Editing this book and reflecting on my own thoughts in developing this
final chapter served to underscore the full complexity of the organizations
that we call academic health centers. I have gained an even deeper
appreciation of the dedication and thoughtfulness of their leadership
teams. While every academic health center has its unique culture, the
challenges and opportunities being faced are quite similar. As this book
abundantly points out, academic health centers have a tradition of
thriving—even in challenging times—and I expect they will continue to
do so.
As I discuss in my chapter, I believe that the central challenges for
academic health centers pivot around leadership and alignment. That
is, skilled leadership is vital for the success of every academic health
center. Equally fundamental is the importance of aligning the institution
internally so that the missions of education, research, and patient care
truly support each other.
In this era of healthcare reform, scientific and technologic advances,
patient empowerment, and economic challenges, every academic health
center needs to examine itself closely to determine its strengths and
weaknesses and, more importantly, clarify those areas where it can truly
make a difference. We in academe have an unfortunate tendency to try to
emulate and perhaps surpass institutions that are above us in the so-called
conventional rankings. I do not believe this is a meaningful strategy in
the coming environment. (Indeed, I am not sure it was the best plan to
begin with.) I believe institutions can do better than merely planning on
moving up in the rankings. Rather, they should identify those particular
areas where they can truly make a difference and excel. The focus then
becomes the alignment of their strategic vision and budgetary planning in
ways that will best advance progress toward specifically identified goals.
Apart from their essential role in upholding and advancing society’s
health and well-being, academic health centers are also critical engines
for economic growth and development. They anchor their communities,
whether we think about that in local or state contexts or even countrywide.
In education, and especially in their research missions, they house
and harness the tremendous force of the knowledge economy—perhaps
the dominant force of the 21st century. Reading the insightful chapters
in this volume as a whole reinforces for me the inestimable value that
academic health centers add to society and its citizenry.
Steven A. Wartman,
MD, PhD, MACP
President/CEO
Association of Academic Health Centers