Defining Preferred Leadership Dimensions for Medical Students: Creating the Foundational Model for Developing Culturally Responsive Physician Leaders (Evans, Simmons, Hall, Cortés)

As California’s first new medical school in nearly fifty years, UCR SOM is well-

positioned to create an innovative leadership development model for medical students to prepare

them to meet 21st century health care challenges. In recognition of the increasing health care

disparities that culturally-diverse Inland Southern California will face, The University of

California Riverside (UCR) School of Medicine (SOM) has embarked on a bold mission to train,

diversify, and expand the region’s physician workforce. The next generation of health care

leaders and biomedical researchers emerging from the UCR SOM will uphold an orientation

toward prevention, wellness and cost effectiveness, and cultural competence.

The UCR School of Medicine is interested in constructing a model that develops

culturally responsive physician leaders. The curriculum at UCR is clinically-based starting in the

first year when our medical students learn in the living laboratory of our culturally diverse

community. As a starting point to creating a culture of effective leadership development, UCR

SOM wants to establish a better understanding of preferred leadership dimensions. Thompson,

Trimble, Chin, and Stout (May 2015) surveyed preferred leadership dimensions of undergraduate

students.  The findings suggest that the preferred dimensions may carry a different value or

semantic meaning for both males and females that differ from the traditional alpha male

leadership style. Our study would survey UCR medical students to examine variations in

preferences for the Chin/Trimble dimensions from the perspective of student ethic self-

identification. The implications for the identified preferred dimensions would be a foundational

starting point for an emerging leadership development model for medical students.

For medical students to be holistically prepared for their profession, leadership

development is crucial. UCR seeks to understand the preferred leadership dimensions and create

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Defining Preferred Leadership Dimensions for Medical Students: Creating the Foundational Model for Developing Culturally Responsive Physician Leaders (Evans, Simmons, Hall, Cortés)

a model around developing these dimensions. Strengths development, intercultural competence,

and engagement are three additional facets that are suggested for leadership effectiveness in a

culturally diverse society. Once the medical student leadership dimension preferences are

identified, the next step would be to create an opportunity for the medical students to become

aware of their own individual preferred dimensions/strengths. Second, we would provide

opportunities to apply these strengths in developing intercultural competence. Third, the SOM

would provide opportunities to develop skills in connecting with and engaging with the student’s

spheres of influence including culturally-diverse patients, faculty, medical teams, and fellow

colleagues. The implications could be that students become aware of their “preferred” leadership

qualities and focus on developing those in connection with cultural competence and

engagement.  An understanding of the medical student’s preferred leadership dimensions is a

foundational step to building a culture of leadership development and programs which may

include opportunities for curriculum enhancements, leadership development programs, and

measurement of longitudinal health outcomes. 

Reference

Thompson, J., Trimble, J. E., Chin, J. L., & Stout, K., (2015, May). Identifying and

developing more culturally sensitive diverse leadership measurement prototypes. Poster session

presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Society, New York, NY.

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