Two University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville (SOMG) faculty have been selected as 2023-2024 fellows for the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® (ELAM®) program and the Executive Leadership in Health Care (ELH) program at Drexel University College of Medicine.  

​Dr. April Buchanan, MD, FAAP, a pediatric hospitalist with Prisma Health and Associate Dean for Medical Education and clinical professor at SOMG, was selected to the ELAM program. Dr. Cami Pfennig, MD, MHPE, FACEP, an emergency medicine physician at Prisma Health, clinical professor at SOMG, and Associate Vice Chair of Academics and program director of the Emergency Medicine Residency program in Greenville, was selected to the ELH program. 

The leadership programs are year-long, part-time fellowships for women faculty and health care leaders.  

ELAM is the only longitudinal program in North America dedicated to preparing women for senior leadership roles in schools of medicine, dentistry, public health, and pharmacy. The prestigious program is dedicated to developing the professional and personal skills required to lead and manage in today's complex health care environment, with special attention to the unique challenges facing women in leadership positions. The ELH program is designed for senior-level women leaders interested in advancing in hospitals and health care systems to positions such as CEO, CMO, CNO and CFO.  

The effectiveness of ELAM and ELH’s distinctive approach to leadership preparation is broadly recognized within the academic health community. ELAM and ELH alumnae number more than 1,300 and serve in leadership positions at over 300 academic health centers around the world. ELAM and ELH carry on the legacy of advancing women in medicine begun by the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania, the nation’s first degree-granting medical school for women and a predecessor of Drexel University College of Medicine, where ELAM and ELH are hosted.  

A total of 96 fellows were selected into the 2023-2024 class of ELAM, and 45 fellows into ELH.  

“The women are exceptional leaders who are capable of making critical systemic change in their institutions,” said Nancy D Spector, MD, executive director of ELAM and ELH. “The need for the highest-quality leaders in academic health care has never been greater, and we are doing everything we can to help meet that need by providing outstanding and innovative leadership training for women.” 

More than 1,300 ELAM and ELH alumnae serve in leadership positions in over 300 academic health centers around the world. USC School of Medicine Greenville and USC have had strong representation in the program, with ELAM alumnae Alyson McGregor, MD, MA, FACEP, (SOMG, Prisma Health), Donna Arnett, PHd, MSPH, (Provost, University of South Carolina) and Dean and Chief Academic Officer Marjorie Jenkins, MD, MEdHP, FACP, (SOMG, Prisma Health).  

“The ELAM Fellowship program has been invaluable to my career in academic and clinical medicine,” said Dean Jenkins. “This is the most competitive and prestigious leadership program for women in academic health centers. We cannot be prouder of Dr. Buchanan and Dr. Pfennig. With this acceptance, they will join an incomparable community of women leaders.”