1. Perspectives of female medical faculty in Ethiopia on a leadership fellowship program
- Author
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Cynthia Haq, James Conniff, Elizabeth Kvach, Heidi Busse, Hiwot Abebaw, and Bethlehem Yesehak
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Gender equity ,Faculty, Medical ,020205 medical informatics ,International Cooperation ,Sexism ,education ,02 engineering and technology ,gender equity ,Interviews as Topic ,03 medical and health sciences ,Wisconsin ,0302 clinical medicine ,Qualitative analysis ,Leadership Fellowship Program ,0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering ,Humans ,Medicine ,Women ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Fellowships and Scholarships ,Program Development ,Female students ,Academic medicine ,Schools, Medical ,Original Research ,Academic Medical Centers ,Motivation ,Medical education ,leadership training ,Leadership development ,business.industry ,Public health ,academic medicine ,General Medicine ,Health professions ,Career Mobility ,Leadership ,Workforce ,Female ,Ethiopia ,business - Abstract
Objectives This study aims to evaluate a leadership fellowship program through perspectives of Ethiopian women medical faculty participants. Methods An intensive two-week leadership development fellowship was designed for women faculty from Ethiopian medical schools and conducted from 2011-2015 at the University of Wisconsin-School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, Wisconsin. Nine Ethiopian women working in early- or mid-level academic positions were selected. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the fellows. Transcripts were reviewed through qualitative analysis to assess the perceived impact of the training on their careers. Three male academic leaders were interviewed to solicit feedback on the program. Results Eight of 9 fellows were interviewed. Themes describing the benefits of the fellowship included: increased awareness of gender inequities; enhanced motivation for career advancement; increased personal confidence; and improved leadership skills. Fellows provided suggestions for future training and scaling up efforts to promote gender equity. Male leaders described the benefits of men promoting gender equity within academic health centers. Conclusions This paper provides evidence that targeted brief training programs can enhance women's motivation and skills to become effective leaders in academic medicine in Ethiopia. Promoting gender equity in academic medicine is an important strategy to address health workforce shortages and to provide professional role models for female students in the health professions.
- Published
- 2017