RESUMEN
AIM: The study describes the genesis of the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Healthcare Leadership Academy (HLA), highlights the HLA's outcomes, discloses how the HLA has changed, and delineates future directions for academic health center (AHC) interprofessional leadership training. BACKGROUND: While interprofessional training is recognized as an important component of the professional education for health professionals, AHCs have not focused on interprofessional leadership training to prepare future AHC leaders. As professional bureaucracies, AHCs require leadership distributed across different professions; these leaders not only should be technical experts, but also skilled at interprofessional teamwork and collaborative governance. METHODS: The HLA is examined using the case method, which is supplemented with a descriptive analysis of program evaluation data and outcomes. RESULTS: The HLA has created a networked community of AHC leaders; the HLA's interprofessional team projects foster innovative problem solving. CONCLUSIONS: Interprofessional leadership training expands individuals' networks and has multiple organizational benefits.