On Becoming a Harvard Professor

Almost 15 years ago on June 15, 1996, I moved from California to Massachusetts.   I began practicing Emergency Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.   On that day, I wrote in my journal:

"Today I've started work at one of the best hospitals in the country.  I'm surrounded by smart people, amazing technology, and incredible possibilities.   What am I, who am I, what will I be?   I'm an instructor and the path to Harvard Professor seems insurmountable."

Today, I joined several friends and colleagues to celebrate my becoming a Harvard Professor.

Along the journey, I've learned many lessons.   Professorship is not about fame, fortune,  or what I know.  It's about community.   Early in my Harvard career, Dr. Tom Delbanco, Sam Fleming, Warren McFarlan, Marvin Schorr,  and others advised me to focus on creating teams of smart people to change the world.     From my discussion with Deans and faculty, here are the top 5 roles of a Harvard Professor:

*Training the next generation -  I have 20 years left in my career.  Now is the right time to develop the next generation of informatics and IT leaders by sharing my experience and giving them an opportunity to thrive.  I'll do my best to inspire and mentor students, residents, fellows and junior faculty by always being available to them.

*Communicating ideas - publishing, lecturing, meeting, blogging, and serving on expert panels ensures that ideas and innovation are widely disseminated.   Today's blog is my 900th post, creating  a permanent record of the key ideas I encounter in my life as a healthcare CIO.

*Serving as role model - a strong sense of ethics and equanimity, always being moral and fair in every conversation and relationship, fosters an environment that encourages people to excel.

*Building teams - assembling and resourcing the best people, especially those with differing opinions and experiences, leads to innovation.

*Creating an ideal work and learning environment - accepting accountability for resolving personnel conflicts, budget shortfalls, strategic ambiguity, political barriers, and impediments to the free exchange of ideas empowers teams to succeed.

So now the next phase of my career begins.  I feel humbled by the responsibility and will do my best to train, communicate, serve, build, and create!