Physicians are often thrust into leadership positions with little formal guidance in how to lead successfully. In an attempt to develop new physician leaders from within its membership ranks, the Texas Medical Association (TMA) is launching the TMA Leadership College.

"We created the TMA Leadership College to provide a more structured leadership curriculum for tomorrow's medical leaders," said TMA President Susan R. Bailey, MD. "TMA serves to help physicians better care for patients. That is why we believe it is essential to help grow new leaders from within, to lead from the exam room to the board room."

The Texas Medical Association Leadership College (TMALC) is an intensive leadership program designed to identify, orient, and train young TMA members for future leadership positions at the county and state levels. Its mission is to instill strong and sustainable leadership qualities and promote the role of physicians as trusted leaders in their local communities. The program combines the elements of organizational education, skills training, mentoring, and guided experiences that cover the three "P's" of leadership: philosophy, principles, and practice.

A total of 23 young physicians from Abilene, Austin, Beaumont, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Lubbock, McAllen, San Antonio, San Marcos, Tyler, and Waco are the first TMALC enrollees (please see list below). The college targets active TMA physicians who are under age 40 or within their first eight years of medical practice. To participate, all scholars first must be endorsed by a county medical society or state specialty society. Each scholar will participate in training, seminars, and meetings over an eight-month period before graduating. The first gathering is a four-day "boot camp" held this week in conjunction with 2010 TMA Fall Conference in Austin.

"The Leadership College is about identifying people who are interested in leadership and who have the potential to lead, and giving them the skills to be able to spread their wings, and take that out into the community - whether their hometown community or within the house of medicine - and become a true leader," said Dawn C. Buckingham, MD, a scholar in the inaugural class and TMA Leadership College Committee member.

Participating physicians will study leadership from many perspectives. Among them, they will learn the history and governance of TMA, America's largest state medical society, and how the association creates policy. Scholars also will attend TMA's First Tuesdays at the Capitol during the upcoming legislative session. During the four first Tuesdays of each month the legislature is in session, TMA physicians from across the state gather to discuss top health care issues with legislators in Austin. TMALC scholars also will complete self-study webinars and other seminars. Their training culminates in a graduation ceremony during TMA's annual policymaking meeting, TexMed 2011, in May.

"Right now each of us are all in our little nests, our little communities, doing well where we are ... but we're not really stepping out. The whole idea is to get out of the nest, to fly, to do great things and accomplish great things for medicine and for our patients," added Dr. Buckingham. "We hope each physician can find an area within medicine, within TMA, within their community, where they feel like they have something positive to contribute, and to be able to step up and contribute that well."

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TMALC will guide scholars through leadership training and development in a variety of areas, including legislative advocacy, leadership development, legal considerations in leadership, strategic problem-solving, and medicine's voice in the community.

Dr. Bailey added that TMA has a proud history of supporting medical students, residents, and young physicians through their participation in TMA sections, councils, and committees. "This is a natural next step," she said. "We have an incredible group enrolled, and the program looks so good I wish I could go back and attend the whole thing myself!"

Participants in the inaugural TMA Leadership College

Abilene

Talmadge Trammell, MD, is a neurosurgeon in practice for six years. Dr. Trammell is a Taylor-Jones-Haskell-Callahan County Medical Society member.

Austin area

Jeffrey Apple, MD, is a general surgeon in practice for nine years.

Dawn Buckingham, MD, is an ophthalmologist in practice for nine years. Dr. Buckingham is a member of the TMA Leadership College Committee and the TMA Council on Legislation, and she chairs the Texas Medical Association Political Action Committee (TEXPAC). She also has chaired the TMA Young Physician Section.

Osvaldo Steven Gigliotti, MD, is a cardiologist in practice for four years.

Erica Hughes, MD, is a Burnet pulmonary critical care specialist, in practice for three years. Dr. Hughes is a Burnet-Lampasas County Medical Society member.

Michelle Markley, MD, is a family physician in practice for 10 years. Dr. Markley serves on the TMA Committee on Physician Health Distribution and Health Care Access.

Susan Pike, MD, is a Round Rock plastic surgeon in practice for seven years. Dr. Pike is a member of the TMA Foundation Board of Trustees and the TMA Foundation Leadership Society. Dr. Pike also is a TEXPAC district vice chair, and is a TMA Young Physician Section delegate to House of Delegates for both TMA and the American Medical Association. She also is president of the Williamson County Medical Society.

Theodore Spinks, MD, is a Temple neurosurgeon in practice for one year. Dr. Spinks is a Bell County Medical Society member.

These physicians are Travis County Medical Society members unless otherwise noted.

Beaumont

Ray Callas, MD, is an anesthesiologist in practice for eight years. Dr. Callas is a member of the TMA Council on Constitution and Bylaws, and is a TEXPAC district vice chair. He also is president of the Jefferson County Medical Society.

Dallas area

Wendy Chung, MD, MSPH, is a pediatric infectious disease specialist in practice for five years. Dr. Chung is a member of the TMA Committee on Infectious Diseases, and a delegate to the TMA House of Delegates. She is a member of the Dallas County Medical Society.

Radha Iyengar, MD, of Allen, is an oncological surgeon specializing in breast surgery and has been in practice for two years. Dr. Iyengar is a Collin-Fannin County Medical Society member.

Fort Worth

Sandra Parker, MD, is a family physician in practice for seven years. Dr. Parker is a Tarrant County Medical Society member.

Houston area

Brian M. Bruel, MD, MBA, is a physical medicine and rehabilitation/pain medicine specialist in practice for three years. Dr. Bruel is an alternate delegate to the TMA House of Delegates.

Carla Davis, MD, is an allergist in practice for nine years.

Gregory Johnson, MD, FHM, is a Pearland hospitalist in practice for seven years. Dr. Johnson is a member of the TMA Leadership College Committee. He chairs the TMA Young Physician Section, and he is a member of the TMA Committee on Membership.

Rick Ngo, MD, is a general surgeon in practice for eight years. Dr. Ngo was a member of Harris County Medical Society's Public Grievance Committee, Community Health Improvements Committee, and Communications Committee.

These physicians are Harris County Medical Society members.

Lubbock

Piyush Mittal, MD, is an internist in practice for seven years. Dr. Mittal is a Lubbock-Crosby-Garza County Medical Society member.

McAllen

Bindu Raju, MD, is an internist in practice for seven years. Dr. Raju is a Hidalgo-Starr County Medical Society member.

San Antonio

Chelsea Clinton, MD, is a rheumatologist in practice for two years. She is active in the Bexar County Medical Society Legislative/Socioeconomics Committee.

Angela Hilger, MD, is a pediatrician in practice for five years.

Both physicians are Bexar County Medical Society members.

San Marcos

Lenore DePagter, DO, is an internist and pediatrician in practice for nine years. Dr. DePagter is chair-elect of the TMA Young Physician Section and is a member of the TMA Committee on Physician Distribution and Health Care Access. Dr. DePagter is a Hays-Blanco-Caldwell County Medical Society member.

Tyler

Darrell Alley, MD, is a trauma and critical care surgeon in practice for two years. Dr. Alley is a Smith County Medical Society member.

Waco

Bradford Holland, MD, is an otolaryngologist in practice for eight years. Dr. Holland serves on the TMA Committee on Professional Liability, and is a TEXPAC district chair. Dr. Holland also is president of the McLennan County Medical Society.

TMA Leadership College is supported by an educational grant from The Physicians Foundation. The Physicians Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) national organization that seeks to advance the work of practicing physicians and to improve the quality of health care for all Americans.

Source:
Texas Medical Association