the ground’ – to gain an authentic understanding of the issues that are being addressed. In addition, it was a greatly beneficial experience in clarifying the governance structures within the LHD, particularly the pathways involved in escalating issues relating to clinical practice, as well as opportunities for formal engagement with leadership roles. 4 Overall, how would you describe your experience with the FLASH program? As participants in the pilot program, we all felt FLASH was a resounding success and look forward to maintaining the connections we made with our early-career colleagues. I would like to acknowledge the tireless effort of Associate Professor Sandra Turner, Ms Jane Bolster, Dr Henry Maung, Dr Francesca Rannard, Ms Sonja Cronjé, A/Prof Anthony Glover and Ms Cecilia Keung, who formed the backbone of the FLASH committee – without them, the program would not have been possible. For anyone considering participating in the FLASH program in future, you will not be disappointed.
experience as a clinician and entrepreneur Professor Carmelle Peisah on approaching resistance to change Associate Professor Kristopher Rallah-Baker, Associate Professor Rhea Liang and Dr Renee Lim who shared
The FLASH program provided me with the opportunity to shadow a senior leader within our LHD. I was lucky enough to spend a day with both Deborah Willcox (Chief Executive, NSLHD) and Dr Adam Rehak (Clinical Director, Division of Surgery and Anaesthesia, RNSH). As a clinician, most of what I had previously learned about leadership had come from observation of mentors, and usually centred on the immediate clinical care team. However, in a broader context, the concept of leadership felt somewhat vague and removed from daily clinical practice. The shadowing experience provided a valuable insight into this world and consolidated the FLASH course content. It highlighted the complexity of the competing pressures that must be equitably balanced on an administrative level when running a healthcare system, as well as the importance of personally engaging with team members – particularly those ‘on 3 What was the highlight of the program? difficult interactions and to form a framework to approach conflict productively.
Q&A RNSH Endocrine Surgeon Excels in FLASH Program
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inspiring insights into their personal journeys on driving culture change in the workplace. The overarching theme of self- care was interwoven through the seven sessions. Ms Sonja Cronje, a professional coach, guided us through mindfulness activities and offered individual coaching sessions to participants. The importance of self-awareness and reflection were reinforced, and were particularly relevant to understanding our individual responses to conflict and stress. In preparation for the FLASH program, we completed the Insights Discovery psychometric profile to help us better understand our communication and interpersonal interaction methods, as well as to identify styles of communication we find more difficult to engage with. This was revisited in several contexts throughout the program, and it provided us with the tools to optimise
Dr Alex Papachristos
The FLASH program was designed by a diverse interprofessional team and aims to bridge the gap between clinicians and leaders within the healthcare system, specifically targeting early career consultants, and was developed around the Australian Health Leadership LEADS framework. 1 What is the FLASH program? The program was conducted over a seven-month period, with monthly full day sessions – this was initially delivered online due to COVID-19 restrictions, but culminated in two fantastic face-to-face sessions. Through the comprehensive and well- structured program, we explored the theoretical foundations and practical considerations relevant to leadership, culture change, 2 What does the program involve?
and driving innovation within the healthcare context. We were privileged to have Professor Kevin Lowe from the University of Sydney Business School to help us apply structure to the way we conceptualise accessible, described the lessons we can learn from high-performing teams, and provided us with the language necessary to engage with the leadership community of practice. Other particularly engaging talks were delivered by: • leadership. He made the theoretical content highly
Dr Alex Papachristos is a general and endocrine surgeon at RNSH, who is currently undertaking a PhD exploring novel therapy in advanced thyroid cancer. In 2021, Dr Papachristos took part in the pilot Fostering Leadership Across Systems in Health (FLASH) program.
Professor Bruce Robinson on demystifying the governance structures within the Australian healthcare system Professor Peter Hockey and Mr Graeme Loy on the executive perspectives in the healthcare leadership context Professor Tony Young on his
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FLASH Program participants
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Endocrine Surgery Annual Report 2021
Endocrine Surgery Annual Report 2021
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