Leadership and Management Strategies for Clinical Investigators

Clinical investigators, physician-scientists, and multidisciplinary teams interfacing with clinical departments balance many tensions in their work. Inherent conflicts may exist between meeting institutional needs for clinical care, building a research practice, and simultaneously being maximally effective today, while strategizing for the future.

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As responsibilities increase and diversify, success on individual merits becomes less sustainable and many researchers are beginning to build teams critical to their missions. As a collaboration between Kellogg and NUCATS, this course will help researchers harness unique leadership skills that are not taught in the many years of clinical and scientific education most have already completed.

Upcoming Kellogg Course Offering: May 11-14, 2026
Upcoming information session: December 10, 12 to 1 p.m., Zoom

Join the Program

Led by Kellogg faculty in an interactive classroom setting
Participants will learn practical and effective approaches to topics including organizational culture, strategic time management, feedback and persuasion strategies and diversifying funding sources
Students will leave with a better sense for how to leverage personal leadership strengths to build collaborative work teams and navigate competing work demands

2025 Cohort at Wieboldt Hall, Downtown Chicago

Who Should Attend

Faculty members who are early to mid-career and building their research program.

Leadership and Management Strategies for Clinical Investigators is a four-day program that offers clinical investigators and their administrative team leaders a chance to build a foundation of evidence-based management and leadership skills that can be applied to the business side of science.

In 2026, Leadership and Management Strategies for Clinical Investigators will take place May 11-14.
Interested faculty are welcome to view this past information session.
Faculty can also signal their desire to attend the course by agreeing to receive email notifications about upcoming registration deadlines.

Program Content

With research-based curricula presented by subject matter experts from Kellogg, attendees will be exposed to a rigorous classroom learning experience.

Leadership and Management Topics:

Leveraging strengths-based leadership
Enhancing persuasion and influence skills
Understanding and creating strong organizational culture
Establishing equitable people processes
Providing feedback and managing difficult conversations
Learning to thrive as a leader through intention and purpose
Diversifying funding sources

Core Faculty

Amy Stewart Smith - Academic Director; Director of Nonprofit Executive Programs

Heather Barnes - Adjunct Lecturer in Leadership Development and Communications

Michelle Bess - SVP of People, OppFi

Michelle L. Buck - Clinical Professor of Leadership

Richard Jolly - Clinical Associate Professor of Executive Education

Liz Livingston Howard - Clinical Professor of Management; Executive Director of Nonprofit Executive Education

Loran Nordgren - Professor of Management & Organizations

Nicholas A. Pearce - Clinical Professor of Management & Organizations

Tuition & Fees

Tuition for the course is $5,000. The University’s Benefits Division includes support for certificate courses through the Employee Reduced Tuition program. This benefit will cover 90 percent of tuition for this Kellogg executive education program. Employees must be in a full-time, benefits-eligible role (or other approved status for tuition benefits) as of the start of the term of study.

Meet Our Team

Director

Divakar S Mithal, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Neurology and Epilepsy)

CECD Assistant Director

Priya Tripathi
Assistant Director, Center for Education and Career Development

Program Administrator

Jaime Ziegler
Program Coordinator, Center for Education and Career Development