What is Leadership?

By Hilary Worthen, MD, Course Director of the Physician Leadership Program

Takea moment to consider what leadership is and where those ideas came from. Have you personally encountered people whom you would identify as leaders – good or bad? Did some stand out as powerful and effective? Did they make you want (or not want) to follow them? Did some of them help engage you in changing things – either in your environment or within yourself – and what was that experience like? What were the circumstances in which you were inspired by their leadership?

Let’s start by thinking about leadership with your own examples of what you see as leadership. One way to do this is to think of people who have inspired you to participate and commit to a goal, pick one or two of those people, and consider how you would characterize them and their actions. List the words that come into your head and jot them down. Then think about what they made you think or feel such that you would join the mission that they represented. Were the circumstances ones of stability and comfort, or uncertainty and risk? Finally, what did they do to keep you engaged, inspired, committed, and working hard through the inevitable tough times that face any worthwhile goal?

When we do this in a group, typically there are between 20and 40-words people come up with to characterize the leaders they are thinking of and their actions. Most of these words have something to do with at least one of three categories: first, vision – characteristics and activities that help you see a clear picture of a desirable and achievable future state; second, task – being effective at getting stuff done; and third, relationship – connecting with people, motivating them, making them feel included, valued, and understood. This combination, or recipe – vision, task, and relationship – has been abbreviated into a kind of formula L=V+T+R, or “Leadership consists of Vision plus Task plus Relationship”1.

This is helpful because we all have a tendency to focus on, prefer, or be better in one or two of these areas – rarely all three –and it is easy to let one category slip. The things that make leaders effective and powerful can largely be placed in these three buckets, and the art of balancing them is fundamental to leadership.

Failures of leadership can also be sorted into these 3 buckets. Think back about the leaders you thought of just now. Did any of them have moments of failure, and if so, can you say what the principal cause was? In many cases, when we look back at moments of ineffective leadership, we see that the leader failed to balance – to honor if you will – all three of these clusters of activities. They didn’t have a clear vision, or it wasn’t developed with wide participation, or it was under-communicated. Or they failed at key tasks, such as supporting a change effort through careful budgeting and resource deployment. Or they did not develop and nurture key relationships in a way that kept people engaged –people from customers to front line workers to executive sponsors to boards to community members to colleagues.

Let’s take a moment and look at it from the other direction - what was it the leader you are thinking about made you think and feel such that you signed up and committed to follow their lead? Being led by a leader, or following, is a complicated set of activities as well. The first step is often feeling some sort of connection. Were there personal qualities that you admired, and if so, what were they? Did her ideas connect with yours? Did her commitment to a goal you share shine through and make you want to work shoulder to shoulder? Did his expertise convince you that this person could accomplish something that otherwise felt overwhelming? Did she convince you that the goal she was asking you to commit to would reflect values that you honor and hold deeply? Did your trustworthiness sensors give you the green light that this was someone you could rely on to be honest, consistent, and act with integrity? And did you feel seen and heard in your interactions with this person? Did you have a disagreement with them, and if so, how was it settled? Finally, did you sign up to follow simply because you were coerced, pressured, or had no choice, or did you feel inspired and eager to commit?

The Bay Area Physician Leadership Program explores a number of questions about followership, such as which came first, leading or following, the experiences that convince people to follow leaders, what being a good (or bad) follower means and what the capabilities, responsibilities and activities of a good follower are. Finally, despite hierarchies and titles, leading and following are not fixed roles, and often switch back and forth.

Join us in the next cohort of the Bay Area Physician Leadership continued on page 22

Abinav Baweja, MD Hospitalist, John Muir Health Cancer Med Grp

Arnold Blustein, MD Pediatrics

Jennifer Casey, DO Internal Medicine, Sutter East Bay Med Grp

Anthony Chan, MD General Surgery, Sutter Health

Phassarin Chansakul, MD

Pediatrics, Sutter East Bay Med Grp

Jacqueline Dela Merced, MD Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sutter East Bay Med Grp

Pravin Goud, MD

Obstetrics and Gynecology, Laurel Fertility Care

Sara Jaka, MD Internal Medicine, Springhill Med Grp

Zachary Landman, MD

Urgent Care, Sutter East Bay Med Grp

Jasmine Lee, MD Family Medicine, Sutter East Bay Med Grp

Jonathan Lee, MD Internal Medicine, Sutter East Bay Med Grp

Obinna Oko, MD

Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sutter East Bay Med Grp

Tania Serna, MD

Obstetrics and Gynecology, Planned Parenthood Northern CA

Saket Shah, DO, MPH Family Medicine

Arseen Soliman, MD Internal Medicine, John Muir Med Grp

Manijeh Varnamkhasti, MD Family Medicine, Sutter East Bay Med Grp

PAFMG Dublin

Sandeep Deol, MD Family Medicine

Molly Kane, MD Pediatrics

Geri Landman, MD Pediatrics

Ronald Matuszak, MD Hospitalist

Dai Park, MD Allergy

PAFMG Fremont

Thomas Efird, MD Radiology

Julian Nguyen, DO Family Medicine

Bryant Priromprintr, MD Pediatric Cardiology

Jessica Shu, MD Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

TPMG Antioch

Joseph Buck, MD Orthopedic Surgery

Anamika Neralla, MD Internal Medicine

Jagrati Mathur, MD Internal Medicine

Deepika Parmar, MD Pediatrics

TPMG Berkeley

Suvarna Deshmukh-Rane, MD Cytopathology

Brian Desmond, MD Family Medicine

Andrea Luethy, MD Internal Medicine

Natasha Miller, MD Family Medicine

Yash Rusconi-Rodrigues, MD Internal Medicine

TPMG Fremont

Priya Asthana, DO Psychiatry

Herschel Angela Espiritu, DO Family Medicine

Scott Greenberg, MD Urology

Vaishnavi Purusothaman, MD Obstetrics and Gynecology

Prashant Upadhyaya, MD Internal Medicine

Pengcheng Wang, MD Orthopedic Surgery

TPMG Livermore

Komalpreet Kaur, MD Family Medicine

TPMG Martinez

Mona Ahmad, MD Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Joseph Chun, DO Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

TPMG Oakland

Awista Ayuby, MD Internal Medicine

Elliott Callahan, MD Anesthesiology

Emily Chang, MD Ophthalmology

Catherine Chiu, MD Anesthesiology

Julee Dalton, MD Anesthesiology

Andrew Golz, MD Orthopedic Surgery

Sarah Jarjour, MD Anesthesiology

Melissa Neuwelt, MD Ophthalmology

Elizabeth Ozery, MD Anesthesiology

Neal Patel, MD Family Medicine

Kai Qiu, MD Anesthesiology

Carl Swanson, MD Internal Medicine

Abebe Teklu, MD Pathology

Johnathan Tran, MD Anesthesiology

David Wu, MD Internal Medicine

Stephanie Yan, MD Internal Medicine

Chi Chien Yau, DO Internal Medicine

TPMG Pleasanton

Archana Nair, MD Internal Medicine

Valerie Camille Roque, MD Obstetrics and Gynecology

TPMG Richmond

Melissa Mueller, MD Plastic Surgery

Sindhya Rajeev, MD Emergency Medicine

Juwono Sutedjo, MD Internal Medicine

Kadia Wormley, MD Emergency Medicine

TPMG San Leandro Simran Behniwal, DO Pediatrics

Christine Lee, MD Plastic Surgery

Somia Mohanty, MD Family Medicine

TPMG San Ramon

Rhea Chattopadhyay, MD

Obstetrics and Gynecology

Tiffany Gee, MD Obstetrics and Gynecology

TPMG Union City

Abigail Justiss, MD Obstetrics and Gynecology continued on page 22

MD, MPH – A LEGACY OF INSPIRATION AND ACHIEVEMENT (1954-2023)

Doctor Barbara Staggers, formerly a member of the ACCMA Council, ACCMA member for 27 years, and the beloved sister of Doctor Frank Staggers Jr. (ACCMA Past President, 2015) and daughter of Doctor Frank Staggers Sr. (ACCMA Past President, 1995), passed away peacefully on February 19th, 2023.

On paper, one could marvel at her resume: academic excellence; creation of a national model for school-based clinics starting in Oakland High Schools; creation of programs that inspire disadvantaged youth to achieve personal success; leadership as Director of Adolescent Health at Children’s Medical Center in Oakland; consultant to public health departments and agencies; and recognition as a national authority on adolescents at risk, urban youth, youth of color, violence, and health care issues of multicultural societies.

But all those accomplishments on paper pale in comparison to the tribute given to Doctor Staggers on Saturday, March 11th at McClymonds High

School. There, where much of her trailblazing started, Doctor Staggers’ family and over 100 people came together to honor her and be comforted by sharing stories with each other about how she had touched and inspired them. The diversity in the room – physical, social, spiritual—demonstrated the width and breadth of Doctor Staggers’ impact. The stories said it all: a teacher in the Richmond School District shared how in his troubled youth Doctor Staggers’ personal outreach inspired him to leave a life of street fighting to become a high school health educator; a high school girl with drug problems inspired to pursue higher learning and become a health care administrator; a physician who answered her call to do more for the community beyond her day to day medical practice; a high school mental health therapist who had run out of options for helping a troubled student on a late night until he reached Doctor Staggers.

Doctor Staggers: she inspired and energized people to be better for themselves and do more for others and their community. And for that, the world is a better a place. Thank you, Doctor Staggers.

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JANUARY 12, 2023

Following an orientation for the ACCMA Council and District IX Delegation, which included presentations by Tanya Spirtos, MD, CMA President-Elect, and Joseph Greaves, ACCMA Executive Director, the Council meeting was called to order by Doctor Edmon Soliman, President.

Doctor Soliman announced that nominations are open for ACCMA Councilor-at-Large. Councilor-at-Large serves as the Council’s representative on the ACCMA Executive Committee.

The Council appointed Eugene Lowry, MD, for District 8 (City of Alameda) as Alternate Councilor and Kathleen Doo, MD, for District 10 (Oakland) as Alternate Councilor-D to fill the vacant positions on the Council. Vacancies remain and Dr. Soliman requested that members of the Council contact Mr. Greaves with nominations.

The Council discussed the Executive Committee’s recommendation to amend the ACCMA COVID-19 Facility Policy, which governs all in-person meetings in ACCMA facilities. The changes propose strongly encouraging the use of face coverings, while preserving flexibility to mandate the use of face coverings in accordance with public health guidelines; and, requiring COVID vaccination, but removing the requirement that ACCMA staff verify COVID vaccination status prior to entry. The Council discussed whether the revised policy necessitates a more formal attestation process to document compliance or and/or a disciplinary process in the event the policy is violated. After discussion, the Council approved the recommended policy as presented.

The Council received information about recent reimbursement cuts in the Medicare program. Copies of ACCMA’s advocacy efforts to oppose the cuts, including letters to members of Congress, were provided for information.

The Council received information about the conversion of patients who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medi-Cal from Medi-Cal fee-for-service to Medi-Cal Managed Care, including information about a recently recorded webinar that ACCMA produced with experts from the Department of Health Care Services.

There being no further business the meeting was adjourned.

ROBERT NOLAN, MD (1926-2022) After a lifetime of public service, Dr. Robert Lincoln Nolan passed away peacefully at his home on December 30, 2022, at the age of 96. Dr. Nolan earned his M.D. from Yale School of Medicine in 1953, followed by a residency in Pediatrics at NY Hospital-Cornell Medical School. Dr. Nolan moved his family to Oakland, joining TPMG, where he served as Assistant Chief of Pediatrics at Kaiser Hospital, Oakland. Recognizing inequities in health care, in 1967 Dr. Nolan published “Social class differences in utilization of pediatric services in a prepaid medical care program,” in the American Journal of Public Health (57(1), 34-37). To become more effective in his advocacy, Dr. Nolan became the first part time student at the UC Berkeley, School of Law, earning his J.D. in 1967. In 1972, Dr. Nolan became Chief of Staff of the Veterans Administration Hospital, Martinez, and then Director of their Oakland Outpatient Clinic. From 1978-1992, Dr. Nolan held medical director positions with the California Department of Health Services in several cities, including Chief, California Children Services (CCS), San Francisco Regional Office, and finally Medical Director of Contra Costa County’s CCS Program in Martinez, where he retired in 1992. In 1991, Dr. Nolan became a Full Clinical Professor of Pediatrics-Volunteer at UCSF. Dr. Nolan loved spending time with his six children and their families, teaching the 10 grandchildren about history and advocacy. He enjoyed traveling all over the world with his wife, Janiece. He was a member of the ACCMA for 37 years. Read his full obituary at legcy.co/3J49zJV.

HORACIO ERAUSQUIN, MD (1930-2023) Doctor Erausquin was an ACCMA member for 44 years.

HAYMAN GONG, MD (1936-2023) Doctor Gong was an ACCMA member for 47 years.

EDMUND LEVIN, MD (1931-2023) Doctor Levin was an ACCMA member for 25 years.

JOHN OSMER, MD (1933-2023) Doctor Osmer was an ACCMA member for 44 years.