Twelve Tennessee Medical Association (TMA) physician members graduated from the Ingram Institute for Physician Leadership Immersion Program’s 2026 class on July 25. Participants convened twice over the summer- once at a Monteagle retreat and once in Nashville- to hone leadership skills that will improve their effectiveness within the practice of medicine and their communities.

The 2026 Physician Leadership Immersion Program featured the following graduates: 

Allison Ford, MD: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (U.T. LeBonheur); Alvaro Manrique Garcia, MD: Cardiac Electrophysiology (Erlanger Health System); Bruce "DW" Johnson, MD: Anesthesiology (Cookeville Regional Medical Center); Chris Marshall, MD: Family Medicine (Medical Specialty Clinic); Cynthia Rector, MD: Psychiatry/Neurology (Omni Community Health); Dharmendrakumar Patel, MD: Cardiology (Erlanger Health System); Jamal Maatouk, MD: Medical Oncology (Tennessee Oncology); Jonathan Becker, MD: Addiction Medicine/Psychiatry (Synaptic Psych); Michael Steele, MD: Family Medicine (Premier Medical Group); Dixon Dorand, MD: Internal Medicine (Tennessee Oncology); Ryan Hackett, MD: Family Medicine (Ballad Health); Stephen Gondek, MD: General Surgery (VUMC Department of Trauma and Surgical Care)

“The Ingram Institute’s Leadership Immersion program has a long-standing tradition of providing physicians with foundational leadership training and crucial skills development,” said Beth Lentchner, Senior Director of Leadership and Education for Tennessee Medical Association. “In addition, the retreat-like environment enhances the providers’ ability to learn and grow.”

Participants finish this program equipped to lead in their clinical practice and in their community and receive a Certification in Physician Leadership.

“This course is an excellent primer for physicians that have started, or are considering starting down the path of leadership,” said Bruce ‘DW’ Johnson, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Cookeville Regional Medical Center. “We don’t always get to choose if we are chosen for that path, but we can choose to make that path easier and more effective. TAKE THE COURSE!”

Funding for the Ingram Institute comes from the Tennessee Foundation for Quality Patient Healthcare (TFQPH), TMA’s certified 501(c)3 not-for-profit foundation. To support continued leadership development of physicians in Tennessee, click here to make a donation. Those interested in giving can also mail a check payable to TFQPH to TMA headquarters at 701 Bradford Ave. Nashville, TN 37204. 

TMA is now accepting applications for the 2027 course, and spaces typically fill early. The Immersion program retreat dates for 2027 will be the weekends of June 25^th and July 23^rd.

To learn more about the Ingram Institute and apply, visit tnmed.org/leadership-training.