Impactful Leaders Podcast | Academic Medicine Dean Insights: Said Ibrahim, M.D.
“I’m still growing,” notes Said Ibrahim, Dean of the Thomas Jefferson University Sidney Kimmel Medical College and President of Jefferson University Physicians. Given that he’s...
Learning Winning Ways in a Team Sport
“I’m still growing,” notes Said Ibrahim, Dean of the Thomas Jefferson University Sidney Kimmel Medical College and President of Jefferson University Physicians. Given that he’s 6’8″ tall, that’s a bit surprising, but of course Dr. Ibrahim refers to his ongoing growth as a leader. Today’s deans and other leaders in academic medicine must understand things never taught in medical school and for which there are no formal paths. They must learn people skills and how to handle complexity, but also how to learn and grow into each new role. There’s risk involved, he says: “Failure is part of the equation for progress.”
Dr. Ibrahim’s story is an inspiring one, starting as a boy on the border of Ethiopia and Somalia, coming to the U.S. as a college basketball recruit, and moving on to medical school and ascending into leadership roles through hard work and passion. It’s important for aspiring physician leaders and deans to adopt a growth mindset, he maintains, especially in regard to grasping both the clinical and academic realms of medicine today.
His insights, shared with WittKieffer’s Aaron Mitra, FACHE, and Clarence Braddock, M.D., are included in our Academic Medicine Dean Insights series (part of the Impactful Leaders podcast). Academic medicine today is a “team sport”, Dr. Ibrahim believes. In this conversation, he explores his own formula for success and shares advice for others to find winning ways.
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