Tadé Ayeni, EdD, director for Leadership Education and an assistant professor, presented at the 2024 Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Regional Medical Campus Conference in Washington, D.C. in June. His presentation, Leadership in Medical Education, explored the importance of leadership training in medical education programs and how WSU is meeting this growing need.
According to Ayeni, many physicians get almost no leadership training during their education. However, as natural leaders, many advance into leadership positions during their careers.
“What generally happens, is you can get through medical school without leadership training,” said Ayeni. “But when you move into practice, it will kind of demand that you have these skills.”
The WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine MD Program is meeting this need by equipping medical students to face the challenges of the health care environment with training in leadership and business administration.
Ayeni points out, physicians need to understand the economics of the U.S. health care system and insurance system in both the public and private sectors. They also need to know how to motivate and manage teams and use resources efficiently to support an organization’s long-term operations and growth.
In his conference presentation, Ayeni walked attendees through the ways WSU’s curriculum integrates leadership courses into all four years of the MD program, culminating in a capstone project applying knowledge from course work and clinical experiences.
“It was really well received,” added Ayeni. “People said things like, ‘we’re trying to do things like this at our medical school’ and ‘this belongs in medical education.'”
Learn more about the ways Ayeni and the Leadership Education team are ensuring future physicians are equipped with leadership curriculum. The WSU College of Medicine, in partnership with the Carson College of Business, also offers a Master of Healthcare Administration and Leadership designed for individuals seeking to advance in their health care careers and professionals already in health care leadership positions.