Luming Li, MD, has never missed an opportunity to advocate during her residency in the Yale Department of Psychiatry. She has been a voice for quality care at medical facilities across the Yale network, and has collaborated with colleagues at the medical school to lobby for new patient-friendly laws in Connecticut.
That passion to lead and represent others has taken a new turn for Li, who was recently elected President of the Executive Board of the Yale New Haven Hospital Resident/Fellow Senate. Li, in her fourth year of residency at Yale, is the only Psychiatry resident on the Executive Board, and she may be the first trainee from the department to hold the title of President.
The Senate works to create learning and mentorship opportunities for residents and fellows at the hospital, and helps the residency and fellowship training programs, and the hospital’s Graduate Medical Education Office, collaborate on programs.
Li said she relishes the opportunity to help residents and fellows from different medical programs and specialties make connections. On the Executive Committee alone there are representatives from Psychiatry, Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology, General Surgery, Pediatrics, and Orthopedic Surgery.
“We’re really about developing better collaborations in the different departments because we don’t always get to meet,” Li said. “There’s an opportunity to help the wellbeing of a lot of people from a wellness perspective and a leadership career development perspective. For me this is just a natural development from the work I’ve done in grassroots advocacy.”
Li spent the past year working as the Senate’s Vice President and President-Elect to prepare for her new role. She has already helped to arrange leadership training opportunities for her colleagues in the Senate, including the offering of the Young Physicians’ Leadership Curriculum.
There’s an opportunity to help the wellbeing of a lot of people from a wellness perspective and a leadership career development perspective.
Luming Li, MD, President, Executive Board, Yale New Haven Hospital Resident/Fellow Senate
The free seminar meets once a month, and helps young physicians develop effective skills in leadership, executive decision-making, networking, and negotiation. There are classes to help strengthen emotional intelligence and to assess the intricacies of organizational behavior.
The Senate also works with hospital administrators on quality improvement projects and mentorship opportunities for young physicians, Li said. At its core, the group provides a conduit for residents and fellows to provide feedback about their experiences during training as well as opportunities for leadership, wellness and wellbeing activities, and collaborations between programs.
There are five sub-organizations within the Senate, called Councils, which focus more deeply on advocacy, diversity, education, quality improvement and safety, and wellbeing and wellness. Li said she would like more trainees from Psychiatry to participate.
“I think the Senate is positioned to do great things this year. We’ve had really strong support from the administration,” she said. “I think (the President’s) role is an important one, and it’s something I take on with a lot of pride. It’s a really nice opportunity to lead.”