Leadership Coaching

One-on-One Executive Coaching for Physicians

As you learn healthcare business principles through the Physician MBA Program, you also develop your executive presence and leadership capabilities. Each student has unique goals, challenges, strengths and weaknesses related to leadership, and our program offers one-on-one leadership coaching to address these in a private environment for growth. Ours is the only program of its kind that offers leadership coaching to help physician leaders achieve their personal and professional goals. This coaching:

  • Provides ongoing developmental coaching to physician leaders throughout the program.
  • Helps physician leaders understand and apply skills gained from developmental coaching in practical, realistic, and useful ways within their unique organizational environments.
  • Enhances each physician’s leadership development with a highly individualized approach to growth and change.
  • Supports physicians in responding to career advancement opportunities with individualized preparation and strategic planning.

Jennifer Robin

Jennifer Robin has been coaching physicians for more than 20 years. She is a professor of management in the Foster College of Business at Bradley University. Prior to her reappointment in 2021, Robin served as the Dean of the School of Business at Southern Connecticut State University and Associate Dean at Bradley University. Robin has coauthored three books about building culture and creating great workplaces. As a psychologist with a human resource management background, Robin helps physicians understand their role in healthcare leadership, including building effective approaches to negotiation and conflict resolution.

More about Jennifer

Tom Schleeter

Thomas Schleeter, MD, MBA’21, is a cardiologist and physician executive with Ascension Medical Group in Indianapolis and holds various servant leadership positions within the organization. Clinically, he is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, nuclear cardiology and advanced heart failure and cardiac transplant. Dr. Schleeter is also a father who has witnessed first-hand the challenges that patients and healthcare providers face daily. Dr. Schleeter is a 2021 graduate of the Physician MBA Program and certified executive coach from the Center for Executive Coaching.

Valerie Vogt Pape

Valerie Vogt Pape is a training and development professional who uses leadership coaching to develop skills and self-awareness. She has more than 20 years of business experience in human resources, marketing, underwriting, internal consulting, and strategic planning, primarily at Baxter Healthcare Corporation and Kemper Insurance companies. Pape coaches and facilitates for Bradley’s Maximizing Leadership Potential program in partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership. She is certified to use several assessments in her coaching, including emotional intelligence and multi-source feedback. Pape has been a faculty member at Bradley University in the Foster College of Business since 2003.

Dana Ray

Dana Ray, MD, is a family and addiction medicine physician who serves as the medical director for Crossing Recovery Center in Decatur, Illinois. In her time there, Dr. Ray has successfully improved the quality assurance program, medical provider job satisfaction, and provider retention. She works with the Illinois Primary Healthcare Association on multiple projects, including mentoring new medical directors. Dr. Ray is an Army Reserve veteran and a mother. She understands the demands of being a working parent and offers practical advice on how to balance a career and family.

My executive coach allowed me to ask the hard questions and gain honest feedback that perhaps others wouldn’t be able to give, with constructive advice on what to do with it. When I took over as department chair, I leaned on my coach during a mission, vision and values exercise, and I was thrilled with the outcome. I’m not sure I would’ve had the same experience without my coach.

Christopher McDowell, MD, MBA’19 | Emergency Medicine Physician and David L. Griffin Endowed Chair of Emergency Medicine at Southern Illinois School of Medicine