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When it comes to exploring senior roles in academic medicine and understanding how one goes about achieving them, we have the perfect guest this week on the Faculty Factory Podcast as we welcome Jenny Mladenovic, MD, MBA, MACP.
She joins us to help make sense of the opportunities available and to shed light on the variables to consider when pursuing one.
“I do think it’s really important to recognize that faculty have chapters in their life and they may not be interested now, or there may not be opportunity now, but it is still important to understand what these roles are, what they mean, and why we have them,” she said.
She also reminds us that if you ever think you are overreaching for a job, you have nothing to lose by applying, except perhaps your pride.
“The reality is that there is no perfect job and you will never know everything going into a job. Once you start with that, it makes it a little easier,” she said.
In leadership, communication skills are essential, as are operational expertise, discipline, and at least some level of financial management. The good news is that all of these skills can be developed.
“I have my personal biases, so everything I say should be filtered through that. But I believe a dean’s role is most important in recruiting and managing faculty. They have to have some mix of charisma and operational expertise,” she said.
About Dr. Mladenovic
Dr. Mladenovic is President and CEO of the Center for Women in Academic Medicine and Science (CWAMS) and Chair/Founder of the GEMS Alliance. Previously she was Executive Vice-President and Provost at Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) and has held positions as senior associate dean at two institutions.
Additionally, Dr. Mladenovic is an AOA graduate of the University of Washington and trained at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Stanford University, and the University of Washington. For nearly two decades, she had an NIH/VA funded laboratory focused on hematopoietic cell differentiation. She holds an MBA from the University of Miami and is a certified mediator.