Rebecca Wilcox, M.D., professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and associate dean for faculty affairs at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, has been selected as a member of the 2022-2023 class of fellows participating in the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® (ELAM) Program at Drexel University College of Medicine.
Rebecca Wilcox, M.D. (Photo: David Seaver)
Rebecca Wilcox, M.D., professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and associate dean for faculty affairs at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, has been selected as a member of the 2022-2023 class of fellows participating in the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® (ELAM) Program at Drexel University College of Medicine.
Established in 1995, ELAM is the nation’s only in-depth program focused on preparing senior women faculty at schools of medicine, dentistry, and public health for institutional leadership positions, where they can effect positive change. Wilcox is one of 72 fellows selected following a highly competitive application process for the 2022-23 class, which was reported to be the largest ever applicant pool, with a 25 percent increase over 2021-2022.
The work for this incoming class begins in June with online assignments and community-building activities that continue through the end of the program in April 2023. The program cultivates strong partnerships with participating institutions throughout the fellowship, particularly in regards to the curricular requirement to conduct an Institutional Action Project designed to address an institutional or departmental need or priority, which is developed in collaboration with the fellow’s dean or other senior official.
According to Nancy D. Spector, M.D., executive director of ELAM, “The women are exceptional leaders who are capable of making critical systemic change in their institutions. The need for the highest quality leaders in academic health care has never been greater, and we are doing everything we can to help meet that need by providing outstanding and innovative leadership training for women.”
Wilcox joined the UVM faculty in 2009. She received her medical degree from Oregon Health Science University, and completed a residency in anatomic and clinical pathology at the University of Chicago Hospitals, where she also served as chief resident and completed a fellowship in gastrointestinal and hepatology pathology. She has served in her associate dean role since January 2022. In addition to directing the first-year medical school course “Nutrition, Metabolism and Gastrointestinal System in Health and Disease," and the Advanced Integration Surgical Pathology Elective, her leadership positions have included service as vice chair for education for her department and as section leader of the Gastrointestinal/Liver Pathology Service at the UVM Health Network. Wilcox was also a faculty coach for the Association of American Medical Colleges' Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) certificate program and is a graduate of the LEAD program.
ELAM alumnae at the Larner College of Medicine include Elizabeth Bonney, M.D., M.P.H., professor and director of research in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences; Julia Johnson, M.D., clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences; Beth Kirkpatrick, M.D., professor and chair of microbiology and molecular genetics and professor of medicine; and Debra Leonard, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chair of pathology and laboratory medicine.