696 - Leadership Development for Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellows: Current Practices and Future Directions

Publication Number: 2679.696

Elizabeth A. Hillman, McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States; Cindy Crabtree, University of Louisville and Norton Children’s Hospital, Louisville, KY, United States; Christine Carlos, University of Chicago Division of the Biological Sciences The Pritzker School of Medicine, CHICAGO, IL, United States; Christie J. Bruno, Yale School of Medicine, Glastonbury, CT, United States; Kristen Glass, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States; Erynn Bergner, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Oklahoma City, OK, United States; Jennifer M. Brady, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Morgan E. Hill, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Loveland, OH, United States; Brittany Schwarz, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; Megan M. Gray, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, United States

Background: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) charges that all Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine (NPM) Fellows are evaluated on their leadership skills, however there is no clear accepted definition of leadership competency to guide evaluation of leadership or development of leadership curriculum and education.

Objective: To determine the current state of leadership education and evaluation in NPM fellowship programs.

Design/Methods: The Organization of Neonatal-Perinatal Training Program Directors (ONTPD) distributed an annual program data form to all US NPM Fellowship programs in September 2025. Questions assessed program demographics and current practices around education and evaluation of fellow leadership skills. One response was accepted per institution and descriptive statistics were utilized for quantitative analysis.

Results: 93 of the 107 (87%) NPM programs responded. The majority of forms were completed by program directors. The specific leadership skills taught at programs vary greatly among programs with education on leading debriefs the most commonly taught leadership skill (66%). 53% of programs reported teaching about setting expectations for teams. Less than half of programs report teaching skills in team building and conflict navigation (Figure 1). The most common method of evaluating fellows' leadership was through faculty discussion at biannual clinical competency meetings (95%), with 90% of programs reporting using ACGME milestones to measure leadership, 70% report using 360 degree interprofessional evaluations, and only 31% reporting using Entrustable Professional Activities as their method of measurement (Figure 2). Most programs desire more resources to provide support for leadership education and development, specifically surrounding conflict navigation (56%) and leadership in high intensity situations (59%) (Figure 3).

Conclusion(s): While acquisition of leadership skills is required of NPM fellows, methods for teaching and assessment of these skills are variable among programs. More than half of NPM programs have identified the need for additional resources in this area. These results highlight the critical need for attention to this gap in leadership training and will guide the development of curricula for teaching this essential competency.

Figure 1. Leadership Skills Taught in NPM Programs


Figure 2. Evaluating Fellow Leadership Skills


Figure 3. How Can ONTPD Help?