Purpose To evaluate and interpret evidence relevant to leadership curricula in postgraduate medical education (PGME) to better understand leadership development in residency training.

Method The authors conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed, English-language articles from four databases published between 1980 and May 2, 2017 that describe specific interventions aimed at leadership development. They characterized the educational setting, curricular format, learner level, instructor type, pedagogical methods, conceptual leadership framework (including intervention domain), and evaluation outcomes. They used Kirkpatrick effectiveness scores and Best Evidence in Medical Education (BEME) Quality of Evidence scores to assess the quality of the interventions.

Results Twenty-one articles met inclusion criteria. The classroom setting was the most common educational setting (described in 17 articles …