Some of the most important leadership moves in orthopaedic surgery don’t start with ambition, they start with a moment of need. Dr. Lundy sits down with Dr. Kevin Black, MD, FAOA to unpack how a busy sports medicine surgeon at Penn State evolves into an orthopaedic department chair, then steps into rare territory as interim dean and later interim vice dean for education.
We talk candidly about the leadership transition from clinician to chair, and why the skill set is fundamentally different from technical excellence. Kevin lays out what he sees as the non-negotiables for physician leadership in academic medicine: integrity, trust, and a servant-leader mindset shaped by mentors and life experience. He also shares the real-world logistics behind the title, including how he gradually cut back clinical time, what it takes to stay credible with colleagues, and the uncomfortable but necessary decision to stop operating when volume drops and standards matter most.
From there, the lens widens. The jump from department chair to medical school dean brings new reporting lines, board relationships, and institution-wide responsibility for education and research, all while navigating unrest, COVID-era financial pressures, and shifting expectations. Kevin also tells the story of a high-stakes LCME reaccreditation push: nine months, a massive submission, and a team effort that demanded everything he’d learned about leading under pressure.
If you care about orthopedic surgery leadership, physician executives, healthcare administration, or the future of academic medicine, subscribe, share the episode, and leave a review.