From July 31st to August 6th, Duke University will set up a classroom in Vail to host an executive education course for nonprofit leaders. Participants from Colorado and around the country will benefit from this top-ranked course taught by recognized academics. The course is specifically designed to positively impact outcomes for nonprofit leaders and their organizations. This partnership is just the most recent interaction between Duke University and Vail.
Over the years, Duke has had a special relationship with Vail through the vision of John Feagin, Jr. MD, Duke University Emeritus Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery. John is a former Steadman Fellow and has served on the Steadman Philippon Research Institute (SPRI) Scientific Advisory Committee for many years. Most importantly, John has been integral in aligning Duke medical students with clinical research at Steadman as well as developing other opportunities to link Duke with Vail.
“Vail Provides a unique environment and one that I have enjoyed professionally and personally. It has been a pleasure to be a conduit between Duke and Vail; it has allowed doctors and academics to take advantage of this wonderful mountain retreat, be inspired by the setting and benefit from professional interaction,” said John Feagin, Jr. MD.
As an Orthopaedic surgeon familiar with a wide range of hospital environments, Dr. Feagin was frustrated by the cultural gridlock that impacts most hospitals. He understands the issues and dynamic of this medical environment well enough to pinpoint the power struggles and leadership challenges. His solution was to launch a leadership program targeting medical students during their final years of medical school. John knew that in order to fully change the hearts and minds of this group, he needed to expose them to key principles of character-based leadership prior to entering into a full- time practice.
“I have had the privilege of attending the Feagin Leadership Forum at Duke twice over the past three years, and the magnitude of what Dr. Feagin is creating with his team has global potential. Last year, I spent time with some students at Pepi’s Restaurant and learned the true significance of how the Feagin Program was changing hearts. These medical students were more self-aware and confident in their abilities to collaborate having benefitted from many “ah-ha” moments while at the Vail Campus,” noted Ross Iverson, CEO, the Vail Centre.
Another former fellow at Steadman and colleague of John Feagin, Dean Taylor, MD, Director of Duke University’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Chairman of the Feagin Leadership Program, helped John launch the Feagin Leadership Program at Duke in 2009, said “This educational initiative focuses on building skills and behaviors that are associated with effective, ethical leadership in all professional fields, with emphasis on leadership in medicine.”
Students often apply to Duke Medical just for the opportunity to be selected for the Feagin Medical Scholars Program. This program lasts a full year, and students work in teams to produce a leadership project. Each year, the students travel together for an experiential learning opportunity, either to West Point or Vail! This coming December students will again arrive in Vail for a weekend of learning, reflecting, and engaging with local resources such as the Vail Centre and the Steadman Clinic.
Joe Doty, Executive Director, Feagin Leadership Program, commented, “Vail provides a wonderful environment for our students to focus on the core curriculum that includes defining personal leadership and values, difficult conversations, learning how to mentor, as well as networking. With these tools, our goal is to help foster ethical leaders in the medical community and beyond.”
When a new round of Duke leaders show up in Vail this week for the Nonprofit Management Certificate Course, the Vail Centre has expressed its gratitude for the continued commitment of Duke to enhance the culture of Vail, and for the creation of discussions in our Valley that have a large ripple effect. For additional information, contact [email protected].