Texas Medical Association Special Funds Foundation

Leadership and Professional Development Center Program Expansion

TMA seeks to broaden its reach to both aspiring and established physician leaders through the Leadership and Professional Development Center Program Expansion. The three main goals of the program expansion are: to meet the demands for intensive leadership development through creation of a second Leadership College cohort to serve physicians in practice over eight years; expand the resources and reach of the Leadership and Professional Development Center (LPDC) web portal; and, expand and improve the curriculum offered to young physicians in the TMA Leadership College (TMALC).

Under the proposed program expansion, TMA will create a parallel version of its successful TMALC program, to be known as the Lifelong Leadership cohort, focused on the needs of physicians in established practice. As the prominence of TMALC has increased, TMA staff has received myriad requests from physicians for leadership development tailored to those with more substantial practice experience. The format of the new curriculum will echo that of the original – with an emphasis on interactive learning, practical skills, and self-reflective leadership, offered through a combination of in-person lecture, online learning, and independent study. Participation will be application- and fee-based, with tuition fees offsetting increased overhead costs without negatively impacting existing programs.

The original Leadership College curriculum, targeting physicians in their first eight years of practice, will continue to be offered to a cohort of 20-25 young physicians annually. The year-long curriculum will be expanded to include an additional in-person meeting, with increased peer-to-peer interactions in the time between classes. These additions will allow the program improve team cohesiveness and cover more material – touching on topics like ethics, physician burnout, and negotiation skills.