AUTHOR=Rodríguez-Feria Pablo , Giraldo-Noack Natalia , Garcia-Arango Susana , Paric Martina , Babich Suzanne , Magaña Laura , Hernández-Flórez Luis Jorge , Czabanowska Katarzyna 
  
TITLE=The Meaning of Leadership in Medical Education in the Pan American Health Organization Member States: A Stakeholder Analysis and Interviews
  
JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health
  
VOLUME=Volume 71 - 2026
  
YEAR=2026
  
URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2026.1608502
  
DOI=10.3389/ijph.2026.1608502
  
ISSN=1661-8564
  
ABSTRACT=ObjectiveConceptualizing leadership in undergraduate medical education in the member states of the Pan American Health Organization.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were done with the stakeholders who worked in a member state of the Pan American Health Organization. Three steps were followed to identify them: stakeholder analysis, networking by the authors, and snowballing. Content analysis and a member checking process were used to achieve agreement on the themes and codes.ResultsThirty-four stakeholders were interviewed. Health-promoting leadership and expanding the borders of medicine are the central concepts for education and training in leadership as they focus on achieving people’s wellbeing and health. Leading and leadership antonyms, models of our own: Leadership signature in the Americas, and challenges: health, public health, and health systems and services are the peripheral domains that aim to differentiate leadership from other concepts and the target audience, which includes undergraduate medical education, other professions, and individuals without a profession.ConclusionWe encourage the member states of the Pan American Health Organization to consider this research as foundation for leadership education and training which can contribute to strengthening capacities in undergraduate medical education and other audiences to enhance population wellbeing and health across the Americas.