Dean's Student Leadership Fellows

Goals

Graduates of the Dean’s Student Leadership Track at the University of Maryland School of Medicine will be able to:

1. Demonstrate Foundational Leadership Competencies
   Apply leadership principles, including strategic thinking, team facilitation, conflict resolution, and effective communication, to lead interdisciplinary teams in clinical and organizational settings.
   
   
2. Integrate Leadership with Clinical Excellence
   Synthesize medical knowledge and clinical skills with leadership strategies to enhance patient care, quality improvement, and health outcomes across diverse populations.
   
   
3. Drive Innovation and Change
   Identify opportunities for innovation in healthcare delivery, policy, and technology, and design solutions that improve efficiency, equity, and access to care.
   
   
4. Advance Health Equity and Social Responsibility
   Advocate for policies and practices that address health disparities and promote culturally competent, patient-centered care in diverse communities.
   
   
5. Engage in Systems Thinking and Organizational Awareness
   Analyze healthcare systems, policies, and organizational dynamics to understand how leadership decisions impact individual patients, care teams, institutions, and population health.
   
   
6. Exemplify Ethical and Values-Based Leadership
   Model ethical decision-making, integrity, and professional responsibility in all leadership roles and clinical interactions.
   
   
7. Foster Collaboration Across Disciplines
   Build and lead collaborative partnerships across medical, public health, administrative, and community sectors to achieve shared health goals.
   
   
8. Demonstrate Self-Awareness and Continuous Growth
   Reflect on personal leadership strengths, areas for development, and career aspirations, actively seeking feedback and opportunities for lifelong learning in leadership and medicine.

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Track Leadership

Course Director Kimberly Lumpkins, MD, MBA, FACS, FRCS(Eng)	Co-Course Director Douglas Clarke, M.Ed

Course Leaders

Suzanna Fitzpatrick, DNP, ACNP-BC, FNP-BC, NREMT-P	Matthew Grzywinski, MD	Carolina Mendoza, MD, MBA

Medical Student Representatives

Sara Jain	Sarah Burney

 

Curriculum

The Dean’s Student Leadership Fellows Track is a sequence of seven courses, with each course serving as a pre-requisite for the next. The courses offered during the pre-clerkship phase of the curriculum will primarily rely on in-person class meetings for the delivery of course content. Track courses offered during the clerkship and advanced clinical phases of the Renaissance curriculum will be offered primarily online, using an asynchronous format.

Even though the first three courses in the leadership track are completed during the pre-clerkship phase of the curriculum, only two of the courses will count toward satisfying graduation requirements.

MS1 Year

Spring: Creating Leaders Integrating Medicine and Business (CLIMB): Fundamentals of Leadership and Teamwork

• Activity Highlights: Harvard Business Review Modules, Personal Leadership Assessments, Q&A with Dean Gladwin, Mentor Selection, Reflection Papers, Journal Entries

MS2 Year

Fall: Leadership Foundations: From Personal Purpose to Practice

• Activity Highlights: Leadership Development Plan, Leadership Philosophy, Case Studies, Group Discussions, Reflection Paper

Spring: Medical Innovation and Entrepreneurship

• Activity Highlights: Mentor Meeting, Entrepreneurship Action Learning Project/Student Pitch Day, Meet with Funders, Meet with Tech Transfer Office, Design Sprint, 3D Printing Project, Medical Devices Case Study

MS3 Year

Fall: The Business of Medicine Part I - Health Systems

• Activity Highlights: Meeting with Dean Gladwin, Case Studies, Mentor Meetings, Discussion Board, Mentoring Project/Action Plan Prospectus

Spring: The Business of Medicine Part II - Private Practice

• Activity Highlights: Case Studies, Discussion Board, Reflection Papers

MS4 Year

Fall: Leading Change in Healthcare Organizations 

• Activity Highlights: Practical Immersion in Departments and Dean’s Office, Mentoring of a 
  Second-Year Student, Mentoring Project/Action Plan Prospectus, Discussion Board, Reflection Paper, Case Studies, PBL

Spring: Physician Leadership in Practice

• Activity Highlights: Presentation of Capstone Project, Case Studies, Discussion Board, Simulation

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Eligibility

Only medical students enrolled in AMED 541 Creating Leaders Integrating Business and Medicine (CLIMB): Fundamentals of Leadership and Teamwork during the first year of medical school are eligible to apply for the Dean’s Student Leadership Fellows track. There is a limited number of seats available in each cohort. The cohort will enroll up to 12 students annually. The number of students accepted for each cohort depends on the number of applicants and the quality of the applicant pool.

Application

 Applications and any required documentation must be received on or before February 15. A complete application includes:

• The completed application form
• “Leadership Reflection” essay
• Updated resume or curriculum vitae

Download a copy of the application: Deans Student Leadership Track Application Form

Interview

Each applicant will be required to participate in an interview with faculty who teach in the Dean’s Student Leadership Fellows track. The interviews will be conducted virtually on Zoom and will take approximately 20 minutes. Applicants will be asked to sign up for available times by mid-March. Interviews will be conducted through mid-April.

Applicant Evaluation

The track faculty will score the application, supporting documents, and interview of each applicant. Applicants will be ranked based on scores received during the evaluation process. The highest-rated applicants will be admitted to the track. The faculty has the full authority to make all admissions decisions. When the number of applicants exceeds the number of available seats in the cohort, the faculty can choose to waitlist other qualified students.

Notification

Students will be notified about their admission decision for the track by the end of April each year. Notifications will be sent via e-mail. Students must confirm their intent to enroll in the track by May 1. If an applicant rejects an admissions offer, the faculty will offer the seat to the next highest-rated applicant on the waitlist.

Registration and Standing for Fellows Candidates

Accepted students will be responsible for registering in each of the remaining courses in the track sequence during the second, third, and fourth years of medical school.

Students must maintain good academic standing in the Renaissance curriculum to progress through the track and to be designated as Fellows upon completion.