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Mayne Named Fellow of Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine

Susan T. Mayne, Ph.D., Professor of Epidemiology at Yale School of Public Health, has been accepted as a member of the 2008-2009 class of Fellows in the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program for Women. ELAM is the nation’s only in-depth program that is focused on preparing senior women faculty at schools of medicine, dentistry and public health to move into positions of institutional leadership where they can effect positive change.

Established in 1995, ELAM offers an intensive one-year program of leadership training, with extensive coaching, networking, and mentoring opportunities. The program, conducted by Drexel University College of Medicine, has been developed specifically for women at the associate or full professor level. An institution may nominate up to two candidates to apply for the program. Close to 100 applicants competed for 48 open slots this year.

“I am honored to be selected by Yale and by ELAM to participate in this important leadership development program,” said Mayne. “Women are under-represented at the highest ranks of leadership in schools of medicine, dentistry and public health. This program is specifically designed to prepare women to be optimally effective in leadership positions in the academic environment.”

In preparation for the program, participants complete work over the summer. Three week-long residency sessions are held in the fall and spring. During these sessions, Fellows complete a variety of assignments, including interviewing senior executives to understand the operations and challenges of institutions from different perspectives, as well as design and implement an Action Project to address a need or goal of an institution. Nationally recognized leaders in academic medicine, dentistry, public health, government and industry meet with program participants. Fellows also have the opportunity to interact with colleagues from other disciplines and institutions.

Mayne is the Director of the pre-doctoral training program in cancer epidemiology, a partnership between Yale University and the National Cancer Institute. She also serves at Yale’s Comprehensive Cancer Center as Co-Program Leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Program and Associate Director for Population Sciences. In addition to her work at Yale, Dr. Mayne is on the Board of Scientific Counselors for the U.S. National Cancer Institute, and is also on the Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences.

Mayne will participate in the ELAM Forum on Emerging Issues April 22 & 23, 2009. Each year, the Forum explores an issue facing academic health center leaders within the context of an innovative planning methodology or strategy. Mayne’s program of research has emphasized the role of dietary factors in the etiology of several major cancers including lung, mouth and throat, esophageal, and stomach cancers. She has also studied the role of nutritional factors in breast and prostate cancer risk. Her work involves both observational studies and intervention trials, with a particular emphasis on carotenoids.

~Story by Marcie Addy