Physicians in academic medicine and surgery have a tradition of leadership both within health care and society. This past year we have been experienced two pandemics. First was the COVID-19 pandemic which was followed shortly by widespread societal unrest following a surge of violence against people of color. These exposed the vulnerability of our health centers, reopened the wounds of disparities in delivery of health care, and put a spotlight on continued racial inequalities and systemic discrimination and racism. At the center of this severe institutional disruption, leaders will be compelled to take action to keep their constituents and patients safe and their hospitals and departments afloat during and after a pandemic, all while simultaneously addressing and implementing the cultural changes required to eliminate systemic racism and discrimination. Organizational disruptions of this magnitude will naturally test one’s principles, loyalties and responsibilities while challenging the practical burdens of leadership. If the goal of responding to these upheavals is to bring them to resolution and ultimately to bring about organizational change for the better, ethical leadership is critical. A working group of the ASA Council was formed at the time of the ASA's 2018 Annual Meeting and charged with producing a work product to assemble best practices in the principles of ethical leadership. Applying ethical principles allows leaders to chart clear paths to solutions both in the short and long term. In the monograph, the principles of ethical leadership exemplified by case illustrations provide a novel resource to help ensure ethical leadership in academic medicine and beyond.

The living document entitled “Ensuring Ethical Leadership in Academic Medicine“ is a companion to “Ensuring Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Academic Surgery”, and will be posted here on this web page in October 2020.