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Dr. Atkinson with Tera Anderson, member of Leadership Las Vegas. Photo courtesy Leadership Las Vegas |
I had the wonderful opportunity last week to participate in a Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce event designed to educate tomorrow's leaders. Each year, around 50 young business people from across the community are selected to participate in the Metro Chamber's "Leadership Las Vegas" program.
I joined medical school deans John Dougherty, DO, Touro University Nevada and Mark Penn, MD, from Roseman University College of Medicine to discuss how our schools are shaping the next generation of physicians. Dr. Mark Doubrava, an ophthalmologist and Nevada System of Higher Education Regent, moderated the panel discussion.
One item we underscored was the importance of ensuring our medical students are equipped with strong leadership qualities. Future doctors need to know how to lead health care teams and help their communities provide the best care possible. They also need to play a role in their communities in addressing public and social issues.
Some students are natural leaders while others need more time to grow into the role. That's why we will give students a chance to lead peer groups, be student representatives on a faculty committee, and tackle a community problem. Our fourth-year students will spend an entire month in a nonprofit agency such as Opportunity Village, Nathan Adelson Hospice, or Three Square, where they will learn about the organization, attend a board meeting if possible, and most importantly, complete a project to help those served by the agency.
Our panel was just one part of an entire day dedicated to learning about Southern Nevada's health care system. The event was held at Sunrise Hospital and included an array of discussions about the clinical, business, and social aspects of improving the health of our community.
I really enjoyed meeting the young leaders of this community and look forward to working with them.