Development & Inclusion Leadership Program

[This program is currently on hiatus and under review by the Leadership Development & Diversity Committee.  For more information, contact the APC Office at [email protected] or 302-660-4940.]

The Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Program (DILP) was a two-year program of diversity and leadership education designed to develop the competencies and skills both current and future leaders of pathology need to foster high functioning, inclusive teams and leadership for pathology and health care. The program goals were to:

• Enable underrepresented groups (URGs) to progress to leadership positions in pathology; and
• Facilitate development of high-functioning, URG-inclusive teams in pathology departments and pathology professional societies.

The program included didactic and interactive sessions held during pathology meetings and by phone conference. Enrollees were expected to implement and complete a diversity project, and report on that project at the conclusion of the two-year program.

DILP is administered by the Leadership and Development and Diversity (LD&D) Committee of the Association of Pathology Chairs (APC). The Committee was responsible for reviewing applications and selecting program enrollees. As part of the program, department chairs of successful applicants agreed to participate in phone conferences, mentor and facilitate diversity projects, and commit to the program goals.

The DILP Curriculum was delivered over two years, and included content delivered at the APC/PRODS Summer meeting, monthly phone conferences, and mentoring in the home department. Curricular content included career planning and mapping, departmental budgeting, diversity journal clubs, personnel actions, leadership models, finance and accounting, contracts and bargaining, moving from good to great, and other topics. The time line was as follows:

1. June through August - applications are accepted.
2. The LD&D Committee reviews applications and recommends new enrollees to APC Council. New enrollees and program resources are approved by APC Council.
3. From September to July, enrollees participate in:
1. the APC/PRODS Summer meeting 
2. diversity project development with targeted implementation in July of the following year (new enrollees)
3. monthly phone conferences with department chairs of host departments and LD&D Committee representative(s) that will include discussion of leadership topics, journal clubs, and review of progress with diversity projects

1. June through August - applications accepted for the next DILP class.
2. At the APC Annual Meeting, new enrollees present their project plans at the LD&D Committee meeting. Enrollees also attend diversity and other programs during the annual meeting. Existing enrollees present their completed diversity projects during the meeting (registration fees are paid by the APC).