Physician LEADS WV announces application available for third class

Physician LEADS West Virginia announces applications are available for its third annual class. LEADS is an annual program to assist in the growth of physicians as leaders. West Virginia State Medical Association, the state’s largest education and advocacy association for physicians, coordinates the program and is one of its sponsors.

Physician LEADS is an acronym for Physician Leadership, Enhancement, Advancement and Development Series. 

“We train physicians in the practice of medicine,” said Morgantown pediatrician Dr. Lisa Costello, WVSMA immediate past president, “but we don’t necessarily provide them with the skills they need to become leaders.”

For four weekends throughout the year, the class of 2025, which will include physicians practicing various specialties, will gather at health care facilities across the state to interact with and learn from instructors with expertise in the health care and business worlds. At the end of the program, participants will have a better understanding of their personal leadership styles and about how forces outside the formal practice of medicine can affect leadership decisions. Those interested should complete the form available here: https://form.jotform.com/243014842610143. 

“As physicians advance in their careers, they’re often conflicted by the discrepancy between their medical training and the realities of medical practice,” said Program Director Dr. Shafic Sraj, a Morgantown orthopedic surgeon. “Physicians are trained to make health care decisions from the narrow point of view prescribed in a textbook without much consideration of what happens in the background. Outside the direct patient care world, we are often called upon to make decisions that involve other perspectives, yet we are not always prepared for that. We’re addressing these issues during our meetings.”

The curriculum for the event was designed by a committee of health care and leadership leaders from across the state. Program Committee members include Drs. Catherine Chua, Lisa Costello, Mary Edwards, Douglas Knutson, Darshana Shah, Shafic Sraj, and Mrs. Pam Farris. 

Learn more about Physician LEADS WV here: https://www.wvsma.org/physicianleadswestvirginia/.

Questions? Contact Dr. Lisa Costello or Dr. Shafic Sraj.