Johns Hopkins UniversityEst. 1876
America’s First Research University
When it comes to eye care, physicians and scientists at the Wilmer Eye Institute are the experts. With focus areas ranging from complex eye diseases to vision rehabilitation, Wilmer faculty members know their specialties backwards and forward; in fact, in many cases, they are the leaders at the cutting edge of their fields.
Members of the Wilmer Board of Governors bring different expertise. While some are in the medical field, many are business leaders, skilled managers, and expert communicators. This expertise is crucial in academic medicine but is often overlooked in medical education. A physician’s ability to lead a team, navigate complex partnerships, and manage budgets can have an extraordinary impact on research, and often the field as a whole. To bridge this gap, Dr. Peter McDonnell, the Alan and Marlene Norton Director of the Wilmer Eye Institute, and the Wilmer Board of Governors identified an opportunity to boost the business skills of faculty through mentorship offerings.
One of these opportunities was specifically for Wilmer’s Rising Professors, early-career physicians generously backed by members of the Wilmer Board of Governors and other donors. The group was invited to attend dinner with board member Allan Holt. Holt is a managing director-partner of the Carlyle Group, has more than 30 years of experience in the private equity investment field, and holds his MBA from the University of California, Berkeley. At the session, Holt discussed how business acumen is a crucial component to success in academic medicine.
Holt covered topics including strategies for commercialization, partnerships, and intellectual property, which are important as these faculty members navigate how to translate groundbreaking research into clinical innovations. He also discussed practical skills for managing teams, budgets, and strategic initiatives, as well as communication skills for navigating relationships with hospital leadership, industry partners, and external collaborators. The session was a great success, with participants leaving with a better understanding of how improving these skills can improve their individual careers — and advance their field.
The program emphasizes the importance of mentorship, a cornerstone of Wilmer’s mission. As the Odd Fellows Professor of Ophthalmology, Henry Jampel, MD, puts it, “Mentorship has long been seen as critical to students and trainees in academic medicine, but the importance of mentorship to fellow faculty members is sometimes underappreciated. One of the key components of the Rising Professor program at Wilmer is the continuing mentorship of these most promising junior faculty members.”
The program, and the Wilmer board’s enthusiastic participation in it, is an example of how volunteer leaders are helping to guide and support their schools and divisions. The program also reinforces how one of our institution’s greatest strengths is the diversity of experience, skill, and resources our board and council members are able to share with us.
For more information on this program, email [email protected] and visit the Wilmer Rising Professorships website.
Topics: Faculty and Staff, Friends of Johns Hopkins Medicine, Wilmer Eye Institute, Fuel Discovery, Strengthening Partnerships