LITeS program trains innovative leaders

Malik Y. Kahook

Innovation was the theme for the 2014 cohort of the Leadership for Innovative Team Science (LITeS) program. Participants shared their collaborative projects and were recognized for their achievements on April 18.

Designed to hone leadership skills, the LITeS program is offered annually by the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI) to selected senior and emerging leaders for clinical and translational research at the University of Colorado. The yearlong program requires participants to take part in a quarterly series of two-day workshops, as well as individualized coaching and feedback sessions.

This year’s LITeS cohort was composed of 28 participants representing the five professional schools based at CU Anschutz.

"Our days on the Anschutz Medical Campus are very busy, and we all tend to spend most of our time with the same people within our departments,” said Malik Y. Kahook, M.D., professor in the School of Medicine’s Department of Ophthalmology. “LITeS was an opportunity for me to spend time with colleagues from other departments.

"The program is well organized and provides insight into various leadership styles and communication techniques. The lessons I learned would benefit all faculty on the campus, and I feel fortunate that I was given the chance to complete the LITeS program."

Exploring innovation

The participants were divided into teams of seven and given one question to explore on the topic of ‘innovation and how that innovation can be implemented in the context of the university.' The four questions posed to the 2014 cohort were:

• How might the roles, responsibilities, and rewards of faculty be innovatively conceptualized and managed in consideration of today’s social and institutional obligations and constraints?
• How important is prioritization of programs and services in the context of the university’s mission and impact; can prioritization be accomplished more innovatively than in the past?
• How might our institutions’ responses to health care reform be shaped by innovation in our approaches to patient care and community wellness?
• How could an innovative and nimble entrepreneurial orientation be built into our academic, clinical and research efforts?

Treasure trove of talent

Judith Albino, Ph.D., LITes director and associate dean for planning and development with the Colorado School of Public Health, praised the “treasure trove” of talent and told the audience that the only assignment she set for each team was to produce something meaningful in response to their question. Albino praised the cohort for the “thoughtful and provocative way in which they addressed the questions.”

Audience members were advised by Albino to listen closely to each presentation as they were “unlikely to find again, in one room, so much talent and so many brilliant minds who are uniquely prepared to address a simple question that is critically important to each and every one of us—how do we make a great academic enterprise even better than it is today?”

After each of the four teams presented their findings, participants received a certificate from Albino, Ronald J. Sokol, M.D., director and principal investigator of CCTSI, and Marc Moss, M.D., CCTSI’s education, training and career development director.

Along with Kahook, the LITeS participants in 2014 were: Kristin Bruk Artinger, Ingrid Binswanger, Warren Capell, Clifton Carey, Nichole Carlson, Ethan Carter, Doug Coatsworth, Frank deGruy, Gerald D. Dodd, Tasha E. Fingerlin, Kari Franson, Jacob E. (Jed) Friedman, David Goff, Michael Graner, Jason Haukoos, Nancy Krebs, Jerrod Milton, Peter Mourani, Kathryn Partin, Huntington Potter, Angie Ribera, Paul Rozance, Carol Runyan, Sarah Thompson, Rachael Van Pelt, Marsha Wheeler and Cara Wilson.

Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs Roderick Nairn, Ph.D., and Chancellor Don Elliman attended the April 18 program.

CCTSI is seeking nominations for the 2014-2015 group as well as ideas for the LITeS team projects. Nominations should be sent to Emily Warren, MA. Self-nominations are welcome and nominations received by June 1, 2014, will be prioritized.