Vice Chair Incubators Program

Program Overview

The annual Vice Chairs Incubator Program (VIP) accepted its first cohort in 2025. This longitudinal program provides vice chairs (or equivalent leaders) an opportunity to participate in leadership coaching to target executive leadership skills in emotional intelligence and people management. 

All accepted faculty participate in co-facilitated group leadership coaching and also have an opportunity to receive 1:1 executive coaching assessments by coach Robb Schachter (UMass Chan Human Resources).

• Special consideration is given to faculty currently serving as Vice Chairs or in equivalent leadership positions.
• Preference is given to faculty at the rank of Associate Professor or higher.
• Senior Program Directors with more than 7 years of experience leading educational programs are also encouraged to apply.

Curriculum

Each cohort consists of 8 faculty participants. In addition to receiving 1:1 and group coaching, the cohort views monthly virtual seminars designed in the “flipped classroom” model. Participants prepare for each session by watching 1-2 brief recorded presentations by content experts on various topics, about 10 minutes in length. Topics include developing high performance teams, understanding and managing unprofessional behavior, and communication and negotiation skills. Participants have visibility with senior leadership at UMass Chan as part of the program.

Learning Objectives:  

After completing this program, learners will be able to:

1. Utilize emotional intelligence to inform communication
2. Facilitate excellent performance of teams
3. Manage difficult conversations with team members

For more information about the VIP please email Faculty.Development@UMassmed.edu