Opportunities, Encouragement, and Knowing One’s Self

I also joined the Leadership Development Committee upon its inauguration in 2015 and became very involved in mentorship. When Dr. Ralph Sacco began his presidency, he asked me to chair the Board Planning Committee, which is charged with strategic planning for the organization. This gave me an opportunity to work with AAN staff and committee chairs and get to really know the Academy and how it functions. I feel the reason I was selected as president elect is due to the encouragement of people within the organization and the opportunities that they gave me.

The increased visibility of women leading in the AAN and neurology sends the message to the pipeline that we are welcoming of women and will invest in their success. Currently, women consist of 48 percent of our committees, have equal representation on our Board, and the presidential line is all women. Women bring different perspectives with different solutions. They may have different approaches to negotiations. Diversity overall, including gender, drives greater organizational effectiveness. Women are increasingly represented at grant review committees for NIH and NINDS and this brings a different lens for research.

My being in this place at this time is rather ironic given that I never felt compelled to go to medical school. I grew up in San Antonio and I was encouraged to go into engineering because I was good in science. I attended Texas A&M as a chemical engineering major and when I went on a school trip to a chemical plant my junior year I was repelled by the noxious smell. That turned me off engineering! My boyfriend at the time, who remains my husband of 38 years, was going to dental school and I figured I might as well go to medical school and that way we could stay together in San Antonio. To be honest, I didn’t really enjoy my neuroscience course, but I had several inspiring mentors. One was Dr. Chuck Tegler, now chair at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, with whom I did my clerkship. The other is Dr. Rick Barohn, a lifelong mentor who is now executive vice chancellor for health affairs at the University of Missouri. Dr. Barohn urged me to shadow him for a year and be an instructor to experience the academic world, because my original intention was to go into private practice. I was given the opportunity to stay in San Antonio to join the University of Texas Health Science Center faculty and everything just clicked for me! I got involved in ALS clinical research and have just absolutely loved academic medicine.

By then I had three children, one of whom was handicapped. I had all my children during my residency and fellowship, and our entire extended family lived in San Antonio. And so, it was just natural that I would put my roots down here and continue here. The family support network is as vital as one’s professional network. By my mid-40s I had become a professor and I began wondering, what's next? Dr. Robin Brey, the chair of my department, recommended me to the dean for a role on the “clinical development team” that was centralizing all of our outpatient clinics in an eight-story building. We were tasked to introduce electronic health records to help ensure that everyone was using the same policies and procedures. The goal was to change UT Health from an indigent patient practice to the preferred health care provider in San Antonio. I was then asked to serve as the chief medical officer and assistant dean for ambulatory services for the next 10 years and enjoyed it immensely.

When Dr. Brey retired, she asked me to be the interim chair of neurology. I was a bit hesitant as I knew my commitment to the presidency of the AAN would entail a lot of work and travel. But she convinced me I would be good at it and sometimes it’s the faith that others have in us that gives us the courage to take on something new. I quickly fell in love with the role and the chance to mentor my department and to do a lot of faculty development work. I was named the permanent chair in September and have been “drinking from the fire hose” ever since!

In our AAN leadership programs, we often say that the first thing you must do to be an effective leader is to know yourself and your strengths. You need to understand your leadership style. If you don't know how to lead yourself, you can't be successful leading a group. It is also essential to have a personal strategic plan. Set short-term and long-term goals every year and at least once a year sit down and really evaluate where you are and where you want to go. Don’t be swept up in the “whirlwind” of life and not have a clear direction of what you want to do.

So, I wear a lot of hats right now. President of the AAN, neurology chair at a major academic institution, wife, mother, sister, daughter, and recent grandmother! I manage it by putting in time on my calendar for the things I enjoy, like exercise and date nights with my husband and developing a strong support network of family, friends, and colleagues. I have learned to only do what I feel passionate about and to say “no” to the things that I’m not. I also reconnect with my mentors frequently— relationships will always be the key to success.

Opportunities come unexpectedly, and you need to be open to them. Don’t forget that you can be an advocate for yourself. I applied three times to be president elect of the AAN and when it wasn’t yet time for me to be chosen I simply doubled down on stretching myself, my knowledge, and skills. You must be a good listener and ask questions and learn as much as you can, so you are prepared for what might come your way. Have confidence in yourself to embrace new experiences and challenges and remember that you are a lifelong student. 

Carlayne E. Jackson, MD, FAAN President, AAN cjackson@aan.com @CarlayneJackson on Twitter