Julie Thacker, MD, Associate Professor of Surgery, was selected as a member of the 2020-2021 class of fellows for the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® (ELAM) Program at Drexel University College of Medicine. ELAM is a prestigious year-long fellowship aimed at expanding the national pool of outstanding women candidates for leadership in academic medicine, dentistry, public health and pharmacy. Dr. Thacker is also medical director of the Department of Surgery Clinical Research Unit (CRU) and a member of the Duke Cancer Institute. Acceptance to ELAM is highly competitive, and each applicant must be nominated by the dean and supported by their chair. There is an internal selection process at Duke, and the institution is able to select only 1-2 individuals per year to apply to the program. Those interested in considering ELAM in the future should begin conversations with their chair early, and notify Vice Dean for Faculty Ann Brown of their potential interest.