Kristen Pierce, M.D., (left) and Rebecca Aslakson, M.D., Ph.D., were selected as Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine fellows.

Two faculty members at the University of Vermont have been selected to participate in a prestigious fellowship that prepares senior women faculty at schools of medicine, dentistry, public health, and pharmacy for institutional leadership positions. Rebecca Aslakson, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at the Larner College of Medicine and UVM Health Network, and Kristen Pierce, M.D., professor of medicine at the Larner College of Medicine and an infectious disease specialist at UVM Medical Center, join the class of 98 fellows in the 2024–25 Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® (ELAM) Program at Drexel University College of Medicine.

Aslakson and Pierce are leaders in their fields of medicine: Aslakson leads a department of 49 faculty, 37 advanced practice providers, 22 residents and fellows, and 7 staff whose mission is to deliver state-of-the-art anesthesia services to patients, conduct groundbreaking research, and provide exceptional education to the next generation of anesthesiology providers; Pierce is vice chair for academic affairs and a lead clinical investigator for the Division of Infectious Disease and a principal investigator at the Vaccine Testing Center at UVM, and she is actively engaged in a variety of service activities for the Larner College of Medicine  UVM Medical Center, as well as national and international organizations focusing on infectious disease prevention.

The ELAM fellowship includes a curricular requirement to conduct an Institutional Action Project, developed in collaboration with the fellow’s sponsor, which, for Aslakson and Pierce, is the Larner College of Medicine at UVM. These action projects are designed to address an institutional or departmental need or priority in collaboration with each fellow’s dean or other senior official.

“ELAM provides a training and networking opportunity that is unparalleled in academic medicine today. Dr. Aslakson’s and Dr. Pierce’s acceptance to this year’s class is a fitting acknowledgment of their national stature and will provide further opportunities for their professional growth and accomplishment,” said Richard L. Page, M.D., dean of the Larner College of Medicine at UVM.

The work for this incoming class of fellows begins in June with online assignments and community-building activities that continue through the end of the program in April 2025.

Selection for the ELAM fellowship is a competitive process, and applicants must be nominated by leaders of their institution. Every medical school has the opportunity to nominate faculty to compete for the fellowship. For the past three years, the Larner Gender Equity Initiative has spearheaded the internal selection of the most competitive nominees.

ELAM alumnae at the Larner College of Medicine include Rebecca Wilcox, M.D., professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and associate dean for faculty affairs; 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, professor of medicine, and director of the Vaccine Testing Center; and Debra Leonard, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chair of pathology and laboratory medicine.

Learn more about the ELH and ELAM programs at the Larner College of Medicine.