Internal Medicine Department Chairs: Where They Come From, Why They Leave, Where They Go

The annual turnover of leadership in departments of internal medicine varies widely but is approximately 18% per year, based on data from the last decade. This level of change is in line with turnover of other academic department chairs and is slightly less than the turnover of deans. Yet, little is known about the career pathways of the physicians who accept the position of internal medicine department chair.