title: Health Professions Education Scholarship Unit Leaders as Institutional Entrepreneurs.
abstract: Health professions education scholarship units (HPESUs) are organizational structures within which a group is substantively engaged in health professions education scholarship. Little research investigates the strategies employed by HPESU administrative leaders to secure and maintain HPESU success. Using institutional entrepreneurship as a theoretical lens, this study asks: Do HPESU administrative leaders act as institutional entrepreneurs (IEs)?
  
  
  
  This study recontextualizes two preexisting qualitative datasets that comprised interviews with leaders in health professions education in Canada (2011-2012) and Australia and New Zealand (2013-1014). Two researchers iteratively analyzed the data using the institutional entrepreneurship construct until consensus was achieved. A third investigator independently reviewed and contributed to the recontextualized analyses. A summary of the analyses was shared with all authors, and their feedback was incorporated into the final interpretations.
  
  
  
  HPESU leaders act as IEs in three ways. First, HPESU leaders construct arguments and position statements about how the HPESU resolves an institution's problem(s). This theorization discourse justifies the existence and support of the HPESU. Second, the leaders strategically cultivate relationships with the leader of the institution within which the HPESU sits, the leaders of large academic groups with which the HPESU partners, and the clinician educators who want careers in health professions education. Third, the leaders work to increase the local visibility of the HPESU.
  
  
  
  Practical insights into how institutional leaders interested in launching an HPESU can harness these findings are discussed.
authors.affiliation: L. Varpio is associate professor, Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland. B. O'Brien is associate professor of medicine, University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, San Francisco, California. S.J. Durning is professor and director, Graduate Programs in Health Professions Education, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland. C. van der Vleuten is professor of education, Department of Educational Development and Research, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands. L. Gruppen is professor and faculty director, Masters in Health Professions Education program, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan. O. ten Cate is professor and director, Center for Research and Development of Education, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands. S. Humphrey-Murto is associate director, Education Research Support Unit, Department of Innovation in Medical Education, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and director of education research, Department of Medicine, Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. D.M. Irby is professor of medicine, University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, San Francisco, California. S.J. Hamstra is vice president of milestones research and evaluation, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, Chicago, Illinois. W. Hu is chair of medical education and professor, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University School of Medicine, Campbelltown, Australia.
authors.forename: Lara
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Varpio
authors.forename: Bridget
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: J Durning
authors.forename: Cees
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: van der Vleuten
authors.forename: Larry
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gruppen
authors.forename: Olle
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ten Cate
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Humphrey-Murto
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Irby
authors.forename: Stanley J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Hamstra
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hu
mesh_terms: D000288:Administrative Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D002170:Canada; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000191:economics*; D005180:Faculty, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D005257:Fellowships and Scholarships / Q000191:economics*; D005260:Female; D005376:Financial Management / Q000379:methods*; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand