By Chonglu Huang
Writer
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, leadership development continues to be a key focus of lifelong learning at uOttawa Faculty of Medicine.
Albeit with modified delivery models for virtual sessions, Alexandre Messager, facilitator for faculty/clinical leadership development, has created an extensive list of leadership training opportunities tailored for clinicians, basic scientists, medical residents, graduate students and support staff.
“Our goal is to prepare the next generation of leaders with the ability to inspire, empower and grow their teams in an equal, diverse and inclusive work environment,” said Messager, who has been a thought leader in developing and delivering training at the Faculty of Medicine.
All these training sessions are developed in alignment with the Faculty of Medicine’s strategic direction under the leadership of Dean Bernard Jasmin.
“The core values we want to instill in our future leaders are authenticity, collaboration and inclusivity,” added Messager. “Instead of learning through trial and error, we want our future generations to be supported on their career journeys and be given the tools they need to succeed in leadership.”
Some current and upcoming programming includes:
For clinicians
- “Essentials for Academic Leadership Phase I”: A multi-day leadership program for clinicians from uOttawa and the University of Lyon.
- “Essentials for Academic Leadership Phase II” (starting in February 2021)
- Leadership sessions for clinical rounds, clinical retreats and residents
- Personalized executive on-boarding and professional development program
- Personalized one-on-one leadership coaching
For basic scientists
- “Essentials for Academic Leadership Phase I”: A multi-day leadership program for basic scientists working in a research setting.
- “Essentials for Academic Leadership Phase II” (starting in the Fall 2021)
- Personalized one-on-one leadership coaching
For residents
- “Essentials for Academic Leadership”: A multi-day leadership program for Public Health and Preventative Medicine (PHPM) residents
- Leadership training for chief residents (coming soon)
For graduate students
- Leadership sessions for basic science graduate students
- Development and facilitation of leadership sessions for Master’s students in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health
For support staff (coming soon)
- Leadership 2020-2030: A new way of leading people in the coming decade whereby the leader is seen as authentic, relatable and collaborative
- Cultural competency: How to work well with people of different cultural and personal backgrounds
- Working as one team: How to develop and strengthen the team aspect of the workplace
From topics such as mentoring, multi-generational workplaces, and the art of giving feedback, these sessions will help prepare all members of the Faculty for leadership in a complex medical community where equality, diversity, and inclusivity are key to success.
“For me, it’s all about the impact of the courses I develop and deliver. Much of the curriculum’s growth has been due to referrals and word-of-mouth throughout our organization,” said Messager. “When people come back to me saying that they’re inspired to lead and contribute, if we can inspire people to give back to students, residents, colleagues and the community, then we’re doing great work.”
For more information about these courses on leadership, contact Christine Cool from the Office of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) at [email protected] or visit the CPD website.
