Greetings from Ghana!
I have been in Northern Ghana for the last 1.5 years leading the Medicine and Pediatrics initiatives for AMPATH, a new academic partnership between New York University, Tamale Teaching Hospital and the University of Development Studies. In this role, I primarily partner with the leadership of both departments and together, identify opportunities for partnership and growth in clinical care, education, and research.
To be honest, as an ACHIEVE fellow, I’ve struggled a bit in frame shifting from this role that so strongly emphasizes co-leadership and equal partnership, to one of leading a research team. I often equate my AMPATH role as one of sowing seeds and nourishing the ones that grow (however slowly or quickly). It is hugely important to me that “my” accomplishments are really achieved together with my local counterparts, and reflect locally identified priorities, partnership, and co-design.
In this ACHIEVE fellowship year and project, I do not have the same equivalent of co-leadership that I do in my AMPATH role, as there is only one Primary Investigator on this project! Of course, I am so grateful to have amazing local and US-based mentors, and trust and buy-in from my local co-investigators and community partners. But unsurprisingly, my usual method of “seeing what sticks” does not work so well in the context of a research project with specific timelines and constraints. Therefore, my research team is looking to me for leadership and guidance to move every step of this project forward. Somehow, that feels like a different weight than my role has been here in the last year.
Ultimately, I think sitting in this discomfort is a good thing. I am learning how to lead in a different, but necessary way as an early career global health researcher. I am learning to tune my leadership style (https://www.imd.org/reflections/leadership-styles/ – a helpful read!) in the context of this research project, and to be honest, I am still tuning! Nevertheless, I am deeply appreciative of this research fellowship opportunity to not only learn specific research skills, but to grow as a leader. For now, one approach I have taken is to try to understand the career motivations of my team, and infuse our meetings with learning opportunities for all of us. I am curious what other approaches my co-fellows have taken to inspire their research assistants and partners?