Since graduating from the Texas Medical Association Leadership College (TMALC), Erica Hughes, MD, retains a major takeaway from the program: “having the confidence to encourage others to be leaders.”
She sees the association’s early-career leadership initiative as having a positive butterfly effect, with physicians passing along the knowledge learned during TMALC to their colleagues.
“The skills I learned at the Leadership College were an invaluable part of my professional growth as a leader,” the Burnet pulmonary critical care physician told Texas Medicine Today, reflecting on her time as a part of TMALC’s initial graduating class in 2011.
Established in 2010, the Leadership College is part of the association’s initiative to cultivate strong, lasting physician leadership within organized medicine. Open to early-career physicians in their first eight years of practice, the program is accepting applications for the class of 2026.
Dr. Hughes, the current medical director of Ascension Seton Highland Lakes Hospital and rural clinics, says the six-month program imparted to her TMA’s mission and commitment to advocacy.
“The Leadership College provided me with a great foundation of knowledge about the TMA, and how I could be involved,” she said. “I met so many colleagues around the state doing amazing work.”
Dr. Hughes has since served as president of the Burnet-Lampasas County Medical Society for three terms and as a member of TMA’s Council on Practice Management Services. Her leadership roles include serving as chief of staff at Ascension Seton Highland Lakes and medical director of the hospital's cardiopulmonary rehab program.
“The knowledge I gained [at TMALC] was so helpful, not only in my leadership role at our local county medical society, but also in many aspects of my professional career,” she said.
Prospective members of this 2026 Leadership College class have until June 13 to apply. For more details including the application and selection process, visit the TMALC home page.
Last Updated On
May 23, 2025
Originally Published On
May 23, 2025