When Houston internist Shangir Siddique, MD, attended the Texas Medical Association’s Leadership Collective in January, he expected long presentations akin to what he experienced in medical school. Instead, he found a room full of excited physicians eager to boost their leadership skills for the betterment of their profession and communities.
The two-day retreat-style workshop held in TMA’s Thompson Auditorium Jan. 30-31 was designed to be an interactive event for physicians to hone and expand their leadership while earning CME and networking.
The collective offered real-world strategies for physicians to approach their goals. For instance, during breakout table talks, physicians collaborated to create take-home action plans to reduce time spent on the electronic health record, improve work-life balance, and delegate administrative tasks to appropriate practice staff. Dr. Siddique said these lessons left him feeling “reset” and ready to grow his career.
“One of my main goals [is] to continue to be involved in professional development, like events just like this,” said Dr. Siddique, who graduated from TMA’s Leadership College at TexMed 2026. “I’m very excited to continue to work on myself as a physician, leader, and advocate.”
Leadership Collective, held every other year in January, is only one of TMA’s updated leadership benefits. The association offers its members a robust catalogue of leadership development programs, from seasonal conferences that share focused resources, to Leadership College for early-career physicians and the free, self-paced Lifelong Leadership Program. Through this broad array of programs, TMA trains physicians to be as comfortable in leadership positions as they are in exam rooms.
TMA President Bradford Holland, MD, put the mission of these resources succinctly when he kicked off Leadership Collective: Being a physician leader is about “caring for, encouraging, directing, and organizing those who are in your charge. … It’s about leading by example,” he said.
The TMA initiatives below highlight the tailored programming and leadership tools available from the association to physicians at all stages of their career:
Who: Any TMA member; space is limited for Leadership Collective
When: 1-2 days, annually in January, spring, and fall
Where: TexMed, Business of Medicine, and Leadership Summit occur around the state; Leadership Collective takes place in Austin
Every year, the Texas Medical Association alternates its fall conferences – its Business of Medicine Conference and Leadership Summit – to make high-level professional development accessible to physicians who may not be able to attend larger gatherings. Leadership Collective occurs every other year.
The conferences blend practical instruction with peer collaboration, addressing topics such as practice management, team leadership, and medical advocacy, says Melanie Fossett, TMA’s program manager for sections and leadership programs.
For example, while Business of Medicine routinely features programming focused on the operational side of health care, the event also serves as a meeting location for medical students and young physicians to formulate ideas for resolutions up for discussion by TMA’s House of Delegates at TexMed every spring.
Likewise, TMA’s Leadership Summit brings together emerging and established physician leaders for networking and skill development through interactive educational sessions.
TexMed routinely features CME and presentations centered on leadership, as well as its annual graduation of the Leadership College each year.
Leadership Collective sessions cover advocacy, organized medicine, team leadership, and more – each designed to provide practical insights and concrete takeaways members can apply right away. Slots are limited for the annual event.
All four conferences offer CME for members to earn.
San Antonio internist Nora Vasquez, MD, who attended this year’s Leadership Collective, called TMA’s tailored leadership opportunities at conferences “innovative.”
“[TMA] brings in … opportunities for [physicians] to level up not only our leadership skills, [but also] our communication skills,” the 2020 Leadership College graduate and member of TMA’s Council on Member Experience said.
Who: Physicians under 40 years of age or in the first eight years of practice
When: Annually (applications are due before summer, classes begin in the fall, and graduation occurs during the following TexMed)
Where: TMA headquarters, except graduation at TexMed
Over the years, the Texas Medical Association has built a structured pathway for physicians to learn how to lead not just in their practices, but across organized medicine, in their communities, or anywhere else they want to put their skills to use. At the center of that effort is one complimentary, but competitive, initiative: TMA’s Leadership College.
The selective, year-long leadership training program, established in 2010, serves as an entry point for many physicians seeking formal leadership development.
The college’s education concentrates on skills physicians need to lead effectively in complex professional environments. Participants – selected through a competitive process – take part in leadership and advocacy training sessions held throughout the year, often in conjunction with TMA meetings such as First Tuesdays at the Capitol, TexMed, and the Leadership Collective.
Leadership College applicants must be active TMA members in good standing and must agree to attend all scheduled class sessions, most of which are held in Austin.
Students also complete a capstone project addressing a real-world challenge in health care, where they must apply leadership principles to issues ranging from patient access to physician burnout. Participants submit a short report at the end of the year noting what they did, what they learned, challenges they faced, and any plans for continuation or adjustments for the future before graduating from the college at TexMed every year.
For example, for his capstone project in 2023, Wichita Falls gastroenterologist Joshua Stagg, MD, met with fellow medical professionals at local primary care clinics to promote colorectal cancer screenings and to brainstorm how they could address access issues preventing their patients from undergoing them.
“The meeting was well received,” Dr. Stagg said. “The physicians said no [one else] had ever done anything like this for them in the past.”
As part of her Leadership College project in 2023, Priya Kalia, MD, assistant clinical professor of family medicine at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB), used artificial intelligence to create guidelines for obesity management. She also worked with UTMB’s academic pharmacist to help expedite her clinic’s prior authorizations, reducing paperwork time for staff they could instead focus on patient care.
Shangir Siddique, MD, said he joined the Leadership College because it gave him the opportunity to network among physicians who believe “health care is more than just what we do in the clinic or the operating room.” Looking back, Dr. Siddique said he’s “completely pleased” by his experience. Even as someone experienced with TMA, he “still learned so much… I found it extremely educational.”
Since its inception, the program has seen over 300 graduates – many of whom have gone on to hold leadership roles within their county medical societies or TMA’s boards, councils, and committees.
Where: In person at TMA events,
on-demand online learning
The Texas Medical Association’s free, 18-month Lifelong Leadership Program offers advanced training to any association member physician wanting to expand their leadership skills.
The program consists of tailored curriculum centered on one of three concentrations: organized medicine, practice leadership, or advocacy. Each concentration uses a combination of in-person sessions at TMA events, on-demand learning from the TMA Education Center, dedicated webinars, and attendance at meetings and events.
Odessa allergist and immunologist Vivek Rao, MD, was one of the program’s first participants, joining shortly after it kicked off in 2024.
Dr. Rao said he “enjoyed the program so much” that after completing its organized medicine concentration, he signed up again to undergo its advocacy training – and plans to sign up a third time to complete its practice management track in the future.
“There aren’t too many opportunities out there for physicians to get leadership training, and TMA does it better than anyone else,” the member of TMA’s Council on Legislation said. Dr. Rao says that together, the Leadership College and Lifelong Leadership Program reflect the association’s efforts to build a sustainable pipeline of physician leaders prepared to guide practices, influence legislation, and strengthen Texas health care.
Enrollment is open to TMA member physicians on a rolling basis, and each candidate will have 18 months from the date of enrollment to complete the requirements for their selected curriculum.
Upon completion, participants will earn a certificate valid for five years. Participation is open to all physicians who have completed their residency or fellowship and are interested in growing their leadership skills. Previous participation in TMA’s Leadership College as a young physician is highly encouraged, but not required.
“The leadership programs offered by TMA and the skills you acquire there can be utilized in so many different situations,” Dr. Rao said. “The opportunity to get confidence speaking in front of an audience, obviously can be used not only from an advocacy standpoint, but also in terms of interacting with patients. In so many different ways, leadership is crucial.”
When: On-demand, 90-minute course
As patients enter exam rooms with questions shaped by what they see online, the Texas Medical Association is arming physicians with a tool launched late last year: its Social Media Influencer Academy, designed to help physicians utilize social media at their own pace to combat medical misinformation and strengthen patients’ trust in their physicians.
“Social media is now the way people communicate, and while it’s a space you have to be cautious about, it has tremendous opportunity,” said Kimberly Monday, MD, chair of TMA’s Board of Trustees and Membership Advisory Committee.
The program utilizes scalable virtual learning to educate physicians on creating content tailored to various social media platforms. Its lessons includes short informational modules and information on how to create a brand, including through subject matter, audience, and mission.
The program’s curriculum is hosted in TMA’s Education Center and consists of 11 short chapters, each taking around four to 17 minutes to complete:
• Introduction to Physician Influence Online
• Defining Your Niche and Goals
• The Law, Ethics, and Professional Guidelines
• Branding for Medical Professionals
• Messaging & Storytelling
• Content Pillars for Physicians
• Basic Content Systems for Busy Schedules
• Podcasting for Physicians
• Handling Misinformation and Public Backlash
TMA’s Board of Trustees and Council on Member Experience envisioned a physician social media training program in response to growing member requests that the association invest in a modernized social media engagement strategy, including a pathway to prepare physicians to influence their communities. Those groups also point out that social media presents new ways to share the value of TMA membership and amplify association messages through online platforms.
To help bring this vision to life, TMA engaged a social media marketing professional to develop and produce the program curriculum for the association.
The initiative covers a range of topics. For example, one of the program’s modules “presents messaging strategies to help physicians engage audiences online without compromising patient privacy,” Dr. Monday said.
TMA also has begun upgrading and fine-tuning its organic social media strategies to create more engagement. This includes developing more short-form video, animated graphics, and physician involvement across all channels.
“Physicians are beginning to share information online more often,” Dr. Monday said. “And TMA recognizes that doctors need the right tools to use social media effectively to enhance the patient physician relationship.”