Fundamentals of leadership development: a randomized pilot study to evaluate implementation of a leadership curriculum for diversity, equity, and inclusion

Jenny M Shao; Yewande Alimi; Juliane Bingener; Ruchir Puri; Joon K Shim; Courtney Collins; Patricia Sylla; Alia P Qureshi

doi:10.1007/s00464-024-11365-x

Fundamentals of leadership development: a randomized pilot study to evaluate implementation of a leadership curriculum for diversity, equity, and inclusion

Surg Endosc. 2024 Nov 4. doi: 10.1007/s00464-024-11365-x. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Jenny M Shao¹, Yewande Alimi², Juliane Bingener³, Ruchir Puri⁴, Joon K Shim⁵, Courtney Collins⁶, Patricia Sylla⁷, Alia P Qureshi⁸

Affiliations

¹ Division of Minimally Invasive Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, 2926A Taubman Center, 1500 E. Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA. jenny.m.shao@gmail.com.
² Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Medstar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC, USA.
³ Division of Metabolic and Abdominal Wall Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
⁴ Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Florida COM, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
⁵ Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Bassett Healthcare Network, Cooperstown, NY, USA.
⁶ Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
⁷ Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY, USA.
⁸ Minimally Invasive Foregut Surgery, Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Oregon Health and Sciences, Portland, OR, USA.

PMID: 39496948
DOI: 10.1007/s00464-024-11365-x

Abstract

Background: The Fundamentals of Leadership Development (FLD) Curriculum was created to increase integration of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in leadership skills. The pilot FLD course was utilized 1) evaluate short-term impact of the curriculum, and 2) evaluate optimal delivery methods of curricular interventions on diversity in a leadership context in a randomized fashion.

Methods: After IRB approval, the pilot FLD course was opened to all SAGES Committee members for enrollment. All participants had access to the same online modules and discussion forum, but were randomized either to a 4-week longitudinal or 2-day intensive didactic session. Participants were asked to assess the curricular content after each online module and provide overall course feedback on all sessions. This data was collected along with leadership experience, course participation, and course completion data.

Results: A total of 79 participants registered for the FLD course, with 55 (69.7%) of participants completing the course. Of those that registered, 46 (58.2%) self-identified as underrepresented in medicine, 32 (40.5%) self-identified with she/her/hers pronouns, and 45 (57.0%) held an institutional leadership position. Fifty-nine (74.6%) participants were willing to be randomized. Course engagement was higher in the intensive course with 64.1% and 48.7% participation over days 1 and 2, respectively. In the longitudinal course, participation dropped off every week from 70%, 47.5%, 35%, and 27.5%, throughout the 4-week course. Participants who accessed the online modules spent a median time of 3 h and 34 min. User confidence after completion of each individual module were "somewhat confident" and "completely confident" for almost all survey respondents on a 5-tier Likert scale.

Conclusions: The pilot FLD course appealed to SAGES members in leadership roles and who identified as. URiM. Course engagement was higher in the intensive course. Long-term behavior changes after course completion will need to be assessed with additional qualitative interviews. (300/300 words).

Keywords: Curriculum development; Diversity; Healthcare equity; Leadership; Surgical culture change; Surgical education.