Radiation oncologist selected for Leadership in Health Care fellowship

Kendra Harris, MD, Chair of Radiation Oncology at Tulane University School of Medicine, is one of 15 women nationwide selected for a prestigious fellowship in academic medicine. Harris will be in the inaugural cohort of the Executive Leadership in Health Care (ELH) program, a year-long, part-time fellowship for women interested in leadership at their health care organizations.

Harris was recruited to lead Tulane’s Department of Radiation Oncology in July of 2018. While her focus has always been the health of her patients, she’s also interested in the health of the medical ecosystem within which her patients are seen and she and her colleagues work.

“The more robust our institutional financial health, the easier it is to deliver on our school’s missions,” said Harris. “But the considerations and arrangements that govern clinical care and grant support are different.  I have been looking for an opportunity that provides access to a larger understanding of that diversity.  It’s from that perspective that I’ve been looking for the right type of additional training and I am grateful to Dr. Sartor, Dr. Killackey and especially Dean Hamm, for their support.”

The fellowship is part of the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program at Drexel University College of Medicine. Harris will learn alongside mid-career and senior-level leaders from across the United States and Canada.

“I’m hopeful that this will be exactly what I’m looking for, basically an advanced MBA-type learning experience within an academic medicine context,” said Harris. “I’ll be surrounded by the best peers in the country who have similar goals and orientations. I’m excited about it.”