Health Sciences Chairs Engage in Leadership Development

ATLANTA - Aug. 1, 2014 - PRLog -- Atlanta, GA – The Academy for Academic Leadership (AAL) held the 2014 Chairs and Academic Administrators Management Program (CAAMP) on July 17-19 at the Georgia Tech Conference Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Fifty-five academic administrators from institutions from the U.S. and abroad attended this interprofessional, open-enrollment program designed for leaders managing an academic department or academic program.

CAAMP was created in 2009 by AAL, an international consulting and professional development organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, to address the unique challenges and opportunities encountered by department chairs and academic administrators within colleges and schools of the health professions. Since its inception, nearly 300 department chairs and academic administrators from programs in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, allied health, and other health professions have participated in CAAMP.

“I enjoy serving two critical roles at CAAMP, a presenter and an advisor” said Pamela Zarkowski, J.D., M.H.P., AAL Senior Consultant and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Detroit Mercy. “I am impressed by the engagement of all the participants and their thoughtful questions and comments during my presentation. The interaction is beneficial to everyone in the room. I am privileged to be able to meet many of the participants in one-on-one advising meetings to discuss with them the challenges and opportunities they have in their current positions as well as their future plans.”

This year’s keynote speaker was Dr. Lucinda Maine, Executive Vice President and CEO of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. Dr. Maine addressed national developments in accreditation, health policy, and faculty engagement to foster interprofessional education. She also spoke about the critical role that department chairs and other academic leaders play in supporting interprofessional education and collaborative practice.

“CAAMP continues to grow in numbers and the professional diversity of participants,” said Dr. Karl Haden, AAL President. “One of the major benefits of CAAMP is the opportunity for different professions to learn from each other. Most of the challenges that these leaders face in their schools and professions are similar. As interprofessional education continues to gain more momentum, participation in programs like CAAMP that bring health professions educators together from different disciplines, fields, and institutions will continue to grow.”

CAAMP participants developed their leadership abilities through assessments and through peer feedback and individualized, professional coaching. Sessions included learning to lead, managing new tasks and challenges, faculty performance and assessment, strategic planning and budgeting, conflict management, work-life balance, and legal issues in academia. “It’s always a thrill to teach at CAAMP,” said Hershey S. Bell, M.D., M.S., FAAFP, AAL Senior Consultant and Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs of the School of Pharmacy at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM). “Initially the subjects of strategic planning and budgeting seem somewhat dull to folks. But I love the experience of watching the light bulbs go off as participants begin to see their power in creating meaningful change as they assimilate the value of grasping the impact of both topics.”

AAL holds CAAMP each July in Atlanta, Georgia. To learn more about the program, visit www.aalgroup.org/CAAMP.

About AAL

AAL is committed to personal, professional, and organizational transformation. Since 2005, AAL has provided customized professional development, leadership training, and consulting services for more than 100 higher education institutions throughout the world. For more information on AAL, visit www.aalgroup.org.