Elections - ASP

As a member of several professional organizations, I can see clearly why APDIM is unique. It is more than an organization-it is a home.  At APDIM meetings I have seen content that is relevant, provocative, transformative, and educational.  More importantly, I have seen fellowship, mentorship, and friendship.  I have come to APDIM meetings at the end of my program director rope and found inspiration, hope, and the strength to continue on.  I have also found company on the journey to becoming better.  There are so many lonely moments in this work, but never at APDIM meetings.  I want to build on these attributes and foster even more connectedness. 

I have served on the APDIM survey committee, which helped me learn about the organization and the issues that keep program directors up at night.  I loved the relationships that I found on the survey committee, and I want to help others find connections through meaningful work together.  I came to the program director role from a clinician investigator background which made me a natural fit for the survey committee.  It also makes me a good fit for the council because I can bring research and scientific writing experience to the table.  A special part of my research background is experience with qualitative methods.  Through analyzing interview and essay data, I have been able to bring the richness of the program director experience back to our membership through presentations and to a broader audience through publications.  

I recently edited a book that speaks to the program director experience of leading through crisis.  Crises are especially stressful and lonely times for leaders like us which inspired me to collect and share practical wisdom from other program directors across the country.  I found a diverse group of program directors who had led their programs through a crisis.  These co-authors represented community programs, large academic centers, and everything in between.  I learned so much from them and their experiences.  As a council member, I would seek out diverse experiences within the membership to make sure that we understand the issues that are important to all of us, and those that are important to some of us.  

My vision for APDIM is that we focus on moving each of us closer to flourishing as program directors. I would particularly focus on the experience of new program directors so that they can find opportunities early in their membership experience to contribute in a meaningful way. Through that process, they will create connections that span time and distance; connections that foster multi-site projects and advice from outside their own walls.  APDIM made me feel supported and validated.  I want to foster that power for others on this journey.