Chief Wellness Officer Course and Training Program
Designing and Leading Well-being at the System-Level
Course Dates: July 19 - 24, 2026
The application is closed for the 2026 course. Please join our interest list if you would like to be notified of future course dates.
Program Description
The Stanford Medicine WellMD & WellPhD Chief Wellness Officer (CWO) Course and Training Program is an executive education program and learning community hosted annually for approximately 50 executive leaders with system-wide responsibilities for advancing clinician well-being. Applicants are carefully selected, based on their role and scope, to spend an immersive week with our core faculty and engage in a broader community of program alumni for one year following the onsite course.
Using the Stanford Model of Occupational Well-Being™ and extensive experience of program faculty, the CWO Course and Training Program includes pre-work, lectures, group activities, and faculty office hours designed to help participants cultivate expertise in the principles and applications that contribute to clinician well-being. The program teaches participants how to use influence, relationships, expertise, and data to lead the development of a shared vision for clinician well-being in large, complex organizations. The program equips participants to advance well-being and catalyze progress through data-informed strategic priorities.
Educational Objectives
- Strengthen your ability to lead organizational change by identifying strategic opportunities and organizational leverage points to improve clinician well-being and professional fulfillment.
- Apply evidence-informed frameworks to design, prioritize, and implement an organizational strategy tailored to your organization that enhances clinician well-being and professional fulfillment.
- Collaborate effectively with executive leaders and cross-functional partners to integrate clinician well-being and professional fulfillment into broader organizational priorities.
- Identify key principles in developing strategic priorities for your organization’s well-being improvement efforts.
- Build a trusted network of peers and faculty mentors to support your ongoing growth as an executive leader advancing clinician well-being and professional fulfillment initiatives.
Target Audience
The program is designed for executive healthcare leaders with system-wide responsibilities who have their organization’s support and resources to initiate or expand a focus on clinician health and well-being across the system. In addition to physician well-being, program participants may also oversee the professional well-being and fulfillment of populations beyond physicians. The roles of participants typically include the following titles: Chief Wellness Officer, Chief Medical Officer, Chief of Staff, Chief Experience Officer, Chief Quality Officer, Associate Dean/Senior Associate Dean, and other senior leadership roles.
Application Process
The application for the 2026 CWO Course and Training Program has closed.
A complete application is required to be considered for acceptance into this program. This is a high-demand course with limited space, so we encourage you to apply as early as possible. The application must be completed online. Applications will not be accepted by email or other means. In addition to the questions on the application link, please have the following attachments ready before you apply:
- Resume/CV
- Applicant questionnaire
- Letter of support from an executive leader within your organization (i.e., Dean, CEO, COO, or CMO) stating that the organization is committed to driving physician well-being as a strategic priority and that you are leading those efforts at an organization-wide level.
2026 Fee: $14,800.00*
The full program includes:
- Pre-work, program materials, and access to a learning management portal with key publications and other resources.
- Registration, attendance, program materials, activities, and most meals for the week-long immersion, which begins with an evening reception on Sunday and ends at noon on Friday.
- Access to 1:1 meetings with course faculty during office hours at the onsite course.
- Network of colleagues and facilitated alumni community for one year following the course.
- Priority access for members of your team to attend the Stanford Medicine WellMD & WellPhD Center's Physician Well-being Director Course.
Hotel Information: If you are accepted to the program, you will be eligible to book your stay at the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay at a discounted course rate.