North Vegas Times

A recent report by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), stated that while more than half of American medical students are female, they only account for a small percentage when leading college departments.

Approximately 18% of deans of medical schools are female, 19% of department heads are female, and women only account for 26% of full professors, the report said. The Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program aims to remedy those stark numbers. 

“ELAM is an outstanding opportunity for professional development in so many ways," Dr. Deborah Kuhls, assistant dean of research at UNLV's Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine, said in the report. “The pre-fellowship, evaluation and assessment equips each fellow with new insights into themselves."

Kuhls added that ELAM has helped her hone her leadership skills to be a nimble leader across professional organizations and the Nevada System of Higher Education institutions.

The Elam program was established in 1995 in order to enhance the number of women involved in academic leadership positions in the health sciences, the report said. 

“It had a profound impact on my leadership skills that enabled significant contributions to institutional capacity building,” Dr. Lily Garcia, former associate dean for education at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics, said in the report. “I used the skills and network to build an outstanding administrative team here — associate deans and department chairs at UNLV Dental Medicine. That team has gained an in-depth understanding of what it takes to advance our academic dental institution and raise our professional profile and expectations as a key partner within the nascent academic health initiative for Nevada.”

“Purposeful development and advancement of a diverse leadership team, better positions an institution to meet the needs of the community and student body that it serves,” Dr. Alison Netski, professor of psychiatry and behavioral health and interim vice dean of clinical affairs at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine, said in the report.