Leadership Opportunities Research Articles

Mechanisms of Action Promoting Social Emotional Learning in Sport and Recreation Program for Socially Vulnerable Youth

While sport and recreation programs have capacity to contribute to social emotional learning, there is a lack of clarity regarding how to achieve this. To address this void, we used constructivist grounded theory to identify the mechanisms of action promoting social emotional competencies captured by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) model (i.e. self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making) in sport and recreation program for socially vulnerable youth. Data collection included in-depth interviews with 12 youth participants and 13 practitioners. The findings show that the key mechanisms driving skill development include the adoption of new roles (leading to leadership opportunities, accountability, and exposure to diversity), interaction with caring program practitioners (providing feedback, mentorship, and trust-building), and the program’s context (offering a culture of safety, inclusivity, responsibility, and positivity). This study contributes to theory and practice on social emotional learning in sport and recreation programs.

Detecting Leadership Opportunities in Group Discussions Using Off-the-Shelf VR Headsets.

The absence of some forms of non-verbal communication in virtual reality (VR) can make VR-based group discussions difficult even when a leader is assigned to each group to facilitate discussions. In this paper, we discuss if the sensor data from off-the-shelf VR devices can be used to detect opportunities for facilitating engaging discussions and support leaders in VR-based group discussions. To this end, we focus on the detection of suppressed speaking intention in VR-based group discussions by using personalized and general models. Our extensive analysis of experimental data reveals some factors that should be considered to enable effective feedback to leaders. In particular, our results show the benefits of combining the sensor data from leaders and low-engagement participants, and the usefulness of specific HMD sensor features.

Sustainable Energy Use in Buildings: A Leadership Opportunity for Gardens and Zoos

Cultural institutions hold a unique position of influence, serving as hubs of education and knowledge dissemination for the people they serve. Embracing sustainable energy use in buildings in zoos and botanical gardens is a commitment to environmental responsibility that reinforces these institutions as trusted sources of information and community leaders on climate change, one of the most vital issues of our time. Sustainable energy solutions can synergize operations with educational missions, allowing zoos and botanical gardens to lead by example and inspire visitors to adopt eco-friendly practices in their own lives. In this opinion paper, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens President and CEO Richard Piacentini discusses key elements in developing a sustainable building energy plan, reviews potential barriers to implementation, and makes a case for adopting regenerative thinking and new metrics for measuring success—citing example cases from Phipps’ Center for Sustainable Landscapes (CSL) project. Additionally, the paper demonstrates how green building certification systems and peer-based resource networks like The Climate Toolkit can help guide institutions in the process.

LEADERSHIP IN GLOBAL HEALTH: NAVIGATING CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPACTFUL OUTCOMES IN AFRICA AND SRI LANKA

Effective leadership is paramount in addressing the complex challenges and harnessing the opportunities in global health, particularly in regions such as Africa and Sri Lanka. This review explores the multifaceted dimensions of leadership within the context of global health, highlighting the unique challenges and opportunities faced by these regions. In Africa, leadership in global health is confronted with a myriad of challenges including limited resources, political instability, and infrastructural deficiencies. The burden of infectious diseases, inadequate healthcare access, and socio-economic disparities further exacerbate the complexities. However, amidst these challenges lie opportunities for transformative leadership. Visionary leaders can leverage partnerships, innovative technologies, and community engagement to strengthen health systems, promote preventive healthcare, and address the root causes of health inequities. Similarly, in Sri Lanka, leadership in global health faces its own set of challenges and opportunities. Despite notable achievements in healthcare infrastructure and disease control, the country grapples with emerging health threats, non-communicable diseases, and disparities in healthcare access. Effective leadership is essential in mobilizing resources, fostering intersectoral collaboration, and implementing evidence-based interventions to ensure equitable health outcomes for all segments of the population. In both regions, transformative leadership in global health necessitates a multidisciplinary approach that integrates political commitment, scientific innovation, and community participation. Leaders must possess strong communication skills, cultural competence, and a deep understanding of local contexts to navigate the intricate socio-political landscapes. Furthermore, fostering leadership capacity at all levels of the healthcare system is crucial for sustainability and resilience in the face of evolving health challenges. By examining the challenges and opportunities for leadership in global health within the contexts of Africa and Sri Lanka, this review underscores the importance of visionary leadership in driving impactful outcomes. Empowering leaders to navigate complexities, foster collaboration, and innovate solutions is essential for advancing the global health agenda and achieving health equity on a global scale.
 Keywords: Leadership, Global Health, Africa, Sri Lanka, Healthcare, Review

Exploring the Gender Disparity in Sports Participation: A Qualitative Analysis of Women's Limited Engagement in Sports in Bangladesh

Gender equality is the subject of Sustainable Development Goal 5, one of the UN's 17 objectives. Assuring women's full and effective involvement and equitable opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic, and public life is the emphasis of SDG target 5.5. In Bangladesh, there is still a significant gender gap in sports participation, which limits women's access to physical activity, personal growth, and social empowerment, a major hindrance to achieving SDGs within 2030. In Bangladesh, there is still a significant gender gap in sports participation, which limits women's access to physical activity, personal growth, and social empowerment, a major hindrance to achieving SDGs within 2030. The research aims to uncover the socio-cultural, institutional, and psychological barriers hampering women's active sports involvement through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and content analysis. The study finds that traditional gender norms and societal expectations emerged as significant barriers to women's sports participation, and parental attitudes and support has been identified as major issues in enabling girls to participate in sports. Limited access to training facilities, coaching, and competitions specifically tailored for women hindered their progress, and the importance of mentors and role models was underscored throughout the study.

Media analysis of the text on the example of Chinese strategy of information warfare

The topic of media analysis of information wars in the context of the Chinese issue is of academic interest, both for understanding current events and for improving information analysis methods and media strategies. The article assesses the influence of media on China's behavior in the information war, characterizes the challenges associated with media analysis in China's information war, describes methods and metrics for analyzing media content about the information war in China. Information technologies at the current level of development create broad opportunities for managing political conflicts both on the scale of one state and at the regional level. These technologies, which are actively used in information wars, have a number of advantages over traditional means of struggle due to their massive impact on the moral and psychological state of the population of the enemy country or individual parties, movements and political associations. The article uses a discourse analysis of the media text, identifies expressive linguistic means, the semantic meaning of words and expressions, and the communicative orientation of the text. The empirical basis of the research is the article "Celestial Truth: who and why is waging an information war with the PRC". The main conclusion of the study is that modern technologies and social media have become a powerful tool for influencing public opinion and shaping the perspective of events. The information war in China has a global impact, attracting the attention of the international community. Global media and international platforms actively monitor and cover events in the region, which can influence the perception of the conflict beyond its borders. The impact of the information war has a significant impact on public opinion. There is the use of various methods, including fake news, disinformation, to influence public sentiment and views. The Chinese concept of network warfare opens up further prospects and opportunities for the Chinese leadership and military specialists to work on the creation and implementation of the latest technology samples.

Breaking the bamboo ceiling and de-bunking the model minority myth.

Leadership roles must incorporate representation from all involved individuals for the resulting decision-making process to reflect the interests and expertise of a diverse organization. Many resources have rightly focused on developing historically underrepresented racial and ethnic(HURE) leaders. Though numbers of Black and Hispanic dental school deans have increased, more work is needed for these and other HURE groups such as American Indians. Asians are not classified as HURE. As an aggregated group they have robust presence in the dental workforce in North America, the United Kingdom and Australia. The assumption is they are fine, so the group is ignored. Previous research indicates Asians are almost invisible in leadership roles in dentistry, and while the "Glass Ceiling" phenomenon for women persists, Asian women face even greater obstacles to leadership. This paper explores cultural factors contributing to the "Bamboo Ceiling", such as Confucian values emphasizing collectivism and deference to authority. It examines challenges faced by Asian women at the intersection of gender and race. The impact of the "Model Minority Myth" compounds these challenges, leading to overlooking diverse needs. The importance of dispelling these harmful myths is underscored. This paper provides strategies to combat them, urging proactive efforts from minorities and management. By shedding light on the "Bamboo Ceiling" and the "Model Minority Myth", this paper aims to reassess existing norms, current policies and procedures pertaining to equitable representation and leadership opportunities for Asian women in academic dentistry, community oral health, research, and in dental corporations.

The Impact of Faculty Gender on Resident Evaluations of Faculty Performance in Emergency Medicine.

Gender bias impacts the promotion and tenure of female emergency medicine (EM) physicians and limits their ability to advance in academic rank.Many factors influence the promotion and tenure process including research, evaluations, opportunities for leadership, sponsorship, and mentorship. The goal of this study is to determine if resident evaluations of EM faculty differ by faculty gender. A quantitative analysis was used to examine 14,613 teaching evaluations of faculty by residents at a single academic center (The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus) in the years 2017-2019.Anonymized ratings of male and female faculty on a five-point Likert scale were compared using Fischer's exact test and adjusting for multiple comparisons. Male faculty were more likely to hold the rank of Associate Professor or Professor. When taking both faculty gender and rank into account, male Clinical Instructors and Assistant Professors had significantly higher evaluation scores by residents in the domain of resident autonomy than their female counterparts. Regardless of gender or faculty rank, the majority of faculty received scores greater than four. A significant gender difference was found in resident evaluation scores of faculty in the domain ofresident autonomyat the level of Clinical Instructor and Assistant Professor.Resident autonomy refers to the degree of supervision by faculty which evolves over time and is primarily based on level of training.This is important as it demonstrates a gender difference in scores that could be used to determine faculty compensation and promotion. Evaluation tools used for promotion and tenure of academic faculty should be evaluated for implicit bias and appropriate statistical analysis.

Advancing gender parity in educational leadership: Insights from selected secondary schools in Shinyanga Municipality

This study had two objectives: firstly, it examined the factors contributing to women's underrepresentation in senior leadership positions in selected secondary schools in Shinyanga Municipality. Secondly, it explores strategies to ensure gender parity in schools’ leadership positions. While previous studies have investigated factors contributing to women’s underrepresentation, there is still little information on strategies to ensure gender equality in schools’ leadership positions. To ensure equality in school leadership positions, it is significant to determine factors contributing to women’s underrepresentation and to identify strategies to promote gender equality. To attain the study objectives, data were collected through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. A total of 137 respondents participated in filling in the questionnaires, while 6 participants were involved in the semi-structured interviews. The quantitative part of the data was analysed using a logistic regression model, while the qualitative data underwent analysis using thematic methods. The findings revealed several factors impeding women from accessing leadership positions. These were: lack of confidence, low educational qualification, work-life interface, lack of mentorship, inaccessibility to leadership opportunities, women’s disengagement in decision-making, societal expectations, inflexible work plans, unsupportive networks, and individual unwillingness. The findings also revealed several strategies to ensure gender equality in school leadership positions such as adequate implementation of policy advocating for fair appointment, training on leadership skills, formation of platforms and forums for women’s participation in educational leadership, and shaping societal views and expectations. This study recommends the formation of concrete policies that will guide the relevant educational authority in appointing teachers into managerial positions in secondary schools. The presence of such policies will help to minimise the gender gap in school management.

The Impact of Student Leadership on Chinese International Students’ Language Proficiency and Belongingness

International students, especially Chinese international students, are underrepresented in leadership roles in Canadian universities. A review of the related literature indicates that low language proficiency, lack of belongingness, and cultural difference inhibited Chinese international students’ leadership opportunities. This study adopted semi-structured, one-on-one interviews to investigate the benefits that five Chinese international student participants perceived, based on leadership roles in which they participated. The results suggest that taking student leadership roles facilitated participants’ language development at one Canadian university and enhanced their belongingness to the university. However, their participation in student leadership roles did not contribute to their belongingness to Canadian society.

Gender disparities in cardiothoracic surgery: a comparative study in India.

This study aimed to examine the prevalence of gender bias in the field of cardiothoracic vascular surgery in India and compared women surgeons and trainees in India and abroad. This was a comparative, cross-sectional analytical study using an online questionnaire. The survey included questions about demographics, career choice, training, academic and leadership opportunities, and the impact of choosing cardiothoracic-vascular surgery as a career on personal life. A total of 203 practicing surgeons and trainees participated in the study and included 121 (59.6%) men and 82 (40.3%) women. Out of the 82 women, 48 (58.5%) were from India, and 34 (41.5%) were from other countries. Satisfaction with the specialty was similar among men and women (105 (86.7%) vs. 68 (82.9%), p = 0.44 respectively). Majority (n = 30, 62.5%) of the female surgeons in India reported being discriminated against, as well as receiving favored treatment 11 (22.9%). Compared to men, women surgeons in India were more frequently advised against pursuing a career in cardiothoracic and vascular surgery (p < 0.001) and were more frequently subjected to gender-related references (p < 0.001). In addition, they had fewer presentation opportunities (p = 0.016) at national or regional meetings during their training compared to men. Additionally, 50% (24) of the women in India reported being single, in contrast to 7% (6) of men, and only 15 (31.3%) women reported having a child, compared to 57 (66.3%) of the men. The study revealed significant gender disparities within the field of cardiothoracic vascular surgery in India and highlights the urgent need to address gender disparities and bias in cardiothoracic vascular surgery.

Challenges and Opportunities of Ethical Leadership for University Counselors

University counselors play a crucial role in today's educational environment, and their ethical leadership is vital in shaping the holistic development of students. However, amidst the constant changes in educational and social environments, counselors face a myriad of challenges and opportunities in ethical leadership. This study aims to delve into the challenges and opportunities of ethical leadership for university counselors, providing a profound understanding of this field and offering substantial recommendations to enhance the ethical leadership skills of university counselors. Through interviews, surveys, and literature reviews, this paper explores counselors' experiences and perspectives on ethical leadership, identifying challenges such as understanding and addressing multicultural backgrounds and revealing opportunities, such as global exchange learning. Based on the findings, the study concludes with practical recommendations to help counselors navigate the evolving educational landscape.

On-the-Job Learning: Bright Spots of Governmental Public Health Employee Reflections on the COVID-19 Response.

This article is one of 3 research briefs that highlight valuable experiences and opportunities that can be thought of as "bright spots" of the governmental public health workforce's pandemic response. Using PH WINS 2021 data, we qualitatively examined responses to an open-ended survey question about workforce experiences during the pandemic response. On-the-job learning was emphasized as a critical component of employees' experiences. Seven "on-the-job learning" subthemes were identified among 91 responses. Findings indicate that the pandemic facilitated opportunities for on-the-job learning for various skills and workplace activities. Public health employees were appreciative of the opportunity to gain new technical and practical skills including communicating with the public and to experience new roles and responsibilities. Respondents reported other related benefits including career growth and leadership opportunities. Highlighting these unexpected benefits of the COVID-19 pandemic is important for employee morale and continued workforce development planning.

Setting the Target: Comparing Family Medicine Among US Allopathic Target Schools.

Despite the persistent primary care physician shortage over 2 decades of allopathic medical school expansion, some medical schools are absent a department of family medicine; these schools are designated as "target" schools. These absences are important because evidence has demonstrated the association between structured exposure to family medicine during medical school and the proportion of students who ultimately select a career in family medicine. In this study, we aimed to address part of this gap by defining and characterizing the current landscape of US allopathic target schools. We identified allopathic target schools by reviewing all Liaison Committee of Medical Education (LCME) accredited institutions for the presence of a family medicine department. To compare these schools in terms of family medicine representation and outcomes, we curated descriptive data from publicly available websites, previously published family medicine match results, and school rankings for primary care. We identified 12 target schools (8.7% of all US allopathic accredited medical schools) with considerable heterogeneity in opportunities for family medicine engagement, leadership, and training. Target schools with greater family medicine representation had increased outcomes for family medicine workforce and primary care opportunities. With growing primary care workforce gaps, target schools have a responsibility to enhance family medicine presence and representation at their institutions. We provide recommendations at the institutional, specialty, and national level to increase family medicine representation at target schools, with the goal that all schools eventually establish a department of family medicine.

Women’s Wings in Rebel Organisations: Prevalence, Purposes and Variations

ABSTRACT Women’s wings are a common feature of rebellions but we lack a systematic accounting of how women organise themselves or are organised within and across armed groups. In this article we describe the functions of and variation across women’s wings globally. We identify significant variation in the types, purposes, and autonomy of women’s wings inside and between groups. We also highlight similarities across units, including their role in mobilising women into conflict, pressing for reforms, and creating leadership opportunities. We demonstrate that women’s wings are diverse yet important sites for gendered power, negotiation, activity, and outreach within rebellions.

Transatlantic leadership in an era of human rights-based export controls

Abstract In 2021, the USA and the European Union (EU) expressed an interest in deepening their cooperation with each other and other international actors on export controls to address evolving security risks, including the misuse of dual-use technologies to violate human rights. This interest presents an opportunity to probe the potential for US–EU leadership, as a stated intention of these actors, in developing standards that incorporate human rights considerations into export control policy. To undertake this analysis, this article assesses the legal and political context in which the USA and the EU regulate exports and how this context affects potential opportunities for leadership. The article contends that the USA and EU may struggle to exercise joint leadership due to their divergent systems but may be capable of doing so if they invest in creative diplomatic efforts. In particular, the USA possesses greater legal flexibility than the EU to propose new standards and to engage in diplomatic efforts to multilateralize them. In short, the EU’s structural limitations create a dynamic in which the EU will rely heavily on US diplomacy, as well as that of its Member States, to achieve its objective of creating US–EU leadership in this area.

Navigating the path of progress: The OMERACT 2023 emerging leaders program

ObjectivesThe Outcome Measures in Rheumatology Clinical Trials (OMERACT) Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) aims to cultivate a cohort of skilled leaders within the OMERACT community empowering them with expertise and knowledge to help shape and steer the organization into the future. This publication highlights the significance of the ELP in driving leadership excellence, its impact on OMERACT's evolution, and the outcomes and learnings from the OMERACT 2023 ELP. MethodsInsights from the 2018 ELP report informed 2023 program improvements. Engagement was measured by attendance and WhatsApp interactions. Positive program aspects, areas for improvement and ideas for enhancing future ELPs were captured via anonymous survey and participant focus groups. ResultsEngagement with the ELP was high with 9 participants, 96 % attendance at all workshops, 154 WhatsApp interactions. All program components were highly rated, with the highest being the ‘Psychological Safety’ and ‘Methodology/Process/Politics’ workshops. Future enhancements included creating further networking, connection and support activities, practical leadership and methodological skill development opportunities, and a new stream focussing on organisational advancement. ConclusionsThe 2023 OMERACT ELP was well received and successfully addressed areas previously identified as requiring improvement. New educational enhancements were valued, and the importance of fostering psychological safety at all levels was highlighted. The ELP fortifies OMERACT by nurturing a diverse array of skilled leaders who embody OMERACTs core values. Continuing to refine and evolve the ELP over time will help OMERACT sustain its global influence in patient-centered outcome research.

Perceptions of gender equity in emergency medicine in Canada.

Women-identifying emergency physicians face gender-based discrimination throughout their careers. The purpose of this study was to explore emergency physician's perceptions and experiences of gender equity in emergency medicine. We conducted a secondary analysis of data from a previously conducted survey of Canadian emergency physicians on barriers to gender equity in emergency medicine. Survey responses were analyzed using logistic regression to determine the impact that gender, practice setting, years since graduation, race, equity-seeking status, and parental status had on agreement about gender equity in emergency medicine and five of the problem statements. A total of 710 participants completed the survey. Most identified as women (58.8%), white (77.4%), graduated between 2010 and 2019 (40%), had CCFP (Emergency Medicine) designation (47.9%), an urban practice (84.4%), were parents (62.4%) and did not identify as equity-seeking (79.9%). Women-identifying physicians were less likely to perceive gender equity in emergency medicine, OR 0.52, CI [0.38, 0.73]. Women-identifying physicians were more likely to agree with statements about microaggressions, OR 4.39, CI [2.66, 7.23]; barriers to leadership, OR 3.51, CI [2.25, 5.50]; gender wage gap, OR 13.46, CI [8.27, 21.91]; lack of support for parental leave, OR 2.85, CI [1.82, 4.44]; and education on allyship, OR 2.23 CI [1.44, 3.45] than men-identifying physicians. In this study, women-identifying physicians were less likely to perceive that there was gender equity in emergency medicine than men-identifying physicians. Women-identifying physicians agreed that there are greater barriers for career advancement including fewer opportunities for leadership, a gender wage gap, a lack of parental leave policies to support a return to work and a lack of education for men to become allies. Men-identifying physicians were less aware of these inequities. Health systems must work to improve gender equity in emergency medicine and this will require education and allyship from men-identifying physicians.

Multi-professional perspectives to reduce moral distress: A qualitative investigation.

Encounters of moral distress have long-term consequences on healthcare workers' physical and mental health, leading to job dissatisfaction, reduced patient care, and high levels of burnout, exhaustion, and intentions to quit. Yet, research on approaches to ameliorate moral distress across the health workforce is limited. The aim of our study was to qualitatively explore multi-professional perspectives of healthcare social workers, chaplains, and patient liaisons on ways to reduce moral distress and heighten well-being at a southern U.S. academic medical center. Purposive sampling and chain-referral methods assisted with recruitment through hospital listservs, staff meetings, and newsletters. Interested participants contacted the principal investigator and all interviews were conducted in-person. Consent was attained prior to interviews. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Directed content analysis was used to deductively organize codes and to develop themes in conjunction with the National Academy of Medicine's National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being. Rigor was attained through peer-debriefing, data triangulation methods, and frequent research team meetings. Ethics approval was obtained from the university and medical center institutional review boards. Themes demonstrate that rather than offering interventions in the aftermath of moral distress, multilevel daily practices ought to be considered that pre-emptively identify and reduce morally distressing encounters through (1) the care team, (2) management and leadership, and (3) the health care industry. Strategies include interdisciplinary decision-making, trusting managerial relationships, and organizational policies and practices that explicitly invest in mental health promotion and diverse leadership opportunities. Moral distress interventions ought to target short-term stress reactions while also addressing the long-term impacts of moral residue. Health systems must financially commit to an ethical workplace culture that explicitly values mental health and well-being.

CHALLENGES OF FEMALE PRINCIPALS IN MADRASAH LEADERSHIP IN BANDA ACEH: A GENDER ANALYSIS

Women's leadership is gaining more recognition in the public eye, particularly in professional leadership roles within educational institutions. Despite facing challenges such as seniority, local customs, and societal perceptions, these obstacles do not deter women from their leadership roles in educational institutions. In fact, they strive to create better opportunities for future leadership. The challenges faced by female school principals are often influenced by the prevailing patriarchal culture in society and community life. This research employs a qualitative method with a gender analysis approach. The findings reveal that challenges related to seniority and local customs are dominant issues for female school principals in Aceh. Seniority comes into play when younger school principals are perceived as inexperienced leaders by their senior counterparts, even if they possess the necessary competencies for the role. On the other hand, local customs are influenced by the presence of teachers who are local residents in the school. Additionally, dealing with policy dualism in private schools and collaboration with committees presents straightforward challenges for school principals, influenced by the research location, student backgrounds, and school status. The strategies offered by school principals involve continuous engagement, fostering better collaboration, and early consultation with relevant stakeholders. These efforts have helped ease tensions and lead to more effective solutions for overcoming these challenges.