Apply NOW - Early Career Health Leaders Program for IHPME and DLSPH Alumni - January, 2023

The Vernissage Health Project Team is delighted to announce the second year of the Vernissage Health Early Career Health Leaders Mentorship Program for IHPME and DLSPH alumni in January, 2023.

Please encourage interested classmates, colleagues and IHPME or DLSPH alumni to apply! Applications are open until October 15, 2022 to IHPME and DLSPH alumni, 2 to 5 years post-graduation (2016 through 2021), who are working full or part time in leadership roles in health.

For more information about this initiative, please contact Wendy Nelson, Project Lead at wendy.nelson@utoronto.ca. To attend an online information session about the program, please register at vernissagehealth.com.

Overview of the Program

As many graduate students in IHPME and DLSPH have experienced, dialogue can be a powerful catalyst for learning about health leadership and anchoring one’s leadership practice. This is the central idea behind a new continuing education offering of Vernissage Health™ as an innovative opportunity for IHPME and DLSPH alumni assuming leadership roles in health. The Vernissage Health Alumni Program will bring together two leadership groups in a small group environment for dialogue about leadership: alumni embarking on careers in health leadership (early career leaders) and mid- to late-career leaders with experience across broad sectors in health (established leaders/mentors). Dialogue sessions provide a unique opportunity for early career leaders to self-reflect, share experiences, and exchange ideas about leadership. 1:1 coaching sessions with mentors allows an opportunity to turn reflections into action.

Ultimately, this experience will help impact and develop early career leaders, after graduation from DLSPH or IHPME, who can successfully navigate leadership to create positive change within Canada’s health system.

Program Aims

The program is designed to provide a positive learning environment that achieves the following objectives:

• facilitates reflection and formal assessment related to the values, competencies and skills of effective leadership in health in early career stages

• fosters practical insights and authentic conversation about inclusive leadership and leading positive change in health organizations and the broader health system,

• allows networking among and between participants and includes 1:1 coaching and mentorship to augment leadership development;

• provides the opportunity to examine diverse experiences, thoughts and insights about health leadership

• allows participants to learn about and experience dialogue as a form of communication that can facilitate engagement, change and transformation.

Core Offerings

1. Leadership Assessment: A proven leadership tool designed specifically for early career leaders assists in the creation of leadership development goals at the outset of the program. This instrument approaches leadership as a measurable and learnable set of behaviours and helps emerging leaders measure their leadership competencies today. All participants will complete a leadership self-assessment as part the programme.

2. Dialogue Series: The foundation of Vernissage Health™ is a series of eight interactive small group sessions — or “hosted conversations” – scheduled from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Mondays from January to May, 2023. Sessions will be held online (using Zoom).

3. Individual Coaching and Mentoring: All participants will be assigned an established leader/mentor who will provide personal coaching and mentorship in achievement of their primary leadership development goal. (See the bios of mentors in the 2023 program.) During the program, each participant will be eligible to receive up to three 1:1 coaching sessions with their mentor, scheduled at dates/time convenient to all parties.

4. Leadership Development Action Plan: By the end of the dialogue series, participants will be asked to create a short term leadership development action plan - creatively written as a letter to future self - to improve and deepen their leadership practices. At the Summation Session, held six months after the series ends, all participants will come together to check in on their leadership journey, to celebrate achievements and offer encouragement on the "journey of leadership".

Course Fees:

A fee to cover direct out-of-pocket expenses will be payable in full upon acceptance into the program. Participants may be eligible for continuing education credits from professional colleges. A receipt for fees paid will be available for tax purposes.

Application Process and Deadline: October 15, 2022

Please encourage interested classmates and IHPME alumni to apply! Applications are open to IHPME alumni, 2 to 5 years post-graduation (2016 through 2021), who are working full or part time in leadership roles in health (leadership roles broadly defined to include leadership positions or roles in health organizations as well as leadership in health advocacy or community development). To apply to the program, please complete the following:

1. Send cover letter and curriculum vitae to Vernissage@utoronto.ca.

2. Complete the application survey.

For more information about this initiative, please contact Wendy Nelson, Project Lead at wendy.nelson@utoronto.ca. To attend an online information session about the program, please register at vernissagehealth.com.