clinics to facilitate faculty and leader development workshops. This is a foundational curricular component for our fellowship, and also provides a valuable learning opportunity for the facility visited.

Fellowship applicants are encouraged to reach out to program leadership and current fellows to discuss the fellowship curriculum and can consider joining a fellowship seminar session virtually if desired. There is not a specific audition or clinical rotation associated with our fellowship. If still in residency training, the resident elective rotation is also a great opportunity for exposure to the fellowship program.

Elective Resident Rotation

Our fellowship offers a Resident Elective option for senior residents in their final year of training who are interested in learning more about foundational tools and concepts to enhance their skills as leaders and educators. The elective can be 2-4 weeks in length and a virtual option is also available for those not stationed at Madigan Army Medical Center.

All fellowship applicants will be contacted after initial MODS submissions close to coordinate an interview. Interviews are conducted virtually in September and October.

There is no specialty certification board for Faculty Development.

Teaching in a variety of contexts is the foundation of our fellowship curriculum. Fellows will have the opportunity to do and learn about the following over the course of the two-year fellowship:

• Identify their learning and teaching styles and develop an individual learning plan for improvement.
• Apply the principles of adult learning in all teaching encounters.
• Learn the principles of large and small group learning and lead group learning events.
• Disseminate clinical teaching skills beyond the fellowship.
• Provide and receive effective feedback in a variety of settings, including inpatient and outpatient.
• Demonstrate the skills used in successful formal presentations and apply them in presentation settings within their own department and throughout the Military Health System.
• Develop new or modify existing curriculum to enhance teaching and training of learners.

Fellows will be able to practice the above teaching concepts by leading clinical teaching within one’s specialty, teaching formal didactics, teaching at local, regional, and national conferences, and leading the preparation for educational conferences.

Faculty have a variety of medical specialty backgrounds and have served in a myriad of previous leadership positions including graduate medical education, clinic/hospital administration, and operational leadership roles.

As a small program, all fellows are formally mentored by the fellowship program leadership. Fellows are also encouraged to seek mentorship from others within their primary specialty or with expertise in an area of interest/professional development such as scholarly activity. Fellows also serve as mentors for residents within their primary specialty. Lastly, fellows learn about mentorship concepts and foster a culture of mentorship by leading faculty development workshops to support the professional development of other faculty.

Fellows participate in quarterly teambuilding events within the fellowship which serve to both enhance individual wellness and the wellness/cohesiveness of the entire team. In addition to participation in these events, fellows take turns leading and planning the events because supporting the wellness of the team is a core competency for any leader. The fellowship curriculum also provides a didactic component for fellows to discuss and learn about the concept of wellness and the importance of supporting wellness initiatives in the learning and work environment. Fellows have an opportunity to reflect on what wellness means in their own practice as leaders, educators, and clinicians. Lastly, fellows teach resident and faculty development workshops related to wellness as part of the Madigan central GME curriculum and local, regional, and national conferences.