Academic Leadership Training (PAL)

About PAL

The Program for Academic Leadership (PAL) is a three-year program to develop academic leadership skills in junior PM&R faculty. PAL offers a valuable combination of education and one-on-one mentoring that can help propel participants to success in an academic setting.

Led by John Chae, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer at MetroHealth, the goal of PAL is to provide a basic administrative framework and skill set to promising physiatric academic faculty to enhance their leadership abilities within a Department, Medical School, and the field of PM&R at large. The number of participants will be limited to provide maximum interaction with course instructors.

2024 PAL Graduates

Congratulations to our 2024 PAL Graduates!

Idris Amin, MD; University of Maryland Medical System
Sharon David, MD; Mayo Clinic
Donna Huang, MD; Michael E. DeBakey VA/Baylor College of Medicine
Sheryl Katta-Charles, MD; Indiana University School of Medicine
Braford Landry, DO; Northwell Health
Samuel Lee, MD; Loma Linda University
Adam Lewno, DO; University of Michigan
Roger Luo, MD; Rutgers New Jersey Medical School/Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation
Marina Ma, MD; Baylor College od Medicine/TEcase Childrena's Hospital
Shawn Petersonj, DO; Thomas Jefferson University
Mary Russell, DO, MS; University of Texas
Jeremy Stanek, MD; Stanford University

Program Structure

This three-year program provides promising academic faculty with a basic administrative framework and skill set to enhance their leadership role with a department, medical school and the specialty of physiatry, at large. We do that through didactic lectures, "hands-on” problem solving workshops, small group discussion sessions, expert panel discussions and one-on-one mentorship that will be available throughout the year.

PAL participants will attend three-day courses during three consecutive AAP Annual Meetings. Participants will plan and complete a Quality Improvement Projeect at their institution based on the topic presented at the AAP meeting. A poster presentation of the project will be due for the following year's meeting. We have also added quarterly online PAL programs outside of the AAP meeting.

PAL is organized around one of three "themes” each year:

Academic Department Administration
Teaching & Education (including medical students, residents, fellows and faculty)
Research (both funded and unfunded)

For each year, 4 primary "content areas” pertinent to that year’s theme will be addressed:

Leadership: Philosophy, Assessment and Skill Sets
Organizational Structure and Management
Personnel and Regulatory Issues
Financial Management

Content Areas

Twelve content areas will be covered over your three years in the program. Learning objectives will be established in each of these 12 areas in order to provide maximum continuity from group-to-group and year-to-year. The form of the educational experience (didactic, small group, panel discussion, workshop, etc.) will vary to best fit the topic. Here's a look at potential topics per year:

Department Administration

Leadership

Qualities of a Leader: Art and Skill
Personality Style
Conflict Management
The Art of Negotiation
Maximizing Your Role in National PM&R Organizations
Understanding the Job of a Chairperson

Organizational Structure

What is Matrix Reporting and How to Survive It
Division/Department/Medical College/University – Where Am I?
Time Management Strategies
Organizing Your Support Staff
Choosing and Organizing Your Departmental Quality Assurance/Performance Improvement

Personnel & Regulatory Issues

Introduction to Regulation and Compliance
How to Choose and Be A Mentor
Strategies for Faculty Recruitment
Balancing Career and Family
Managing the Impaired Faculty or Resident
Maximizing Diversity in Your Department

Finances

Garnering Resources for the Department
Basic Accounting and Reading Financial Statements
Building a Department Budget
Essentials of Physician Billing Compliance
Intro to Medicare and Managed Care Funding of Clinical Activities

Teaching & Education

Leadership

What the Dean Wants from You – Money, Time, Teaching and Peace!
Models of Teaching Styles
Giving Constructive Feedback to Residents and Faculty

Organizational Structure

Academic Promotion – Assisting Your Associate in Becoming a Professor
The Policies and Practicalities of Increasing PM&R Exposure to Medical Students
Utilizing the Internal Resources to Direct a Residency

Personnel & Regulatory Issues

Ensuring Outstanding Resident Applicants
Residency Regulation: Work Hours, Discipline, Core Competency Assessment, ACGME
Strategies for Faculty Recruitment
Balancing Career and Family
National Regulation of Undergraduate Medical Education
Medico-legal Aspects of Being a Residency Director

Finances

Funding of PM&R Residencies and Fellowships

Research

Leadership

Promoting a Culture of Research in Your Department
Ethical Dilemmas in PM&R Research in the 21st Century

Organizational Structure

Resources for and Structure of a Grant Writing Team
Organizing Your Research Team
Incorporating Research into Clinical Practice

Personnel & Regulatory Issues

Research Regulation: Animals, Human Subjects, Finances
Recruiting Research Faculty
Strategies for Faculty Recruitment
The Role of Residents and Medical Students in Research Productivity

Finances

Putting Together a NIH/NIDDR Research Budget

Costs & Prerequisites

PAL Cost

PAL is a tuition-based program with a fee schedule of $1,200 per year ($3,600 for three years). Participants will also need to cover the cost of airfare and hotel accommodations for the AAP's Annual Meeting. Below is a breakdown of what's covered in your tuition:

Registration to PAL workshops (full three days) at the AAP's Annual Meeting each year including speakers, materials and networking events
Registration to the AAP's Annual Meeting each year including plenary sessions, materials and networking events (President's Reception, coffee breaks, signature lunch, Poster Gallery receptions, Fellowship & Job Fair, etc.)
Access to mentors throughout the program's duration to help with quality improvement projects that greatly benefit the participant's home institution and other career development questions and challenges
Online and virtual experiences with peer groups and PAL mentors

New for 2024 - The PAL Tuition will be covered for one International participant in the 2024 cohort. The attendee will still be responbsible for any travel and hotel costs associated with attending Physiatry '24.

Prerequisites To Apply

Candidates for the program must:

Be an active member of the Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP) or an active member of the International Society of Physical Rehabilitation and Medicine (ISPRM).
Be full-time faculty members at an Instructor, Assistant Professor or Associate Professor level or be a full-time faculty member of a teaching hospital with an equivalent level to the US academic ranks of Instructor, Assistant Professor or Associate Professor.
Have a minimum of 2 years (but not more than 8 years) experience post residency/ fellowship at the time of application
Have demonstrated the desire and ability to assume a leadership role in their department, institution or the specialty of physiatry
Attend the PAL course during each of three consecutive AAP Annual Meetings
Plan and complete a Quality Improvement Project at their institution based on the topic presented at the AAP meeting. A poster presentation of the project will be due for the following year's meeting.

How to Apply

Applications for the 2025 PAL are open now - applications are due August 31, 2025.

Apply Now

Submission Requirements

Candidates must be nominated by their PM&R academic department, division chair or chair equivalent. If the institution has no PM&R department or division, then a nomination can also come from a member of the AAP Board of Trustees or AAP Committee Chair in addition to their current Chair (non-PM&R). The nomination letter (1-2 pages) should discuss the candidate’s past achievements, current academic activities and potential for future academic success. Applications will not be considered without this nomination letter.
Candidate's current Curriculum Vitae (CV)
A 500-word personal statement confirming the candidate’s academic career goals and desire to participate in this program
Optional for International applications - Submit a letter of support from your national PM&R society or ISPRM.
Application items are due by August 31, 2024

Testimonials

Kim Barker, MD

UT Southwestern Medical Center

“PAL has been my favorite leadership program that I have participated in. It is well organized and structured. The speakers and topics have been very beneficial to my understanding of academic organizations. Lastly, the networking and camaraderie has been the biggest asset. I have made lasting collaborators and friends through this program.”

Brionn Tonkin, MD

“PAL was such a great experience in so many ways. The preparation for all aspects of leading academic medicine was invaluable and has been put into use in my career in so many ways. The people I went through the program with continue to be colleagues that I am working with on various areas and can reach out to for help and questions.”

Erika Trovato, DO

Burke Rehabilitation Hospital

“PAL afforded me the opportunity to focus time and energy on my professional growth within academic leadership! I met amazing colleagues practicing across the country and formed connections that I know wouldn’t have been possible without PAL!”

Aaron Yang, MD

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

"The PAL program has been one of the most impactful programs for my academic career. Following training, it is often hard to get exposure to such a comprehensive and focused training on academic leadership and the PAL program goes above and beyond this by exposing us to leaders in the field of physiatry who are able to share their expertise and experience. I have also gained many connections and friendships through this program that I know I will continue to foster for the rest of my career."

Resources

Included here are:

Handouts from lectures during PAL sessions at AAP Annual Meetings
PAL Project Proposal and Poster Information
Examples of past PAL projects

Questions? Need additional information? Email the AAP office for assistance.

Published: January 2021

2021 PAL Education Projects – Part 1

Learn More

Takeaways & Networks at Your Disposal

PAL Alumni

By getting involved with PAL, you’ll be following in the footsteps of this illustrious list of academic leaders:

Mohammad Agha, MD
Derrick Brett Allred, MD
Eric Altschuler, MD, PhD
Nethra Ankam, MD
Dixie Aragaki, MD
Stephen Bagg, MD
Moon Suk Bang, MD
Kim Barker, MD
Matthew Bartels, MD, MPH
Jeffrey Berliner, DO
Lisa Blankenship, MD
Marcia Bockbrader, MD
Michael Boninger, MD
Glendaliz Bosques, MD
Ralph Buschbacher, MD
Scott Campea, MD
Kevin Carneiro, DO
Pablo Celnik, MD
Kwai-Tung Chan, MD
Leighton Chan, MD
Wesley Chay, MD
Boqing Chen, MD, PhD
Joseph Chen, MD
Andrea Cheville, MD
Kelly Crawford, MD
Maricarmen Cruz-Jimenez, MD
Sara Cuccurullo, MD
Daniel Cushman, MD
Loren Davidson, MD
Timothy Dillingham, MD, MS
Jayne Donovan, MD
Rebecca Dutton, MD
Sarah Eickmeyer, MD
Erika Erlandson, MD
Miguel Escalon, MD, MPH
Peter Esselman, MD
Clifford Everett, MD
Clinton Faulk, MD
Cynthia Flick, MD
Christopher Garrison, MD
Susan Garstang, MD
David Gater, Jr., MD, PhD
Alfred Gellhorn, MD
Marlis Gonzalez-Fernandez, MD, PhD
Karin Goodfriend, MD, MPT
Samuel Grissom, MD
Amanda Harrington, MD
Limberly Hartman, MD
Justin Hata, MD
David Haustein, MD
Sandra Hearn, MD
(Phillip) Troy Henning, DO
Daniel Herman, MD, PhD
James Hill, III, MD
Timothy Hudson, MD
Sara Huss, MD
Sarah Hwang, MD
Amitabh Jha, MD, MPH
Jeffery Johns, MD
Darryl Kaelin, MD
David (DJ) Kennedy, MD
Seema Khurana, MD
Mary Kim, MD
Keneshia Kirksey, MD
Jonathan Kirschner, MD
Steven Kirshblum, MD
Patrick Kortebein, MD
Lisa Krivickas, MD
Laura Lee, MD, MBA
Kirk Lercher, MD
Charles Levy, MD
Henry Lew, MD, PhD
Peter Lim, MD
Rani Lindberg, MD
Ian Maitin, MD, MBA
Michael Mallow, MD
Stacy McCarty, MD
Robert Mehrberg, MD
Robert Mipro, MD
David Morgenroth, MD
Karen Morice, MD
Alex Moroz, MD
Mary Ann Myers, MD
Vu Q.C. Nguyen, MD
Christian Niedzwecki, DO
William Niehaus, MD
John Norbury, MD
Ajit Pai, MD
Percival Pangilinan, MD
Holly Pajor, DO
Jeffry Pirosky, MD
Jared Placeway, DO
Adrian Popescu, MD
Salvador Portugal, DO, MBA
Danielle Powell, MD, MSPH
Preeti Raghavan, MD
Vishwa Raj, MD
Cara Camiolo Reddy, MD
William Evan Rivers, DO
Thomas Rizzo, MD
Gianna Rodriguez, MD
Lisa Marie Ruppert, MD
Rosanna Sabini, DO
Michael Saulino, MD, PhD
William Scelza, MD
Michael Schaefer, MD
Byron Schneider, MD
Paul Scholten, MD
Benkamin Seidel, DO
Fernando Sepulveda-Irizarry, MD
Anjali Shah, MD
Leonid Shinchuk, MD
Jaspal Ricky Singh, MD
Chloe Slocum, MD, MPH
Sean Smith, MD
Todd Stitik, MD
Stacy Suskauer, MD
Adam Tenforde, MD
Maya Rose Therattil, MD
Henry Tong, MD
Brionn Tonkin, MD
Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez, MD
Kevin Vincent, MD, PhD
Christopher Visco, MD
Sayed Wahezi, MD
Heather Walker, MD
Agnes Wallbom, MD
Gary Wang, MD
Thomas Watanabe, MD
Joseph Webster, MD
Sonia Williams, MD
Mark Winemiller, MD
Eric Wisotzky, MD
Lisa-Ann Wuermser, MD
James Wyss, MD
Weibin Yang, MD

Apply to PAL

Applications are due by August 31, 2024.

Apply Now

Contact

Amy Schnappinger

Program Manager
Phone: (410) 654-1000
Email: aschnappinger@physiatry.org

Membership Info

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Academic Leadership Training (PAL)

About PAL

Program Structure

Content Areas

Leadership

Organizational Structure

Personnel & Regulatory Issues

Finances

Leadership

Organizational Structure

Personnel & Regulatory Issues

Finances

Leadership

Organizational Structure

Personnel & Regulatory Issues

Finances

Costs & Prerequisites

How to Apply

Submission Requirements

Testimonials

Kim Barker, MD

Brionn Tonkin, MD

Erika Trovato, DO

Aaron Yang, MD

Resources

2021 PAL Education Projects – Part 1

Takeaways & Networks at Your Disposal

Apply to PAL

Contact

Amy Schnappinger

Become a Member