LEADERS IN MEDICINE
Leaders instill in others a desire to grow beyond their self-perceived limits , and to do so with conviction and courage . Dr . Adams had this ability in spades . Early in my second year , I recall presenting a patient to Dr . Adams , the sun setting on a cold fall afternoon out the adjacent window , during continuity clinic . I was in the midst of a wards rotation at Georgetown , a relatively new leader of a team of interns and students and was encountering a month of nothing but full moons . Patients were remarkably sick and , almost daily , rounds were punctuated by a rapid response or a code . I was buckling internally under this newfound pressure and responsibility , questioning my own leadership abilities . Regardless , with the pressure of the month swirling underneath the surface , I finished presenting my clinic patient , who thankfully was not in imminent distress , and Dr . Adams unexpectedly stopped me from getting up . Catching me off guard , he casually inquired how things were going . I muttered a contrived and unconvincingly buoyant response , one that we both knew bore little resemblance to the truth ( and he told me as much ). Importantly , he noticed I was struggling and empathetically invited me to be more truthful with him . Yet , Dr . Adams didn ’ t give me an inch , nor should he have . My census would stay full , my patients would be as complex and unpredictable the next day as they had been the day before , and my somewhat aloof teaching attending would remain the same . I vividly remember staring out the window , biting my lip , as he reassured me with his characteristic calm and kind demeanor , just when I needed it , that I would be successful regardless of the turbulence of the month .
The leadership demonstrated to Georgetown residents kindled a desire , and stiff competition , to stay and lead as a Chief Resident . I served as Chief Resident for outpatient medicine my fourth year and participated in the residency interview process for the next year ’ s incoming interns . At the end of each interview day , Dr . Adams would gather the interviewing faculty , the chiefs , and most notably , the Department of Medicine staff . Together they ’ d review the day ’ s candidates and discern who was best suited for the program . The department staff did not participate in an ancillary role , but were , instead , offered seats at the table to offer impressions of the candidates . His philosophy was little secret , as Dr . Adams incorporated a breadth of opinions in what was ultimately his decision : everyone ’ s thoughts mattered . Pointedly , candidates were expected to be , extempore , as engaging and sincere to the department ’ s staff as to their interviewing faculty . For if one couldn ’ t engage the staff as they did the faculty , then one couldn ’ t come to Georgetown . knew a true designation as a leader is earned from those on rungs below , not bestowed by those on rungs above .
While Dr . Adams ’ leadership was often recognized , by colleagues and superiors , with many awards , including the American College of Physicians Sol Katz award for excellence in medical education , he , more notably , was recognized repeatedly by those under his leadership , wining the coveted Golden Apple award for excellence in student education many times . He , in fact , won the award so many times that he was inducted into the “ Golden Orchard .” Dr . Adams knew that the power of bottom-up leadership , engaging all regardless of station , was far more powerful than top down leadership .
Erin Petersen , Dr . Adams ’ capable and winsome assistant , worked with him for many years and knew him well . She wrote of him , “ Dr . Adams was a ‘ master investor .’ He loved investing in people . His family and friends , his residents , his staff , his colleagues , his patients , the janitors , the operators . His currency ? Love , compassion and the art of mentorship .” Dr . Adams reaped the rewards of meaningful leadership , cultivating both a dedicated department staff and a consistently talented , diverse and compassionate group of residents .
Dr . Adams died from glioblastoma in 2016 , untimely and young , at the age of 49 . Truly caring for those whom he led was the essence of Dr . Adams . I miss that leadership and I miss the man who demonstrated it . Though six years overdue , I can think of no better place to share his spirit with my colleagues of today than in the “ Leadership ” edition of Louisville Medicine .
Dr . Adams could often be seen running the bucolic streets of Georgetown in the early morning , leading the charge on the day , even before his residents . Dr . Adams finished his race before all of us , leading , even in his passing , to what lies beyond where leadership is holy , and a life lived in service to others divine .
Dr . Kolter is a practicing internist with Baptist Health .
As a leader , Dr . Adams ’ credo relied on affirming the dignity of and earning the respect of those he led far more than alighting from the platform of the proverbial career ladder . He achieved a reputation for sterling leadership without what has now become de rigueur in medicine as a stand-in for such , an executive title . He
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