School of Public Health Professor Chosen for National Leadership Program in Academic Health Science

ALBANY, N.Y. (July 9, 2014) — Mary Gallant, an associate professor at the University at Albany, has been named a fellow in the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® (ELAM) Program, a year-long part-time fellowship for female faculty in schools of medicine, dentistry and public health.

UAlbany health policy expert Mary Gallant (photo by Mark Schmidt)

ELAM® is North America’s only program dedicated to preparing women for senior leadership roles in academic health science institutions, where they enhance institutional leadership diversity while contributing to organizational strategy and innovation.

Gallant, an associate professor in UAlbany’s School of Public Health Department of Health Policy, Management, & Behavior, also serves as the school’s associate dean for academic affairs. She is among 54 nationwide scholars chosen as a 2014-15 ELAM fellow, which is a core program of the Institute for Women's Health and Leadership at Drexel University College of Medicine, in Philadelphia, PA.

“I am delighted that Professor Mary Gallant has been named a recipient of the ELAM Fellowship,” said School of Public Health Dean Philip C. Nasca. “She is a leader in our School of Public Health, and I am confident that her participation in this program will be of significant benefit to the school and University.”

Gallant will participate in three week-long in-residence sessions combined with distance learning, designed to allow her to take leadership lessons from the classroom and put them into practice at UAlbany. Each fellow must also conduct an “Institutional Action Project,” developed in collaboration with senior institutional leadership that focuses upon a strategic institutional priority. Program completion is scheduled for April 2015.

Gallant’s research expertise pertains to health promotion among older adults. Her current studies focus on psychosocial influences on the self-care behaviors of older adults and those with chronic illness, as well as falls prevention. In her role as associate dean, Gallant also oversees the school’s current academic programs and the development of new programs.

ELAM fellows are chosen based on their superlative capacity for leading organizational change. The program’s more than 800 alumnae include women now serving in a variety of leadership positions around the world, including department chairs, research center directors, deans and college presidents, as well as chief executives in health care and accrediting organizations.

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