The Surgical Leadership Program at Harvard Medical School (HMS) is designed for surgeons seeking to acquire the nontechnical, executive skills needed to step into leadership positions and excel as heads of departments, divisions, projects, and institutions.
Participants will learn directly from Harvard’s leading faculty across all areas influencing surgical leadership, including communication, mentoring, change management, process and quality improvement, financial management, and surgical research and technique.
Drawing from best practices across Harvard Medical School and its major teaching hospitals, as well as Harvard Business School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Harvard Kennedy School, this postgraduate certificate program offers you the opportunity to:
- Explore strategies and best practices for leadership within and outside the operating room
- Identify your personal brand, leadership style(s), and competencies
- Write compelling business plans and grant applications
- Enhance your expertise in quality, safety, and informatics
- Understand the legal and commercial aspects of innovation in surgery
- Build and manage highly productive teams
- Drive better patient outcomes through enhanced teamwork in the operating room
- Negotiate and advocate more effectively for your patients, teams, departments, and projects
- Manage change across organizational functions
- Update your understanding of new surgical technologies and techniques
Participants who achieve the program objectives are awarded a Harvard Medical School Certificate of Completion and are eligible to become Associate Members of the Harvard Medical School and Harvard University Alumni Associations.
Deadlines
- Priority Enrollment Deposit Deadline: January 29, 2025
- Final Application Deadline: March 12, 2025
Tuition
- Priority Enrollment Tuition: $17,900
- Standard Tuition: $18,900
View Admissions & Tuition for more information.
Program Format
This program has three required in-person workshops. Learners should expect to spend an average of 3-5 hours per week on coursework, viewing pre-recorded materials, attending live online lectures, reviewing sessions with faculty, and working on team assignments and your capstone.
In-Person Workshops
Participants may select a Boston or London workshop location. Workshops are on the following dates:
Workshop 1:
- April 8-11, 2025 | London, England
- April 14-17, 2025 | Boston, MA
Workshop 2:
- September 15-18, 2025 | Boston, MA
- October 6-9, 2025 | London, England
Workshop 3 & Graduation: April 13–16, 2026 | Boston, MA
Program Objectives
Upon completion of the Surgical Leadership program participants will be able to:
- Facilitate transformational change and an organizational turnaround
- Apply tools and knowledge in quality, safety, and informatics to drive sustainable improvement
- Discuss data management in the context of health informatics
- Develop strategies to turn ideas into viable, scalable solutions that add value to health care systems
- Identify surgical mentors to address the technical, cultural, behavioral, and educational needs of trainees and foster their development as next-generation clinical and academic leaders
2024 Accreditation
Accreditation information for the 2025 course is not yet available.
In support of improving patient care, Harvard Medical School is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Physicians
The Harvard Medical School designates this enduring material for a maximum of 33 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
