Jennifer M. Schlener, Secretary of the Board of Directors of National Medical Fellowships (NMF) and Chief of Staff of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), reflects on her career and her commitment to the mission of NMF. 

Jennifer M. Schlener said she has always been hardwired to focus on things far greater than herself. 

“I quickly developed a lifelong dedication to and passion for the nonprofit space,” she said. 

Schlener independently joined NMF’s Board of Directors in 2020 after more than a decade of engagement with the organization via her work with the AAMC, a not-for-profit dedicated to transforming health through medical education, health care, medical research, and community collaborations.

“The AAMC has the important mission of leading and serving academic medicine to improve the health of people everywhere. Similar to the work of NMF, thinking about diversity, equity, and inclusion is a significant priority for us.” 

While her career in not-for-profit academic health care isn’t necessarily surprising, Schlener said it wasn’t initially on her radar, with Schlener earning her bachelor’s degree in English from Franklin & Marshall College (F&M). 

“I had planned to replicate my transformative experience at F&M and become a private school teacher, but instead I was given the amazing opportunity to stay at F&M and work in development and alumni relations for my alma mater,” Schlener said, reflecting on the opportunity that would launch her 15-plus-year career in fundraising. 

As the director of alumni programs and annual giving at F&M, Schlener said she viewed fundraising as an opportunity to harvest the passions of individuals and match them to the needs of an institution.

She then transferred these skills from Lancaster to Hershey, PA, and entered the world of academic medicine, first serving as director of the Children’s Miracle Network and last as director of development and alumni relations for health affairs at Pennsylvania State University’s Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and College of Medicine. 

“I was more excited and energized than intimidated to learn about the broad sector of academic medicine, which brings together medical education, research, and patient care,” Schlener said. “I knew I was joining a great team, a fantastic and important cause, and that the fundamentals of what makes a good fundraiser would still apply – build connections, have patience and perseverance, and always keep the priorities of your organization at the forefront.” 

In 2007, Schlener accepted the intriguing invitation of Darrell G. Kirch, M.D., who had been the senior vice president, dean, and CEO at Penn State Hershey, to join the AAMC soon after he became the AAMC’s president and CEO in 2006. Taking a turn on her career pathway, she left her professional fundraising role to become deputy chief of staff. 

Today, Schlener serves as chief of staff, a role in which she partners with the AAMC’s current president, David J. Skorton, M.D., to champion and support the implementation of AAMC’s strategic plan, serves on the executive team, supports the work of the Board of Directors, advances the culture of the AAMC, and facilitates leadership development workshops both internally and externally.

“Having been at AAMC for 17 years now and observing leadership transitions at AAMC’s member institutions, I’ve developed a real interest in leadership and organizational development. I’m also someone who benefited from mentors during my time at Penn State Hershey and at the AAMC, and I appreciate the importance of both the ‘inner and outer’ work of leadership.  

“I am therefore very fortunate to have the support to teach leadership frameworks and applications to both our AAMC staff and constituents at our member institutions.” 

Schlener said effective leadership is especially important today given the various headwinds the academic medicine community is facing, including challenges to diversity, equity, and inclusion, a shifting health care workforce, climate change, reproductive rights, modern technologies like artificial intelligence, the wellbeing of health care providers, and a polarized country. 

The AAMC, Schlener added, learns from its members and studies trends and data to determine how best to convene its members and other thought leaders, identify and promote leading practices, and advocate effectively to support medical school and academic health system leaders in navigating these challenges.

“Every one of these challenges has such high stakes, so from health equity to climate change to reproductive rights, the AAMC will continue to make data-driven policy decisions,” Schlener said.

This intersection of advocacy is just one piece of the long-standing and strong working relationship between NMF and AAMC – a deep and rich partnership Schlener said significantly pre-dated her time with the AAMC. 

“NMF must advocate for issues of health equity and social determinants of health, and address systemic racism, because first and foremost, all these factors can affect someone’s ability to even begin to see themselves as a potential future physician. It’s being able to see others who look like them doing this work that’s going to make the difference in how a young person views their future career potential.” 

Schlener said she has the greatest admiration for Michellene Davis, Esq., president and CEO of NMF, for recognizing NMF’s core focus of providing scholarship support to those underrepresented in medicine while also taking notice of the upstream effects. 

“Whether it’s through our strategic focus on financial support of our physicians-in-training, building community and networking among our NMF alumni, mental health resources, or early education enrichment, Michellene has expanded the creative ways in which NMF can support its scholars into and throughout their careers,” Schlener added.

Schlener also serves on the Board of Directors for Physicians for Peace (PFP), most currently as Past Chair. 

“PFP employs a model to ‘teach one, heal many’ by connecting international medical educators to work with health care partners in some of the most under-resourced parts of the globe to ensure access to safe surgical care,” Schlener said. 

“PFP, NMF, AAMC – these organizations have my heart. They all have incredible, likeminded missions and are fortunate to be led by extraordinarily strong and passionate leaders with brilliant experts within the organizations.” 

Schlener said she is especially inspired by the power of the direction that NMF’s executive team and its Board are pointing the organization toward with its current strategic plan. 

“Combined with the talent that NMF is recruiting onto the Board, I think that’s where we’ll be able to use our collective voices even more effectively for change.”

Schlener also continues to serve on the Leadership Council at F&M, co-leads her church’s mission campaign, and has served on the Boards of local theatres and the Lancaster Division of the American Heart Association. 

“I am driven every day by servant leadership,” Schlener said. “There are such disparities in today’s world, how can we not lean into organizations like NMF, which truly can transform and save lives?”