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

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

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

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

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