In partnership with HSF and the UAB Health System, the Heersink School of Medicine is piloting an inaugural Momentum Executive Leadership Program pilot on UAB’s campus called Momentum in Medicine at UAB.
The program is a competitive nine month program that teaches senior leaders about their own, unique strengths. It connects them with other senior leaders while proving tools and resources to grow.
UAB is the first institution in Alabama to offer an off-site Momentum Executive Leadership Program. IMomentum in Medicine at UAB follows the exact content as the Momentum Executive Leadership Program, including curriculum, speakers, and the annual retreat.
To celebrate, Heersink is spotlighting each of the women selected for this year’s program and hosting one-on-one interviews each month to learn their stories. The Heersink communications team sat down with Angelia Medici and Elizabeth Caine to kick off the series in November.
Meet Angela Medici
Angela Medici is the senior director of Quality and Patient Safety at UAB Medicine. She received both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Nursing from UAB, and proudly calls UAB “home.”
After beginning her nursing career in the Operating Room at DCH in Tuscaloosa, AL, she came to UAB in 2011, with a large portion of her time dedicated to developing within the Quality and Patient Safety arena.
Q: What does it mean to you to be a part of the UAB pilot of Momentum’s Executive Leadership Program?
Angela: It is an honor to be selected for the UAB pilot of Momentum’s Executive Leadership Program. It conveys that my hard work in leadership is recognized, while highlighting UAB’s commitment to investing in, and developing, leaders across the organization.
Q: How do you stay motivated to continue personal and professional growth?
Angela: I stay motivated by constantly challenging myself and others in my department. I truly invest in my team, taking time to evaluate and recognize each member’s potential. Seeing the team succeed serves as a catalyst for me to push our limits even further.
Q: What excites you most about the program?
Angela: The valuable lessons gained from the amazing women involved in the program. I admire all of them, and I’m truly grateful for such a unique opportunity.
Q: What is one piece of advice you would give women who want to become leaders in their field?
Angela: Know your worth! Know your strengths! Find a mentor and lean on them for advice. It will not be easy, but it will be worth it.
Meet Elizabeth Caine
Elizabeth Caine, MSHA, MBA, is associate vice president at UAB Hospital and administrator for the Center for Psychiatric Medicine.
Elizabeth currently provides leadership for the Psychiatry Program including inpatient/acute care units, consult service, psychiatric services in the Emergency Department, and the Addiction Recovery Program.
She earned her Master’s Degree in Health Administration and Master’s Degree in Business Administration from UAB in 2006. Elizabeth worked for St. Vincent’s Health System for nearly 10 years and came to UAB in October 2014.
During her tenure, she has worked to transform the delivery of care for patients with mental illness and substance use disorders.
Q: What does it mean to you to be a part of the UAB pilot of Momentum’s Executive Leadership Program?
Elizabeth: I feel honored to have been nominated to participate in this pilot program. I am grateful that UAB is investing in me as a leader, which in turn is an investment in the future of our team in the Center for Psychiatric Medicine.
Q: How do you stay motivated to continue personal and professional growth?
Elizabeth: I’m a lover of music and collect vinyl records. Miles Davis is one of my favorite musicians and I often think of the vastness of his career. His jazz career spanned five decades and as music changed, he was able to change. He was a musician of endless reinvention and found ways to stay vibrant and innovative with his music. I think to be a leader, and specifically a leader in today’s health care environment, you have to be kind of like Miles – a person that is able to reinvent, always forward moving, spontaneous, collaborative and innovative. Seeing opportunity keeps me motivated.
Q: Momentum trains extraordinary women leaders. Who has been an extraordinary woman leader in your life?
Elizabeth: My grandmother, Mama Dean Barnett. I learned so much from her. She was not a homemaker like most women in the 1950s, she had a career as a bookkeeper for a trucking company where she worked for over 35 years. She taught me valuable lessons of financial management, typing and also making homemade biscuits and pound cakes at an early age. I also learned from her curiosity and human connection. She was genuinely interested in everyone she encountered, she loved to find out about peoples' lives, their families and their experiences. In retirement, Mama Dean's pound cakes, became a form of ministry for her and were shared with all who walked through her kitchen door and were given freely to any who needed comfort or cheer.
Q: How do you hope to be empowered by Momentum?
Elizabeth: Through one of our assessments we’ve done thus far in the program, I have learned that “connectedness” is a strength of mine. I hope the relationships that are built through this cohort of women leaders will empower us to continue to drive change at UAB long after the program is completed.
Q: What excites you most about the program?
Elizabeth: The thing that excites me most about the UAB Momentum program is that out of all leadership development opportunities I have had this one is specifically for women. Even with women making up nearly 50% of the labor force, men are more likely than women to advance their careers to prestigious, high paying leadership roles. This program demonstrates UAB’s commitment to investing in developing women leaders and that really excites me!
Q: What is one piece of advice you would give women who want to become leaders in their field?
Elizabeth: Build connections – developing a network so you can learn about opportunities, take opportunities to be a mentee or mentor and find a few close confidants that will be champions for you.