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
Gold, J. M., Shanafelt, T. D., Wang, H., Townson, J., Stolz, S., Menon, N., & Trockel, M. (2025). Implementation of an organization-based couples health promotion program to improve physician well-being. JAMA Network Open, 8(4), e253218–e253218.
Holmgren, A. J., Apathy, N. C., Crews, J., & Shanafelt, T. (2025). National trends in oncology specialists’ EHR inbox work, 2019-2022. JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, djaf052. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djaf052
Keller, E., Sehgal, N., Ryu, R., Chrisman, H., Vogelzang, R., & Shanafelt, T. (2025). Exploring Trust and Engagement: A Qualitative Evaluation of the Relationship Between Clinicians and Healthcare Leaders at Academic Medical Centers. Journal of Healthcare Leadership, Volume 17, 75–83. https://doi.org/10.2147/JHL.S503086
Ma, S. P., Liang, A. S., Shah, S. J., Smith, M., Jeong, Y., Devon-Sand, A., Crowell, T., Delahaie, C., Hsia, C., & Lin, S. (2025). Ambient artificial intelligence scribes: Utilization and impact on documentation time. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 32(2), 381–385.
Schaepe, K. S., Shanafelt, T. D., Dyrbye, L. N., Matt-Hensrud, N., & West, C. P. (2025). When Structure Creates Strain: Physician Perspectives on Work-Home Interference, Professional Relationships, and Organizational Resilience. SSM-Qualitative Research in Health, 100558.
Schenkel, C., Levit, L. A., Kirkwood, K., Shanafelt, T., & Subbiah, I. M. (2025). Ten-Year Trends in Clinician Well-Being and Burnout Among Oncology Fellows in Training: An ASCO State of Cancer Care in America Study. JCO Oncology Practice, OP.24.00200. https://doi.org/10.1200/OP.24.00200
Schenkel, C., Levit, L. A., Kirkwood, K., Spence, R., Burke, J. M., Gallagher, C. M., Garrett-Mayer, E., McGinnis, M., Morgante, J. D., Page, R. D., Paice, J., Tetzlaff, E., Winer, E., Hlubocky, F. J., & Shanafelt, T. (2025). State of Professional Well-Being, Satisfaction, and Career Plans Among US Oncologists in 2023. JCO Oncology Advances, 2, e2400010. https://doi.org/10.1200/OA.24.00010
Shah, S. J., Devon-Sand, A., Ma, S. P., Jeong, Y., Crowell, T., Smith, M., Liang, A. S., Delahaie, C., Hsia, C., & Shanafelt, T. (2025). Ambient artificial intelligence scribes: Physician burnout and perspectives on usability and documentation burden. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 32(2), 375–380.
Shanafelt, T. D., West, C. P., Sinsky, C., Trockel, M., Tutty, M., Wang, H., Carlasare, L. E., & Dyrbye, L. N. (2025). Changes in Burnout and Satisfaction With Work–Life Integration in Physicians and the General US Working Population Between 2011 and 2023. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2024.11.031
Sinsky, C. A., Shah, P., Carlasare, L. E., & Shanafelt, T. D. (2025). Association Between Vacation Characteristics and Career Intentions of US Physicians—A Cross-Sectional Analysis. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2024.09.020
Tawfik, D., Shanafelt, T. D., Bayati, M., & Profit, J. (2025). Electronic Health Record Use Patterns Among Well-Being Survey Responders and Nonresponders: Longitudinal Observational Study. JMIR Medical Informatics, 13, e64722.
Trockel, M. T., & Shanafelt, T. D. (2025). Impact of Work on Personal Relationships—The Missing Workplace Well-Being and Quality Indicator. JAMA Network Open, 8(3), e250469–e250469.
Sinsky, C. A., Brown, R. L., Rotenstein, L., Carlasare, L. E., Shah, P., & Shanafelt, T. D. (2024). Association of Work Control With Burnout and Career Intentions Among U.S. Physicians: A Multi-Institution Study. Annals of Internal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.7326/ANNALS-24-00884