Empowering physician leaders: UPMC’s breakthrough leadership development programme

In the ever-changing landscape of healthcare management, the role of physician leaders has become increasingly important. Physicians with strong leadership and management skills are well positioned to bring medical expertise to the business side of healthcare, benefiting their organisations immensely. Effective physician leaders also foster a healthier team environment, making a positive impact on their care team and patients. Traditional medical education, while strong in clinical training, typically falls short in adequately preparing physicians for leadership roles. This prompted the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) to launch an internal initiative to support physician leadership development. This case study looks at the journey from concept to successful implementation of UPMC’s inaugural leadership development programme for physicians. It also addresses the challenges of deploying the programme during a global pandemic and the lessons learned from the experience. Through internal surveys, UPMC recognised that physicians wanted professional growth and development opportunities. In 2017, UPMC formed an internal board of physician leaders to identify the specific learning needs of that population. In 2018, UPMC hired individuals dedicated to the creation of a leadership programme for physicians, now branded Physician Leadership Essentials (PLE). Before the programme’s launch, physicians were left to seek development outside the organisation. Following a pilot in 2019, the programme was deployed on a larger scale, starting in January 2020. As of 29 February 2024, 482 participants from various speciality and practice locations participated in 26 rolling cohorts of PLE. Twenty cohorts have completed the programme, resulting in 314 alumni. Today, there are six ongoing cohorts with 139 active participants. The programme exhibits 99.5 per cent favourability and a 92 per cent retention rate. Participants have completed 247 leadership challenge projects. This programme has fostered a culture of growth and development for physicians across UPMC and enhanced cross-functional and cross-departmental collaboration. It has also unlocked some of the untapped leadership talent of physician leaders, increasing not only their effectiveness but also their sense of professional fulfilment and engagement.