Health Sciences Senior Leadership Academy
The Health Sciences Senior Leadership Academy (HSSLA) supports the professional and personal development of UT Health Science Center’s currently emerging senior faculty and staff leaders who represent the statewide academic and administrative units of the University. Designed to have a synergistic relationship with other internal and external individual and group leadership development offerings, a primary focus of HSSLA is to increase institutional leadership capacity among senior leaders at UT Health Science Center while generating a common and shared frame of reference for core skills required for leading in a complex and sophisticated state-wide academic health sciences environment. This program leans into the University’s statewide presence and the importance of an enterprise leadership focus for addressing the mission and vision of the institution in a manner consistent with our values and in support of the institution’s strategic plan.
Program Details
No more than 20 individuals representing the breadth of UT Health Science Center’s academic and administrative units will be selected to participate as a cohort. While the cross-state in-person sessions will be held in Memphis and Knoxville, this does not preclude participation by faculty or staff in other locations, including Chattanooga, Nashville, and Jackson.
During this program, participants will learn about UT Health Science Center’s operations and leadership, refine and enhance their leadership skills, and engage with key leaders representing different perspectives across core institutional areas.
The goals of the Health Sciences Senior Leadership Academy are to:
- Enhance personal and professional growth together
- Cultivate leadership among employees
- Enhance appreciation of leadership competencies and enterprise leadership
- Develop more effective communications
- Increase awareness of and competencies for managing organizational risks
- Develop further skills in personnel / human resources and conflict management
- Increase institutional capacity for strategic thinking, planning, and execution
- Increase institutional cohesion, human capital, and succession planning
- Increase leadership engagement and involvement with key community leaders and advocates for UT Health Science Center's statewide presence
Program Snapshot
- Program Length: 5 months, January through May 2026
- Session Schedule:
- Monthly all participant sessions
- Monthly small group sessions
- Monthly individual meetings with an executive leader
- Participants: Senior faculty and staff leaders (maximum 20) from across the Health Science Center’s statewide footprint. Consider current and emerging senior leaders in positions that include Assistant/Associate Deans and Vice Chancellors as well as Department Chairs and Division Chiefs.
- Application Deadline: Sunday November 30, 2025
- Notification of Selection: Monday, December 8, 2025
- Program Start Date: January 2026
Session Information
In-person engagement will be accomplished via:
- One cross-state in-person extended session in each of the primary locations (Knoxville participants visit Memphis in January; Memphis participants visit Knoxville in May)
- Three Zoom sessions (February, March, April) linking both locations via Zoom with leaders and facilitators at both locations
- Once monthly location-specific in-person small-group sessions for further discussion and application of session materials (total of 5 sessions)
Application Details
Current and emerging faculty and staff leaders from across the entirety of UT Health Science Center’s statewide footprint, including any health sciences college or central administrative unit, are eligible to apply. A completed application, a current resume or CV, and a letter of support from the applicant’s supervisor that is routed to the applicant’s dean or vice chancellor for affirmation are required.
The program application and nomination period for the second cohort of the program that begins in January 2026 opens on Monday, November 10, 2025 and closes on Sunday, November 30, 2025.
Information Needed for Application (via Microsoft Form)
- Name of Applicant
- Personnel Number
- Name of College or Administrative Unit
- Name of Direct Supervisor
- Name of Dean of College or Vice Chancellor of Administrative Unit
- Number of Years at UT Health Science Center
- Describe your motivation for participating in HSSLA and how it aligns with your leadership development goals. Include specific leadership challenges you hope to address during the program
- Brief description of current senior leadership position as well as most recent prior leadership experiences (including dates)
- Statement of your leadership mission that includes evidence of current or anticipated roles and responsibilities that align with and support the University’s statewide presence and work Concurrence with the following statement: “I have reviewed the information about the Health Sciences Senior Leadership Academy with my supervisor who has agreed to support my participation and the needed release time for my attendance and participation, as well as to support me in my endeavors for leadership success in my career.”
- Supervisor support for participation (Letter of Support-see below)
Letter of Support from Supervisor
The letter of support from the supervisor should be routed to the applicant’s dean or vice chancellor for affirmation of participation. Once completed, email the letter of support by November 30, 2025 to Health Sciences Senior Leadership Academy (hssla@uthsc.edu) This letter should:
- Briefly describe the applicant’s strengths
- State what the applicant is expected to gain by participation in the HSSLA
- State the supervisor’s expectations regarding the applicant’s career focus
- Indicate that, if accepted into the HSSLA, the applicant will be supported to attend all sessions and engage in other formal activities associated with the program
- Describe a commitment to supporting the applicant in their leadership journey
- Comment on how the applicant’s current or anticipated future roles and responsibilities support the University’s statewide presence and work
Selection Criteria
Participants will be selected by the campus Executive Leadership team with applications reviewed on the following aspects:
- Full-time faculty or staff current or emerging leaders who have been in some type of a leadership position for 7 to 10 years.
- Clear commitment to continuing in an academic career.
- Strong personal statement indicating how participation in the HSSLA will enhance and advance the applicant’s leadership and career in the health sciences.
- Commitment to attending all sessions in the program.
- Strength of the letter of support.
- Location – as evidence of the statewide focus for HSSLA v.2.0