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Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® Application Information

The application period for the class of 2025-26 is now closed.

Applicants will be informed of decisions by early April 2025.

The application period for the class of 2026-27 will open September 1, 2025. Please stay tuned for more information in the coming months.

The nomination process for ELAM and ELH allows your institution to nominate up to two people who identify as women from each of its schools (medical, dental, public health and pharmacy) and two people who identify as women from each of its hospitals and medical centers.

Download the 2025-2026 ELAM application brochure

Download the 2025-2026 ELH application brochure

Class Selection

ELAM and ELH are committed to creating an inclusive space that fosters a culture of belonging and community where fellows can hone their leadership skills. ELAM and ELH continue our core mission of advancing excellence in academic medicine and health care.

ELAM's model for development of senior-level leadership competencies requires participants from a broad range of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and institutions, to build an inclusive learning community within which they can learn from both their differences and similarities. ELAM's admissions committees consider many characteristics of candidates, including professional aspirations, achievements and challenges along their pathways to leadership, impact by health care disparities or educational barriers in academic fields, and institutional characteristics such as geographic region, private/public status and mission focus.

Information for Applicants

Application requirements:

  • Applicants must have held the rank of associate professor in an academic institution for at least two years, and have had administrative experience in personnel and budget management.
  • Applicants must be nominated by the dean of their institution, or the chief executive officer of their academic health center. If the nomination comes from the CEO, please provide a secondary nomination from the school of primary academic appointment. We strongly suggest that each applicant discuss her application and ideas or plans for an Institutional Action Project with her nominator before applying. Each school is limited to two applicants.
  • Applicants must have TWO (2) recommendations. One must come from a direct supervisor, and the other from a senior colleague (preferably from outside her home department). A nominator cannot also be a recommender. If the applicant's direct supervisor is her nominating dean/CEO, then the applicant's recommendations must come from two other individuals, one of whom, preferably, is senior to the applicant.
  • Applicants initiate the process of inviting nominators and recommenders to submit their materials as part of the online application. The system will generate an email invitation that will contain a unique link for nominators and recommenders to access the system. We encourage applicants to enter the system early in order to start an application and to invite nominators and recommenders. Applicants can save and exit the application after the invitation screen and return to complete it at a later time.
  • Nominations and recommendations are constructed as short essays to describe the candidate's qualifications and institutional support for the candidate’s leadership development and engagement in organizational innovation. Essays may be initiated in the online system as soon as the invitation is received. All applications, including attachments for a current CV and published work, must be submitted online by the stated deadline. ELAM/ELH will send electronic notification when the application is complete.
  • Nominations and recommendations must be received by the stated deadline.

Information for Those Reapplying

Reapplicants should take note of the following steps:

  • Complete the entire application process: Reapplicants are required to submit a new application. This includes submitting all the necessary documents and fulfilling any standard application requirements as outlined above.
  • Include a cover letter: In addition to the standard application materials, reapplicants must include a cover letter with their required CV. The cover letter should highlight any accomplishments or developments that have occurred since the previous application. This is an opportunity to showcase how you have grown or achieved new milestones relevant to your application.

By following these instructions, reapplicants can ensure that their updated application accurately reflects their qualifications and progress since their previous submission.

A strong candidate application presents evidence for leadership potential. This includes:

  • Description of leadership experiences that have included strategic risk-taking.
  • A track record of formal and informal professional development, including mentoring and program participation outside her specialty field.
  • Rationale for seeking leadership roles and a realistic assessment of likely internal and external leadership opportunities over the five years following the fellowship program.

Please take the time to read through these resources before entering the online application system:

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2025-2026 Key Program Dates

Please hold Tuesdays and Thursday evenings at 8 p.m. ET in June and August for synchronous online presentations.

September 13-18, 2025: Session 1
January 24-29, 2026: Session 2
April 25-30, 2026: Session 3

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Fees and Additional Costs

ELAM's program fee for 2025-26 is $18,900. In addition to the program fee, the fellow or her institution is responsible for travel, lodging and some meals during the sessions.

Tuition includes:

19 days in session, distance learning, course materials, resources, references, expert facilitators, conference site expenses, continuing education fees, executive coaching, special events, etc.

Information for Nominators

Nomination requirements:

  • A school/institution may nominate up to two (2) candidates and must be prepared to support however many of its applicants are accepted.
  • Nominations can be made only by the medical, dental, public health or pharmacy school dean or the chief executive officer of the candidate's academic health center.
  • A nominating institution must commit to:
    • Provide the necessary time for the candidate to fully participate in the ELAM/ELH program and to complete her assignments.
    • Financial support for the program fees and travel expenses.
    • Salary continuation during the ELAM/ELH fellowship period.
    • Sponsoring executive leader and senior staff assistance with assignments, especially leadership interviews and financial trends analyses.
    • Sponsoring executive leader attendance at the Leaders Forum.
  • Nominations must be submitted online by the stated deadline. Please keep in mind that nominators will not be able to begin their essays online until the applicant enters the system and sends them an invitation.

Both the qualities of the candidate and the commitment of her institution are considered during the selection process. A strong nomination includes:

  • Evidence of a clear commitment to developing the candidate for formal or informal advancement and leadership roles within the five years following ELAM/ELH.
  • A professional development plan for the fellow that includes mentoring by the sponsoring dean/executive leader, chair or other senior administrator and opportunities to help the fellow develop a broader school or university view of leadership roles and strategies. Please see mentoring best practices [PDF] for more information.

Please take the time to read through our online application user guide [PDF] and preview the nomination questions [PDF] before entering the online application system.

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Information for Recommenders

Recommendation requirements:

  • Applicants must have TWO (2) recommendations. One must come from a direct supervisor, and the other from a senior colleague (preferably from outside her home department). A nominator cannot also be a recommender. If the applicant's direct supervisor is her nominating dean/CEO, then the applicant's recommendations must come from two other individuals, one of whom, preferably, is senior to the applicant.
  • Recommendations must be submitted online by the stated deadline. Please keep in mind that recommenders will not be able to begin their essays online until the applicant enters the system and sends them an invitation.

A strong recommendation describes in detail the leadership potential of the candidate.

Please take the time to read through our online application user guide [PDF] and preview the recommender questions [PDF] before entering the online application system.

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More Information

For more information on ELAM/ELH and the application process, please:

 
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ELAM is a core program of the Institute for Women's Health and Leadership at Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pa. The Institute continues the legacy of advancing women in medicine that began in 1850 with the founding of the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania, the nation's first women's medical school and a predecessor of today's Drexel University College of Medicine.