Physician Leadership Development: From Medical School to Medical Staff

In today’s dynamic healthcare landscape, effective physician leadership is essential for driving clinical excellence, operational efficiency and strategic alignment across the enterprise. Health systems engaged in graduate medical education are uniquely positioned to cultivate physician leaders from the earliest stages of training, creating a sustainable pipeline of talent equipped to lead in complex care environments. This 90-minute session will explore how healthcare organizations can design and implement structured, enterprise-aligned leadership development pathways that begin during the transition from medical school to residency and fellowship to prepare them for active medical staff and executive roles. Led by a multidisciplinary panel of physician leaders, medical educators and talent development executives, the session will introduce a longitudinal leadership development model that aligns with physicians’ evolving responsibilities and spheres of influence.

Panelists will share scalable strategies for identifying high-potential individuals early in their careers and supporting them with progressive, experience-appropriate leadership training. Key discussion topics will include:

• Integrating leadership competencies into undergraduate and graduate medical education curricula


• Aligning leadership development with enterprise priorities such as clinical transformation, patient safety and workforce engagement


• Applying self-determination theory to foster physician engagement and professional growth


• Overcoming common challenges in sustaining leadership development across the career continuum

You will gain practical tools and frameworks to support the design and implementation of longitudinal leadership programs. Emphasis will be placed on aligning individual career trajectories with system-level goals, reinforcing leadership as a core element of physician identity and performance. This session is designed for chief medical officers, healthcare leaders, medical educators and talent development professionals seeking to strengthen physician leadership pipelines and build a high-performing, mission-driven workforce.