Newsworthy

Stormont Vail Health, a nonprofit integrated health system that serves the healthcare needs of the people of Kansas has launched the 2026-2027 Leadership Academy, in which over the course of a six-year program, 60 participants will earn the Certified Physician Executive (CPE), a unique professional mark of distinction from the American Association for Physician Leadership (AAPL).

Achieving CPE status highlights excellence in healthcare leadership demonstrating an ability to lead large groups, manage budgets, address HR challenges, and apply strategic business insights.

“These are skills that are not necessarily taught in medical school, but that are critical to the success of any physician in today’s healthcare environment,” said Peter Angood, MD, FRCS©, FACS, MCCM, FAAPL(Hon), President and CEO of AAPL. “We salute Stormont Vail Health for its commitment to preparing today’s physicians for the healthcare leadership challenges they will surely face.”

Today more than 4,300 physicians world-wide hold the CPE credential.

“As the healthcare industry continues to evolve and become more complex, strong physician leadership is paramount,” said Kevin Dishman, MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical and Quality Officer. “This leadership academy supports our commitment to quality, safety, and high reliability by developing physician leaders who understand the science of medicine, and are equipped with the tools to lead teams, manage complexity, and drive improvements to elevate care across Stormont Vail Health.”

The first cohort began the program this month. Year one courses include fundamentals of communication, influence, negotiation, quality, finance, credential action plan, health law, principles of change managing physician performance and resolving conflict. The year two curriculum includes budgeting/forecasting, science of high reliability, transforming healthcare through quality improvement, leadership excellence and executive-level decision making. The program concludes with a transformational 3.5-day Capstone.