Research
Research and Publications on Physician and Scientist Well-Being
Physician and healthcare professional well-being has been regularly featured in plenary sessions, workshops, and breakout sessions at the national meetings of a number of major professional societies. As a leader in physician well-being research, the WellMD & WellPhD Center has led or co-authored many recent studies and publications.
Featured Publications
Addressing the impact of work on personal relationships for physicians
Physicians, on average, experience a greater negative impact of work on personal relationships (IWPR) than workers in other fields. Recent research by WellMD & WellPhD Center faculty, published in JAMA Network Open, demonstrated that the Relationships Recharge, a weekend experience for couples created and led by the Center, was associated with statistically significant improvements in burnout, self-valuation, and the impact of work on personal relationships (IWPR).
Reducing documentation burden with support of an ambient AI scribe
Stanford Medicine is using a new ambient AI scribe tool to help physicians spend less time on paperwork and more time with patients. This technology quickly creates drafts of clinical notes, which has already led to significant time savings and reduced stress. Recent studies have shown that the AI technology was used in over half of patient visits and helped cut down documentation time by nearly seven minutes a day. This innovative tool shows promise in enhancing efficiency, reducing burnout, and improving patient interactions.
Publications by Topic
Foundational Original Research
Epidemiology of Occupational Well-being and Personal Consequences
Healthcare Quality and Economic Effects of Physician Well-being
Determinants of Physician Occupational Distress and Well-Being
Demographic variables, cultural factors, medical practice policy and procedures, incentives, and payer mix.
Intervention Trials, Meta-analyses, and Systematic Reviews
Assessment of Physician Occupational Well-being
Foundational Perspective Articles and Reviews
Publications by Year
Barron, L., Shanafelt, T., Cotton, R., Ghanta, R., & Moon, M. (2026). RF107. Dynamic Bio-Psychologic Profiles: Tracking Burnout and Recovery in Surgical Trainees. The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, 171(4), S184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2026.03.555
Bentley, S. K., Iavicoli, L., Alvarez, A., Doehring, M., Karalius, V., & Deutsch, A. J. (2026). Emergency Department or Battleground? Confronting Workplace Violence Against Staff in Emergency Departments Through Education and Systems Reform. AEM Education and Training, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/aet2.70132
Brower, K. J., Litt, I. F., & Shanafelt, T. D. (2026). Retirement: Fostering Physician Well-being Over the Career Life Cycle. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 101(1), 179-186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2025.05.027
Collins, T., Shanafelt, T., Purkey, N., Singh, M., & Sanford, R. (2026). (Re)defining Success in Academic Medicine: From Metrics to Meaning. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 10(2), 279–295. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/18166
Fischer, A., Shanafelt, T. D., Dyrbye, L. N., West, C. P., Sinsky, C. A., Tutty, M., Wang, H., Carlasare, L. E., & Trockel, M. T. (2026). Occupational distress factors associated with suicidal ideation among physicians and comparison with other US workers. Academic Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1093/acamed/wvag179
Harry, E., Evans, J., Wang, H., Liebschutz, J. M., Berliner, J., Lin, C., Quinn, M., & Shanafelt, T. D. (2026). Differences in physician task load are associated with gender variance in physician well-being metrics. BMJ Quality & Safety, bmjqs-2025-019297. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2025-019297
Harry, E., Sinsky, C., Dyrbye, L. N., Makowski, M. S., Trockel, M., Tutty, M., Carlasare, L. E., West, C. P., & Shanafelt, T. D. (2026). Corrigendum to Physician Task Load and the Risk of Burnout Among US Physicians in a National Survey [The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety 47, 2 (2021) 76-85]. Joint Commission journal on quality and patient safety, 52(1), 54–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcjq.2025.10.008
López Hernández, M. de los A., Lorenzo Sánchez, E., López Hernández, I., & Trockel, M. (2026). Evolución del burnout, realización profesional y perspectiva de mejora autocompasiva de los profesionales sanitarios durante una crisis sanitaria prolongada. Características diferenciales de los médicos de urgencias. Evolution of burnout, professional fulfillment, and self-compassionate improvement perspective of healthcare professionals during a prolonged health crisis. Differential characteristics of emergency medicine physicians Revista Española de Urgencias y Emergencias, 5(1), 30–35. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=10534117
Preiksaitis, C., Alvarez, A., Winkel, M., Karamatsu, M., Brown, I., Sama, N., Morris, L., Lee, J., Gubbels, A., Wahl, E., Frye, A., & Rose, C. (2026). Ambient Artificial Intelligence Scribe Adoption and Documentation Time in the Emergency Department. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 87(5), 569–574. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2025.12.017
Preiksaitis, C., Alvarez, A., Winkel, M., Karamatsu, M., Brown, I., Sama, N., Morris, L., Lee, J., Gubbels, A., Wahl, E., Frye, A., Schoeffler, A., Gharahbaghian, L., & Rose, C. (2026). Ambient AI Scribes and Emergency Department Documentation Burden: Retrospective Cohort Study. JMIR AI, 5, e92193. https://doi.org/10.2196/92193
Rotenstein, L., Shah, P., Brown, R., Farley, H., Shanafelt, T., & Sinsky, C. A. (2026). Physician Intent to Reduce Hours and Intent to Leave Organizations. JAMA Network Open, 9(5), e2611045–e2611045. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.11045
Rubio-Chavez, A., Koelliker, E. L., Askew, E. A., Shanafelt, T. D., Landrigan, C. P., Winn, A. S., Farid, H., Lillemoe, K. D., Agarwal, D., Locascio, J. J., Lwin, T. M., & Rangel, E. L. (2026). Pragmatic Parental Support to Mitigate Burnout Among Pregnant and Postpartum Trainees: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA, 10.1001/jama.2026.5663. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2026.5663
Schechtman, A. D., Kling, S. M. R., Garvert, D. W., Lin, J. Y., Shanafelt, T., Winget, M., & Sharp, C. (2026). Nested order panels for adult primary care modestly improves ordering efficiency among high utilizers. JAMIA Open, 9(1), ooaf161. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamiaopen/ooaf161
Shanafelt, T. D., West, C. P., Dyrbye, L. N., Sinsky, C., Tutty, M., Wang, H., Carlasare, L. E., & Trockel, M. (2026). Associations and Differences Between Occupational Burnout and Depression in Large Studies of U.S. Physicians. Academic Medicine: Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, wvag126. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/acamed/wvag126
Sinsky, C. A., Brown, R. L., Rotenstein, L., Shah, P., & Shanafelt, T. D. (2026). Estimating the Cost of Poor Work Control Among Physicians in the United States. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2026.05.017
Swensen, S. J., MD, MMM, Shanafelt, T., & MD. (2026). Creating a People-Centered Organization: 12 Organizational Actions to Reduce Burnout and Foster Professional Fulfillment (Second Edition, Second Edition). Oxford University Press.
Thomas, L. R., & Shanafelt, T. (2026). Suicidal ideation in residency: Recommendations for building a supportive learning environment. Academic Medicine, wvag060. https://doi.org/10.1093/acamed/wvag060
Tutty, M. A., West, C. P., Dyrbye, L. N., Wang, H., Carlasare, L. E., Sinsky, C. A., Trockel, M., & Shanafelt, T. D. (2026). Moral Distress and Occupational Burnout in US Physicians. JAMA Network Open, 9(3), e263161. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.3161
Waddimba, A. C., Gunukula, R. R., Douglas, M. E., Shanafelt, T. D., DiMaio, J. M., & Ashmore, J. A. (2026). Short-Form Measures of Well-Being Centered Leadership for Matrixed Healthcare Systems. Journal of Healthcare Leadership, 18, 570560. https://doi.org/10.2147/JHL.S570560