Surgical Leadership

The Surgical Leadership Program at Harvard Medical School (HMS) is designed for surgeons seeking to acquire the nontechnical, executive skills needed to step into leadership positions and excel as heads of departments, divisions, projects and institutions.

Participants will learn directly from Harvard’s leading faculty across all areas influencing surgical leadership, including communication, mentoring, change management, process and quality improvement, financial management, and surgical research and technique.

Drawing from best practices across Harvard Medical School and its major teaching hospitals, as well as Harvard Business School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Kennedy School, this postgraduate certificate program offers you the opportunity to:

– Explore strategies and best practices for leadership within and outside the operating room
– Identify your personal brand, leadership style(s) and competencies
Write compelling business plans and grant applications
– Enhance your expertise in quality, safety and informatics
– Understand the legal and commercial aspects of innovation in surgery
– Build and manage highly productive teams
– Drive better patient outcomes through enhanced teamwork in the operating room
– Negotiate and advocate more effectively for your patients, teams, departments and projects
– Manage change across organizational functions
– Update your understanding of new surgical technologies and techniques

Participants who achieve the program objectives are awarded a Harvard Medical School Certificate of Completion and are eligible to become Associate Members of the Harvard Medical School and Harvard University Alumni Associations.