Preparing the Next Generation of Leaders and Change Agents [Video]

February 2, 2024

In this Grand Rounds presentation, Dr. Mathews will discuss strategies for training medical students to be leaders and change agents in medicine and society at large. Many medical students bring passion to our profession and are often distressed to learn about the entrenched structural inequities within the US health care system. This combination of passion and distress can lead students to jump to solutions that have the potential to do more harm than good. By focusing on self-awareness, moral humility, perspective taking, teamwork, and cultivating a “lifelong learner” mindset, Dr. Mathews prepares students for leadership as a long-term endeavor that is best done in partnership with others. She will review both opportunities and challenges with this approach.

Katherine Mathews, MD, MPH, MBA, is an Ob/gyn physician with a background in international work, healthcare administration, and public health. She has lived and worked in St. Louis, Missouri, for over 25 years and has been engaged in many regional initiatives to improve access to quality care for low-income communities. She currently serves as the Associate Dean of Health Systems Science at Saint Louis University School of Medicine where she teaches leadership and oversees many community focused initiatives.