Greetings! On the occasion of National Doctors' Day, we're thrilled to share the first edition of the WittKieffer Physician Leadership Institute quarterly newsletter. Launched earlier this month, the Physician Leadership Institute offers tailored executive development led by our team of experienced physician leaders and leadership coaches, customized to the specific needs of hospitals and health systems. The work and solution offerings of the institute complement WittKieffer's existing physician leadership executive search, interim leadership, and leadership advisory solutions. 

Once a quarter, the Physician Leadership Institute newsletter will provide thought leadership, podcasts, and the latest insights on physician leader development – for physician leaders and their executive peers. 

The first of a four-part series, Mike Anderson, M.D., Nat Grotte, and Raj Ramachandran, Ed.D., explore how physician leaders can enhance self-awareness, leading to greater empathy and connection with teams. "Cultivating empathy through greater self-awareness in healthcare leadership is more than a moral nicety," they write. "It is a practical driver of better outcomes for patients, stronger teams, and healthier organizations."

Speaking with Mike Anderson, M.D., Michigan's Chair of Surgery explores how to motivate and develop leaders for success, and how the medical community can engage with today's skeptics and regain public trust. 

Other Podcasts from Our Accelerating Physician Leader Impact Series

Jennifer Baccon, M.D., Ph.D., MHCM, Chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Akron Children's

Andrew M. Ibrahim, M.D., MSc, Director, University of Michigan Center for Healthcare Outcomes & Policy 

Michael Parmacek, M.D., Chair of Medicine, Penn Perelman School of Medicine

Niraj Sehgal, M.D.,CMO, Stanford Health

Jeff Sperring, M.D., CEO, Seattle Children's

Joan Zoltanski, M.D., CMO, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals

WittKieffer's Physician Leadership Institute helps participating physician leaders deepen their self-awareness and provides them with the tools to meaningfully advance as leaders. Our offerings include:

Physician Accelerator: Beginning with a comprehensive leadership assessment, this solution pairs a physician leader with dyadic coaching from an experienced physician mentor and an executive coach.

Physician Mini-LAB: Ideal for 3-7 leaders, this approach builds on the Physician Accelerator with regular small group (Learning Circle) meetings for peer support and facilitated discussion, with an optional skill-building workshop.

Leadership LAB: The most comprehensive offering, this program integrates workshops with Learning Circles and Accelerator coaching, making it ideal for 8-20 leaders. Physicians experience Learning Agility Breakthroughs (LABs) through an experiential approach that allows them to experiment, receive feedback, collect data, and refine skills in a supportive environment that emphasizes discovery. The LAB experience equips clinicians with the tools and confidence to lead effectively, manage teams, and improve patient care outcomes.

The Physician Leadership Institute equips physicians with the skills and insights needed to excel in leadership roles, ultimately driving positive change and growth to build sustainable healthcare organizations.

The Physician Leadership Institute team includes:

Leadership Coaches

Raj Ramachandran, Ed.D., Senior Partner and Co-Executive Director, Physician Leadership Institute
Christy Pearson, Ph.D., Senior Consultant
Alok Sawhney, Psy.D., Principal
Susan M. Snyder, Executive Partner

Healthcare Mentors

Michael R. Anderson, M.D., M.B.A., Principal and Co-Executive Director, Physician Leadership Institute
Richard Nesto, M.D., Physician Executive Consultant
Valerie Weber, M.D., FACP, Principal

WittKieffer is the premier executive search and leadership advisory firm developing impactful leadership teams for organizations that improve quality of life. We work exclusively with organizations in not-for-profit and for-profit healthcare, life sciences, and education – the “Quality of Life Ecosystem.” Leveraging our unwavering focus on this complex ecosystem, we help clients solve challenging problems through executive search, interim leadership and leadership advisory services. We strengthen organizations that make the world better. Visit wittkieffer.com to learn more.