WittKieffer Launches Physician Leadership Institute
March 10, 2025 – Oak Brook, IL-based WittKieffer has launched its Physician Leadership Institute, an initiative designed to support and prepare experienced physicians for executive leadership roles across the healthcare field. The institute offers customized executive development led by a team of experienced physician leaders and leadership coaches and tailored to the specific needs of hospitals and health systems. “I am extremely proud to announce the launch of the Physician Leadership Institute. The Institute offers organizations modular and customizable choices to meet the unique needs of physician leaders,” said Susan M. Snyder, executive partner of WittKieffer’s Leadership Advisory services and one of Physician Leadership Institute’s leadership coaches. “Too often, we see healthcare executives and physicians at odds when they – and their communities – are better served when they work together. This begins with mutual understanding, a core aim of the Physician Leadership Institute”
“At WittKieffer, we believe that empowering physician leaders is not just about filling executive roles – it’s about shaping the future of healthcare,” says Raj Ramachandran, co-director of the Physician Leadership Institute. “The Physician Leadership Institute provides a structured, immersive development experience that gives physicians the skills, confidence, and support needed to lead with impact. This ensures the long-term success of their organizations and the well-being of their teams, patients, and communities.”
“Physicians are natural-born leaders, but there are competencies and qualities that must be cultivated to succeed in senior leadership roles,” said Michael Anderson, an accomplished physician leader and co-director of the Physician Leadership Institute. “It starts with comprehensively assessing an individual’s areas of need and strengths to leverage, then developing a personalized, structured program for growth. Becoming a great physician executive requires intentionality and the kind of support the Physician Leadership Institute offers.”
“Highly impactful physician leadership is critical for today’s healthcare organizations to thrive,” the search firm said. “Physician leaders leverage clinical expertise to improve patient care, bridge communication gaps, drive innovation, enhance financial performance, and support physician well-being. WittKieffer’s Physician Leadership Institute helps participating physician leaders deepen their self-awareness and provides them with the tools to meaningfully advance as leaders.”
Physician Leadership Institute offerings include:
- Physician Accelerator: Beginning with a comprehensive leadership assessment, this solution pairs a physician leader with dyadic coaching from an experienced physician mentor and an executive coach.
- Physician Mini-LAB: Ideal for three to seven leaders, this approach builds on the Physician Accelerator with regular small group (Learning Circle) meetings for peer support and facilitated discussion, with an optional skill-building workshop.
- Leadership LAB: The most comprehensive offering, this program integrates workshops with Learning Circles and Accelerator coaching, making it ideal for 8-20 leaders. Physicians experience Learning Agility Breakthroughs (LABs) through an experiential approach that allows them to experiment, receive feedback, collect data, and refine skills in a supportive environment that emphasizes discovery. The LAB experience equips clinicians with the tools and confidence to lead effectively, manage teams, and improve patient care outcomes.
“The Physician Leadership Institute equips physicians with the skills and insights needed to excel in leadership roles, ultimately driving positive change and growth to build sustainable healthcare organizations,” WittKieffe said.
Related: WittKieffer Appoints Chief Operating Officer
The Physician Leadership Institute team includes:
Leadership Coaches:
- Raj Ramachandran, Ed.D., senior partner and co-executive director, Physician Leadership Institute.
- Christy Pearson, Ph.D., senior consultant.
- Alok Sawhney, Psy.D., principal.
- Susan M. Snyder, executive partner.
Healthcare Mentors:
- Michael R. Anderson, M.D., M.B.A., principal and co-executive director, Physician Leadership Institute.
- Richard Nesto, M.D., physician executive consultant.
- Valerie Weber, M.D., FACP, principal.
WittKieffer assists hospitals, health systems, academic medical centers, medical schools, and physician groups; biotech, pharmaceutical, diagnostics and medical device companies; colleges and universities, and not-for-profit community service and cultural organizations with senior administrative recruiting assignments. With more than 100 search professionals nationwide, its consultants recruit CEOs, CFOs, COOs, CNOs, physician executives, and other leaders.
Newly Launched
WittKieffer recently launched a new global emerging sciences practice dedicated exclusively to supporting organizations at the forefront of foundational scientific research and translating such research into therapeutic realities. This new practice builds on the firm’s longstanding work with research centers worldwide and their essential connectivity to commercial life sciences and healthcare delivery.
WittKieffer Unveils New Program to Speed the Impact of Physician Executives
WittKieffer has released a new program to expedite time to success for physician leaders taking on new roles. The accelerating impact for physician leaders solution differentiates itself from other physician leadership training and support in that it is customized to the executive, their specific role, and their organization. In addition to a coaching component, the program features direct mentorship from a highly experienced and proven physician leader. “Physician leadership is critical in healthcare’s current era which prioritizes quality, efficiency, and patient centricity,” said Raj Ramachandran, senior partner of WittKieffer’s leadership advisory. “While many physicians are natural born leaders, they are challenged to transition into increasingly demanding roles and to make an immediate impact upon their teams and organizations.”
“WittKieffer’s heritage as a firm is the continuous pursuit of helping organizations in the quality of life ecosystem solve for opportunities and challenges through the lens of leadership,” said Michael Castleman, executive partner for WittKieffer’s global life sciences & investor backed healthcare markets. “Our global emerging sciences practice builds on this rich heritage to facilitate the movement of advanced scientific research to impactful solutions for health and well-being. WittKieffer is uniquely positioned to achieve this due to its deep specialization in and relationships across life sciences, academic medicine, and healthcare delivery.”
WittKieffer explains that the global emerging sciences practice will provide leadership solutions that enhance the translation of these advanced technologies into viable commercial solutions. Natalie Derry, a proven leadership consultant in global education and academic medicine, will lead this new practice as managing partner. A registered neuroscience nurse by training, Ms. Derry has completed senior administrative and academic search assignments on behalf of globally recognized institutions, including Oxford University, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Institut Pasteur, the UK Biobank, the Nuffield Department of Population Health, the Usher Institute and the Institute of Genetics and Cancer of the University of Edinburgh, and the Institute for Neuroscience and Cardiovascular Research, among many others.
Related: WittKieffer Appoints Chief Operating Officer
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
