By Daryl Buchanan | News & Views

Earlier this year, AACVPR launched its Leadership Development Academy, designed to enhance leadership skills for professionals in the multidisciplinary fields of cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation.

The seven-month, virtual program was created when Matthew Thomas, MS, MBA, ACSM-CEP, FAACVPR, course co-director of the Leadership Development Academy, discovered knowledge gaps that needed to be filled after conversations with AACVPR affiliate organizations and industry professionals.

Kate Traynor, RN, MS, MAACVPR, also a course co-director for the Leadership Development Academy, noted that common questions were being asked that highlighted areas where professionals could benefit from greater insights.

“There’s a real need to help people access the right information that aids them in building leadership skills. We wanted to help individuals take that step forward and not be afraid to take on a leadership role in their careers,” says Traynor.

Developing Leaders

A good deal of thought and care has gone into the development of the curriculum. Under the guidance of industry experts and course directors, participants learn and grow through an online community discussion board. They also participate in live cohort meetings that give participants the opportunity to share insights, discuss module topics, and solve problems.

The overwhelming response to the inaugural Leadership Development Academy underscores the program's success in addressing the identified knowledge gap and its resonance with AACVPR members. Approximately 150 applications were received, from which 50 participants were selected to participate in 2025. This initial cohort includes a diverse range of cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation professionals from across the country.

Traynor attributes the high level of interest to the industry's substantial need for leadership development. “The selection process for this inaugural offering was competitive,” she notes. “We were as thoughtful about selecting participants as we were about developing the faculty and curriculum.”

The importance of the Academy and its goals necessitated that the faculty be among the most talented in their fields. And Thomas said the teaching faculty is “the best of the best.”

He continued, “We made a really strong effort to find who we thought are the most prolific and innovative professionals, not just in cardiopulmonary but within the respective spaces for the Academy modules. They are very well respected in their fields.”

According to Thomas, the value of a talented and accomplished faculty is their ability to mentor and support the participants’ professional skill development through varied learning opportunities. Ultimately, this empowers AACVPR professionals to elevate standards within the profession.

Finding Solutions

Academy participants are tasked with identifying a critical challenge within their program and subsequently developing a plan and method of evaluation to address that challenge. This is known as the Capstone Project, and it is the culmination and synthesis of knowledge and principles gained from their matriculation through the Leadership Development Academy.

Thomas and Traynor highlight the Capstone Project as vital to the Academy's mission, equipping participants with the tools and learning opportunities to implement actionable changes in their programs. Furthermore, the project fosters participants’ leadership capabilities and enables them to assist peers in effectively solving problems. “We believe we have built a strong curriculum that gives them the tools to address the challenges they have identified,” says Thomas.

Professional development continues beyond the Academy coursework. Graduates will be recognized in a ceremony at the 40th AACVPR Annual Meeting in West Palm Beach, Florida, where some will have the opportunity to present their Capstone Projects, enhancing their public speaking skills and positioning them as emerging leaders in their field.

“This is the celebratory part of this program, but it also provides an opportunity for participants to gain some public speaking skills and emerge as a rising leader in their field,” says Traynor.

Looking to the Future

While the program is new, initial feedback has been positive. Thomas notes that participants are engaged, invested, and serious about their work, as evidenced by their activity in their community on AACVPR Central, an online discussion forum.

As the summer nears, Thomas and Traynor will begin early discussions and work to prepare for the second Leadership Development Academy. They say a more formal evaluation will take place later in the year and that this feedback will help guide future offerings of the Academy.

Thomas and Traynor also acknowledge an ambitious project such as this has been a team effort. “One thing I'd really like to communicate is the passion of the people that have been involved in developing this,” says Thomas, who credits the entire AACVPR staff for their work as well as sponsors LSI and Weaver and Company for their generous support. "I mean, everybody has been just excitedly supportive of getting this off the ground.”

“It’s been a lot of work, but it’s never felt like work,” Thomas adds. “I think that reflects what our participants are feeling. It’s empowering to them, and I truly believe this will fill the crucial gap we identified.”

News & Views will follow the journeys of three of those participants. Check back for reflections on their experience as they move through the Academy.

 

 

Kasey Jepsen-Large, MA, CEP, CCRP, FCSCR, is a clinical exercise physiologist with 13 years of experience specializing in cardiac rehabilitation. Kasey currently works for Providence Medical Group in Napa, California, and serves on the Board of Directors for the California Society for Cardiac Rehabilitation (CSCR) in the role of Member at Large.  

 

 

 

 

Vanessa Pahlad-Singh, MS, CCRP, is the program director and lead clinical exercise physiologist for Montefiore Medical Centers Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.  It’s not a job, she emphasizes, but “a chance to make a difference.” Pahlad-Singh has lectured at three AACVPR National conferences, discussing her experiences with virtual cardiac rehab.

 

 

 

 

Gregory Scharf, BS, CEP, CCRP, is currently the cardiopulmonary rehab system manager for MyMichigan Health, where he oversees nine cardiac and eight pulmonary rehab programs serving patients across 25 counties. He currently sits on the AACVPR Education and Michigan Cardiac Rehab Network Advisory Committees and continues to represent at Day on the Hill.

 

 

 

For more information on the AACVPR Leadership Development Academy click here.