110 - Lifting up One Another: Development and Implementation of the DELTA Program

Poster Board Number: 110
There are separate poster presentation times for odd and even posters.
Odd poster #s – first hour
Even poster #s – second hour

Co-authors:

Rebecca Lufler - Tufts University School of Medicine

Abstract Body : There are distressing statistics documenting under-representation of minorities and women in science, lack of diversity in advanced academic and leadership positions, and salary inequities in academia. A recent study interviewed underrepresented faculty about challenges they face to recruitment, retention, and promotion and identified the need for faculty development programs as one of three main themes. While national leadership conferences exist in business, there is a paucity of such opportunities for academics, especially in anatomy. The DELTA program was developed to offer leadership training to AAA members, primarily targeting a diverse group of early and mid-career faculty - the future leaders of AAA. DELTA stands for Developing and Elevating Leaders with Tools for Advancement. The goal of DELTA is to equip participants with critical skills for career advancement, continued professional development, and increased engagement within AAA. The DELTA program has a hybrid format, consisting of three parts: (1) a 3-day in-person retreat with workshops and mentoring sessions, (2) virtual mentored projects, and (3) final project presentations at Anatomy Connected. The program structure was inspired by other successful faculty development programs. Following an application process, 83.3% of applicants were selected for a cohort of 20 fellows (with 80% identifying as female). Ranks include: 1 Post-doctoral fellow, 2 Instructor/Lecturer, 11 Assistant Professor, 3 Associate Professor, 1 Clinical Instructor, 1 Clinical Assistant Professor, 1 Adjunct faculty. Terminal degrees include: 11 PhD, 2 DPT, 2 MA/MS, 1 DVM, 2 MD-PhD, 2 DC. A group of 10 mentors were recruited who also served as presenters during the retreat. Fellows completed a pre-assessment to identify background experience, reasons for participating, short- and long-term goals for leadership and career advancement, obstacles, and specific mentoring needs. Based on this data, two fellows were paired with each mentor. The DELTA program launched in June 2023 with a 3-day retreat in Boston, MA. Retreat session topics included: development of leadership skills and opportunities, negotiation skills, effective communication skills, feedback, bias education, wellness, and mentoring. Face-to-face workshops allowed fellows to apply what they learned through simulation exercises. Fellows created professional mission and vision statements based on their core values and completed a mentoring contract documenting an action plan to meet their goals and plans for continued contact via virtual monthly meetings. DELTA was designed to equip fellows with tools for leadership and career advancement and provides an avenue for mentoring relationships. Funded by an American Association for Anatomy Innovations Grant.