Research Thought Leadership

This study explores the role of emotional intelligence in effective leadership within hand surgery, focusing on self-awareness, emotion regulation, and managing interpersonal dynamics to build high-functioning teams. Recommendations are drawn from organizational psychology to enhance clinical practice.

Fletcher, K. A., Friedman, A. M., & Wongworawat, M. D. (2024). Understanding emotional intelligence to enhance leadership and individualized well-being. Hand Clinics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hcl.2024.06.003

This symposium examines disruptive physician behavior, highlighting environmental factors as root causes rather than individual faults. It emphasizes systemic solutions, wellness initiatives, and addressing unique challenges faced by underrepresented groups in orthopaedic surgery.

Ramirez, R. N., Mayerson, J. L., Lewis, V. O., Friedman, A., & Lattanza, L. (2024). AOA Critical Issues Symposium: The Disruptive Physician: Bad Apple or Toxic Tree?The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. American Volume, 10.2106/JBJS.23.01262. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.23.01262

The American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Leadership Development Program was established to cultivate future leaders, focusing on strategic direction and professional growth. The program selects a diverse cohort to advance leadership in shoulder and elbow surgery.

Klifto, C. S., Cheung, E. V., Holcomb, J. O., Frankle, M. A., Duralde, X. A., MacDonald, P. B., Ricchetti, E. T., Aibinder, W. R., Amini, M. H., Barnes, L. F., Byram, I. R., Chalmers, P. N., Chuinard, C. R., Friedman, A., Gilotra, M., Gregory, J. M., Grogan, B. F., Horneff, J. G., 3rd, Kassam, H., Kazanjian, J. E., … Wright, M. (2023). Are Leaders Born to Lead, or Are They Made?Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, S1058-2746(23)00698-5. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jse.2023.08.020

Disruptive physician behavior has become a common problem in medicine. Individuals who conduct themselves in a manner that could negatively affect patient care, or "disruptive physicians," frequently cause stress for patients and staff, are a headache for leadership, and can require expensive remediation. We suggest that rather than "bad apples," many disruptive physicians are the fruit of a "toxic tree."

Friedman, A. M., Lattanza, L., Lewis, V., & Mayerson, J. (2023, June 15). The Disruptive Physician: Bad Apple or Toxic Tree. Symposium presented at the American Orthopedic Association Annual Leadership Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT.

Personality plays an important role in performance in medical education and mentorship. Personality assessment can aid in the ability to identify strengths and areas for development by understanding how one's personality influences their learning and interpersonal relationships. We sought to evaluate personality assessment as an effective tool in mentoring during orthopaedic residency.

Tornetta III, P., Friedman, A. M., Rasad, S., & Kogan, M. (2021, July 13). The Use of Personality Assessment in Mentoring and Self-Reflection in Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Programs. Webinar presented as part of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS) Webinar Plus series (virtual presentation).

This study examines the AONL Nurse Executive Fellowship’s role in developing leadership competencies through self-awareness assessments. Findings highlight how understanding one’s leadership impact can help new nurse executives navigate challenges effectively.

Friedman, A., Hancock, B., & Thompson, P. A. (2021). Data-Based Self-Awareness as the Foundation for Effective Leadership.J Nurs Adm., 51(10), 478-480. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNA.0000000000001049 PMID: 34550100.

This article provides insight into the role personality traits play in the leadership process and the value of data-driven self-reflection as a tool for professional development. Specifically, it reviews modern leadership theories as well as the science of personality, focusing on the five-factor (Big 5) model, and then provides a method of data-driven self-reflection accompanied by hypothetical examples of how leaders at different levels of healthcare organizations can enact these suggestions.

Fletcher, K. A., Mir, H., Friedman, A., & Zuckerman, J. D. (2020). Personality Assessment and Physician Leadership: Using Data-Driven Self-Reflection for Professional Development.Physician Leadership Journal., 7(1), 45-52.

Our research identifies specific personality traits that affect resident communication skills related to patient education and empathy in simulated encounters. Three stress-related personality traits (Excitable, Skeptical, Imaginative) had a strong negative influence on communication skills, while day to day personality traits (Emotional Stability, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness) positively influenced communication skills.

Holmes, K. S., Zuckerman, J. D., Maculatis, M. C., Friedman, A. M., Lawrence, E., & Phillips, D. P. (2020). Personality Predictors of Communication Skills Among Orthopedic Surgery Residents.J Surg Educ., 77(1), 202-212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsurg.2019.08.012 PMID: 31495746.

Personality assessment tools are used effectively in many arenas of business, but they have not been embraced by the medical profession. There is increasing evidence that these tools have promise for helping to match resident candidates to specific fields of medicine, for mentoring residents, and for developing improved leadership in our field. This paper reviews many aspects of personality assessment tools and their use in orthopaedic surgery.

Tornetta, P. I., Jacobs, J. J., Sterling, R. S., Kogan, M., Fletcher, K. A., & Friedman, A. M. (2019). Personality Assessment in Orthopaedic Surgery.J Bone Joint Surg Am., 101(4), e13. https://doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.18.00578

One approach to increasing the efficacy of transformational and transactional leadership within pediatrics is through leaders’ self-reflection on their own personality. We suggest that physician leaders look to personality assessment experts to guide this self-reflection with the aim of gaining a deeper understanding of their own personality.

Fletcher, K. A., Friedman, A. M., & Piedimonte, G. (2019). Transformational Leadership in Healthcare Seen Through the Lens of Pediatrics.Journal of Pediatrics, 204, 7-9.e.

Understanding and assessing trainee personality characteristics may be helpful to medical educators and program leadership in a variety of applications, including specialty advising, residency selection, faculty selection, mentoring, coaching, and remediation.

Jordan, J., Linden, J. A., Maculatis, M. C. H., Gene Hern, H. Jr., Schneider, J. I., Willis, C. P., Marshall, J. P., Friedman, A., & Yarris, L. M. (2019, March 31-April 3). Gender and Personality in Emergency Medicine Residents. Symposium presented at the annual Academic Assembly, Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors, Seattle, WA.

Personality assessment tools are used effectively in many arenas of business, but they have not been embraced by the medical profession. There is increasing evidence that these tools have promise for helping to match resident candidates to specific fields of medicine, for mentoring residents, and for developing improved leadership in our field. This paper reviews many aspects of personality assessment tools and their use in orthopaedic surgery.

Tornetta, P. III, Jacobs, J., Sterling, R., Kogan, M., Fletcher, K., & Friedman, A. M. (2019, February 20). Personality Assessment and Self-Reflection: Tools to Improve Orthopaedic Leadership. The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, The Orthopaedic Forum, 101(4), e13.

The surgeon's personality is renowned in both medical lore and literature. However, it is now known that the personality characteristics of today's millennial trainees differ from older faculty. This study investigates the variability of different personality attributes among otolaryngology residents and faculty, as well as the practical implications of these findings. There are notable differences between residents and faculty in multiple domains, with implications for communication, education, and professional development.

Villwock, J. A., Bowe, S. N., Rotich, D. C., Beltramo, A., Friedman, A., & Kraft, S. M. (2018). What Makes Us Tick: Implications of Personality Differences Among Otolaryngology Residents and Faculty.The Laryngoscope.https://doi.org/10.1002/lary.27727

Our findings suggest that the personality characteristics of EM residents differ considerably from the norm for physicians, which may have implications for medical students’ choice of specialty. Additionally, results indicated that EM residents at different programs are comparable in many areas, but moderate variation in personality characteristics exists. These results may help to inform future research incorporating personality assessment into the resident selection process and the training environment.

Jordan, J., Linden, J. A., Maculaitis, M. C., Hern, H. G., Schneider, J. I., Willis, C. P., Marshall, J. P., Friedman, A., & Yarris, L. M. (2018). Identifying the Emergency Medicine Personality: A Multisite Exploratory Study.Academic Emergency Medicine and Training.https://doi.org/10.1002/aet2.10078

Personality assessments can predict orthopedic surgery resident performance. However, results suggest the traits that faculty members value or reward among residents could be different from the traits associated with improved resident performance.

Phillips, D., et al. (2018). Personality Factors Associated With Resident Performance: Results From 12 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Accredited Orthopaedic Surgery Programs.Journal of Surgical Education, 75(1), 122-131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsurg.2017.06.023

Learn how three training programs used personality assessment - and shared the results with the participants - to assess and facilitate leadership development in orthopedic surgery.

Randall, R. M., Kwong, L., Kuivila, T., et al. (2017). Building Physicians with Self-Awareness. Physician Leadership Journal, 4(3), 40-44.

The goal of the Leadership Education and Development program is to ensure that every USU graduate has the capability to lead interdisciplinary groups of health care professionals, ensuring optimal patient care and safety, even in the most challenging field environments.

Bowe, S. N., & Jones, W. S. (2017). Continuous Leadership Education and Development at the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium. Military Medicine, 182(7), 1624-1627.

This is the first study to investigate the use of personality scores in the selection of neurosurgical residents. The use of personality assessments has the potential to provide insight into an applicant's future behavior as a resident and beyond. This information may be useful in the selection of neurosurgical residents and can be further used to customize the teaching of residents and for enabling them to recognize their own strengths and weaknesses for self-improvement.

Lubelski, D., Healy, A. T., Friedman, A., Ferraris, D., Benzel, E. C., & Schlenk, R. (2016). Correlation of Personality Assessments With Standard Selection Criteria for Neurosurgical Residency Applicants.Journal of Neurosurgery, 125, 986-994.

A commentary describing existing selection criteria and methodology for selecting medical students to orthopaedic and neurosurgical residency programs.

Friedman, A. M. (2016). Using Organizational Science to Improve the Resident Selection Process: An Outsider's Perspective.American Journal of Medical Quality: The Official Journal of the American College of Medical Quality, 31(5), 486-488. https://doi.org/10.1177/1062860615615669

Developing young physicians into high-performing surgical residents is the goal of any surgical training program. Prior work [5] has demonstrated that surgical training programs desire physicians with a certain “surgical personality” that goes beyond talent alone.

Tornetta, P. III, & Bogdan, J. (2016). Orthopaedic Education: Mentorship in Surgical Training: Can Personality Assessment Help? Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, 474, 1125-1128.

Provides in-depth clinical reviews on the business of hand surgery, offering actionable insights for clinical practice.Presents the latest information on this timely, focused topic under the leadership of experienced editors in the field. Authors synthesize and distill the latest research and practice guidelines to create clinically significant, topic-based reviews.

Chapter 10: Personal Development: Building Boundaries, Emotional Intelligence, Effective Communication & Leadership Skills, HCL 40.4 (Saucedo/Raizman), The Business of Hand Surgery