This year marks an
important transition for
NSU-COM as I become
the fifth dean of the col-
lege. The superior qual-
ity of my colleagues in
administration, teaching,
and practice of medicine
has enabled me to gather
a group of talented and
committed staff and fac-
ulty members ready to take us into the future.
In developing my plan for growth and success, I designed
a leadership team composed of people with positive attitudes,
who are visionaries. The team was created by a process of
balancing the talents of people that are detailed oriented with
individuals who can see the big picture.
I chose young people who might offer innovative ideas that
differ from the practices of the past and matched them with
people who are more seasoned and have had experiences
on which we could build. The blending of differ-
ent views will help us to stimulate excitement and
growth within the college.
My leadership team was devised by focusing on
the core values of NSU’s Vision 2020, which include
academic excellence, student centered, scholarship/
research, integrity, innovation, diversity, opportu-
nity, and community. The team’s attributes are best
remembered by the vowels
•
A
for attitude
•
E
for educational acumen
•
I
for innovation and insight
•
O
for oversight of details
•
U
for understanding of big picture
Dean’s
Message
By Elaine M. Wallace, D.O., M.S., M.S., M.S.
2
Commitment to Core Values a Key Aspect
of Leadership Paradigm
The preparations and considerations I made hinge on
the establishment of trust because building a team is about
working together and sharing a comfortable reliance on
one another. It is important to know that if one person falls,
someone else is there to continue, to pick him or her up,
while another team member is there to pick up the ball and
run with it.
Having been a field hockey goalie puts the importance of
the team in perspective for me. The goalie represents the last
person there on the field—and it’s my responsibility to get the
job done. Winning teams share experience, inspiration, and
trust. As dean, I am still that goalie, the one who communi-
cates, motivates, and makes sure things get done throughout
the process. With the good support of my team, we will all
work together to get the job done.
My plan is to empower my leadership team and my col-
lege to embrace NSU-COM’s mission to prepare high-quality,
compassionate physicians with an emphasis on primary care
disciplines throughout our diverse and demanding communities.
We pledge to you our best game.
COM Outlook . Spring 2015
STUDENT CENTERED
Dr. Wallace at the NSU
Celebration of Excellence event
with OMS-I Dona Rose (left) and
OMS-II Saamia Shaikh.
