Registration Now Open:
Empathy & Compassion Research Day 2024

The Sanford Institute is home to the brightest minds in empathy and compassion research. Next month, we are proud to kick off the new year by showcasing the diverse talent of our funded researchers at the inaugural Empathy and Compassion Research Day. Attendees can expect live presentations, networking opportunities, and a special announcement on our upcoming funding opportunities. It's all happening on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, from 8 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. PST at the UC San Diego Faculty Club. This free event is open to all UC San Diego faculty and staff, as well as external, San Diego-based medical educators and healthcare providers. Registration is required as space is limited. Hosted lunch and reception is included.

Now Accepting Applications: 2024-25 Medical Education Seed Grant Program

The Center for Empathy and Compassion Training in Medical Education (CECTME) invites applications for medical education project proposals for implementation in the 2024-25 academic year. The intention of this seed grant funding is to implement novel medical education projects that enhance empathy and compassion in medical training and/or healthcare, and evaluate their efficacy; those shown to be effective will be disseminated. First stage applications are due January 24, 2024. The goal of the first stage is to determine whether your project idea aligns with the mission of CECTME and appears to be promising for further development of a project plan. All UC San Diego faculty, staff and trainees are eligible for funding.

Center for Empathy and Social Justice in Human Health Welcomes New Team Members

This month, the Center for Empathy and Social Justice in Human Health welcomed two new team members – Helen Ho and Dr. Sará King. Helen serves as Projects and Communications Coordinator for the Center, coordinating projects and events, managing communications, and supporting operations. She has expertise in implementing DEI initiatives, advising undergrads, and consulting intersectional nonprofits. Dr. King is coming on board as a Post-doctoral Fellow via the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity. Her role will focus on empathy and compassion interventions for improved student well-being and the use of technology to enhance sense of safety. Dr. King brings 20 years of experience to the Institute and most recently served as a Post-doc Fellow at Oregon Health Science University, where she helped develop a theoretical framework called "The Science of Social Justice."

Sanford Scholar Ishan Saha Receives Diversity Award at Young Investigators Symposium

Every year, the research subcommittee of the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI) Action Council at UC San Diego selects individuals for a Diversity Award at the Lewis L. Judd Young Investigators Symposium. Today, we are proud to announce Sanford Scholar Ishan Saha was recognized for his exceptional research involving diverse populations and/or having important implications for diverse populations. He is one of four awardees. Ishan's winning EDI study, conducted with Dr. Jennifer Anger of UC San Diego Health, found that gender minority stress correlates to greater psychosocial health problems and poorer self-compassion, thus suggesting that interventions to reduce stigma and cultivate self-compassion could prevent psychosocial health problems and prevent HIV transmission among transgender women.

Now Recruiting UC San Diego Health: Sanford Compassionate Communication Academy Fellowship

Center for Compassionate Communication Affiliate Faculty Lead JEDI Workshop

Applications are now being accepted for the UC San Diego Health: Sanford Compassionate Communication Academy Fellowship Spring and Fall 2024 cohorts. This fellowship is comprised of physicians, nurses, APPs and artists working together to require the way they approach compassionate communication with their patients, peers, and selves. Past fellows have described the experience as revelatory to their connection with medicine, but don't just take our word for it – watch our Spring 2023 cohort graduation on YouTube to hear from them firsthand. Spoiler: Fellowship graduate and UC San Diego Health physician Dr. Julie Celebi's story at the 14:35 mark aptly describes how physicians wear self sacrifice as a badge of honor, often at the expense of their own well-being. Her powerful testimony cuts to the core of why this Fellowship exists (to amplify compassionate communication in healthcare) and matters (to improve patient lives as well as our own). Apply or nominate a colleague by August 25, 2023, to be considered for the Spring 2024 cohort.

This month, Center for Compassionate Communication Affiliate Faculty (CCCAF) member John Michael Murray led a Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) workshop, using learnings from the UC San Diego Health: Sanford Compassionate Communication Academy Fellowship. He described his experience as the Mount Everest of compassionate communication, sharing "To achieve success, I embraced the improv principle of teamwork. Center for Compassionate Communication Director of Communication Education Val Lantz-Gefroh guided me and fellow CCCAF member Dawn Carroll, RN, was a champion supporter, giving me faith that all would flow divinely. 'Ta-da!' resonated throughout the auditorium as participants celebrated mistakes during a boisterous display of clown bows, allowing us to slip into a space of expansion. We debriefed on our 'many who's' and welcomed all aspects of the self. This acceptance created a container of belonging that allowed us to move toward a deeper dialogue [...]."

Center for Compassionate Communication to Launch 2024 Learning Opportunities

The Center for Compassionate Communication begins enrollment for its 2.5-day Compassionate Communication Training Program next month. This interactive curriculum helps healthcare providers become more adaptable when speaking with patients, students, funders, and media. The goal: rewire the way clinicians think about communication in medicine and address the significance of awareness, self-healing, and self-compassion. This deep-dive experience can serve as a stand-alone opportunity or become a provider's first step as a trained trainer to bolster their healthcare facilitation skills or teaching methods, as they will be equipped with interactive sessions on Zoom, online modules, facilitation guides, annual booster workshops, and mentorship. To learn more about this program, fill out this form to express interest and a team member will be in touch with you once details are set for the summer 2024 workshop.

Currently Recruiting Faculty for Endowed Professorships in Research and Medical Education

There is still time to apply for the Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion endowed professorships in research and medical education. Candidates must be full-time UC San Diego faculty members. Nominations will be accepted from faculty at any rank (Assistant, Associate, Full Professor) and series. If chosen, candidates will be provided with professorship funds of approximately $100,000 per year for five years with the possibility of renewal. Faculty may self-nominate. We look forward to filling these roles and securing for our Institute — and UC San Diego as a whole — a core cadre of excellent scientists and educators focused on empathy and compassion. If interested in these recruitment opportunities, visit our Recruitment page to view the full endowed professorship details and application guidelines.

Center for Empathy and Technology Participates in "Two Scientists Walk Into a Bar"

Spring Research Series Highlights the Latest Empathy and Compassion Investigations

Two Scientists Walk Into a Bar sounds like the beginning of a bad joke but is, in actuality, a fun and important community event hosted by the Fleet Science Center. This month, the Center for Empathy and Technology Associate Director of Engagement Taylor Berninger participated in the event, availing herself to community residents and other local researchers across multidiscipline fields for questions around empathy and compassion research. Taylor spoke to attendees about her Center's impactful work incorporating empathy and compassion into genetic counseling. The audience, which consisted of Fleet Science Center members, bar patrons (and ironically, a table of PhD students!), connected with and expressed appreciation for the Center's efforts and noted how impactful empathy and compassion could be in their personal healthcare journeys. The team looks forward to participating in future events.

The Center for Research on Empathy and Compassion recently completed its spring season of the Empathy and Compassion Research Presentation Series. Open to all UC San Diego faculty, staff, and medical students, this hybrid event highlighted the work of the Center's awarded researchers and their investigations of empathy and compassion as concepts within healthcare and medical education. Presentations were conducted by UC San Diego faculty members, including Amy Bellinghausen, MD, Matthew Herbert, PhD, and our very own Federica Klaus, MD, PhD, of the Center for Empathy and Compassion Training in Medical Education. The three speakers provided a forum for open discussion, connection, and exploration in a new research area within empathy and compassion, keeping attendees at the forefront of the field. Couldn't make it? Don't fret – we recorded our most recent session for viewers to watch at their leisure here.

Center for Technology Student Researcher Selected for Meta Fellowship

Deepa Manjanatha, MPH, a first-year student in the Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at UC San Diego School of Medicine received a 2023 Meta Research PhD Fellowship award for "Human Computer Interaction - Social Media, People, and Society." She is one of 21 fellows. Center for Empathy and Technology Director Cinnamon Bloss serves as Deepa's mentor through the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Sciences. The two also collaborate through the Center for Tech in conducting research at the intersection of technological innovation, empathy, and compassion. Deepa's passions lie in better understanding the potential and risks posed by technology on human health. As she states in the UC San Diego Health Sciences Blog, "As technology becomes more intertwined with our lives, these topics become more pressing to understand [...] and with a more nuanced lens." We are proud to work with Deepa and look forward to supporting her research journey.

Center Director Dr. Gentry Patrick is Appointed Endowed Chair by UC San Diego

The Sanford Institute is proud to announce Center for Empathy and Social Justice in Human Health Director Dr. Gentry Patrick was recently appointed endowed chair at UC San Diego. On May 3, Dr. Patrick was honored by University leaders, including Chancellor Pradeep Khosla, Executive Vice Chancellor Elizabeth Simmons, and Dean Kit Pogliano from the School of Biological Sciences, as well as The Kavli Foundation, San Diego Squared, and more. It was an intimate gathering that featured moving speeches, including one of particular note from scientist and entrepreneur Bill Rastetter that spoke volumes of Dr. Patrick's diversity, equity, and inclusion work in the San Diego region. All of us at the Sanford Institute are proud to work with Dr. Patrick on his continued efforts to diversify the STEM ecosystem. Visit the Center for Empathy and Social Justice in Human Health website to learn more about his work.

Center Director Dr. Lisa Eyler Receives TWIN Award from YWCA San Diego County

Sanford Scholars and Mentors Awarded for Medical Education Efforts

We are proud to announce Dr. Lisa Eyler, professor of psychiatry and director of the Sanford Institute's Center for Empathy and Compassion in Medical Education at UC San Diego, has received the 2023 Tribute to Women & Industry (TWIN) Award from YWCA San Diego County. This award recognizes extraordinary achievements of women in managerial, executive, or leadership roles. In addition to her directorial role within our Institute, Dr. Eyler has led the Department of Psychiatry's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Action Council, and has disseminated several EDI workshops locally, nationally, and internationally. In addition, she is an alumni advisor for the Chi Omega chapter at UC San Diego, is a Girl Scout troop leader, and leads the Clairemont Coalition on Homelessness. She will be honored in a citywide ceremony this month.

This month, Sanford Scholars and Mentors won big in the UC San Diego Health Medical Educator Awards Program, which recognizes those who play a critical role in shaping the future of healthcare. First, 2022-23 Sanford Scholars Nisha Uppuluri and Tanya Jain won Student Teaching Awards. These two medical students found a gap in trauma-informed care in the UC San Diego School of Medicine curricula, so they created and facilitated the elective course "Intersectional Approaches to Trauma-Informed Care (TIC)." The course was implemented during Fall 2022 and received positive feedback. In addition, Sanford Scholar Program Mentor Geoffrey Noel, PhD, won the First-Year Teaching Award and Sanford Scholar Program Mentor Helen Wang, MD, won the Third-Year Teaching Award. Both are role models for medical students and exhibit characteristics students wish to emulate as physicians.

Center Director Dr. Gentry Patrick Helps Launch YOU Belong in STEM Initiative in San Diego

The Center for Empathy and Social Justice in Human Health and San Diego Squared, with support from the U.S. Department of Education, recently hosted the YOU Belong in STEM: San Diego local launch and mini-summit. This event sought to lift up and leverage the efforts, brilliance, and lived expertise of diverse STEM ecosystem stakeholders across the region, and position San Diego as a model U.S. city for the community-wide, compassion-based catalyzation of increased equity and belonging in STEM education. It featured presentations from local STEM leaders, as well as special guests U.S. Department of Education Deputy Secretary Cindy Marten and City of San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. Watch the press conference via YouTube now to learn more about the long-term impact of this initiative and event.

Center for Empathy and Technology Engages Young Women in STEM

The Center for Empathy and Technology sponsored a session of the Fleet Science Center’s BE WiSE Program. This program aims to engage young female or female identifying students in STEM learning experiences, in collaboration with the region's research, industry, and academic institutions. In conjunction with the Augustana-Sanford Genetic Counseling Graduate Program, the Center presented a session entitled “Exploring Genetics,” which outlined the career of genetic counseling and guided participants through interactive stations with genetics-themed activities. Participants were not only exposed to an exciting STEM career, but were also able to discuss the importance of empathy and compassion in healthcare interactions, specifically those pertaining to genomic technologies.

Center Director Dr. Gentry Patrick Moderates Compassion Panel at ASU+GSV Summit

Last week, our Center for Empathy and Social Justice in Human Health Director Dr. Gentry Patrick led an expert education panel at the ASU+GSV Summit, featuring U.S. Department of Education Deputy Secretary Cindy Marten, Dr. Freeman Hrabowski of University of Maryland Baltimore County, and Sará King, MA, PhD, of Mind Heart Collective. This panel discussed the utility of empathy and compassion to define and activate institutional and community-wide strategies for building educational spaces and cultures that foster and retain a sense of safety, positive belonging, and purpose for marginalized students and educators in STEM. We encourage you to stay tuned to our social media pages (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram) over the next few weeks as we unveil the nuggets of wisdom gleaned from this important conversation.

Become a UC San Diego Health: Sanford Compassionate Communication Academy Fellow

The acclaimed UC San Diego Health: Sanford Compassionate Communication Fellowship, hosted by the Center for Compassionate Communication, is recruiting fellows on a rolling basis for Cohort 3 and beyond. Interested candidates are encouraged to submit their applications at their leisure. This Fellowship comprises of physicians and artists who work together to rewire how they approach compassionate communication. Fellows participate in a six-month training process that enriches their ability to connect and communicate with patients and teams. In addition, this path of personal growth culminates in a facilitation practicum that arms fellows with the confidence and skills to implement and facilitate workshops for others in their respective departments. Apply now to join a future cohort.

Sanford Scholar and Mentor Share Progress on Compassion Research to Seniors

This month, Sanford Scholar Heidi Banh and her UC San Diego mentor Dr. Desiree Shapiro presented their empathy and compassion research project to Belmont Village Senior Living in La Jolla, CA. During the presentation, the two detailed how storytelling and meaningful, intergenerational conversations between medical students and seniors can foster compassionate listening and interviewing skills, challenge biases and stereotypes that are core to health equity in practice, and recognize common humanity. Banh and Dr. Shapiro's study has found that seniors play an important role in helping students develop their identities as future physicians who are rooted in empathy and kindness. We encourage you to read Banh's full account of her project and presentation on LinkedIn today.

Center for Empathy and Technology Doctoral Trainee Matches with UNC Chapel Hill

We are proud to announce Center for Empathy and Technology Doctoral Trainee, Caryn Kseniya Rubanovich, matched University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for her Clinical Psychology internship. It is part of the UC San Diego/San Diego State University Joint Doctoral Program. Rubanovich will be focused on behavioral medicine in primary care, and begins her internship this July 2023. To date, she has made extensive contributions to empirical literature with studies on physician education, consumer genetic ancestry testing, and genetics in the clinical encounter. Rubanovich also runs the @MedEmpathy Twitter account, connecting clinicians, patients, and caregivers, one story at a time. We wish her the best of luck as she completes her final requirements to earn her doctorate.

PEACE Google Group to Host Virtual Meet & Greet for Medical Educators Nationwide

Led by the Center for Empathy and Compassion Training in Medical Education, the Partnership for Engaged Action in Compassion Education, or PEACE Group, is an up-and-coming community of individuals who are interested in empathy and compassion education for clinical learners. This encompasses medical, pharmacy, social work, clinical and counseling psychology students, interns, and residents. PEACE currently functions as an email-based discussion forum managed by a Google Group – allowing members to exchange ideas, as well as share challenges, opportunities, and best practices in the field. On Tuesday, April 18, the PEACE Group is hosting a Virtual Meet & Greet from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. PST to connect medical educators nationwide who are interested in empathy and compassion training. During this virtual event, Center leadership will share their experiences with empathy and compassion curricula and programming at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

Center Director Dr. Gentry Patrick to Moderate Compassion Panel at ASU+GSV Summit

The ASU+GSV Summit 2023 connects leading minds around digital learning and workforce skills to ensure a new era in which all people have equal access to opportunity. Our very own Dr. Gentry Patrick of the Center for Empathy and Social Justice in Human Health will be moderating an important panel at the event titled “Compassion: A Catalyst for Equal Access.” During the April 19 panel, a group of experts will discuss how to understand empathy and compassion as critical tools for expanding access, diversifying innovation, and creating a more equitable and successful future for all via STEM education. Panelists include: Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten from the Biden-Harris administration, Dr. Freeman Hrabowski of UMBC, and Sara King, MA, PhD, of Mind Heart Consulting and Science of Social Justice. Register to attend virtually — it's free!

Sanford Institute Launches 2019-2023 Progress Report

The Sanford Institute is proud to announce the release of its multi-year Progress Report, offering an in-depth look at the impact we have made from our beginnings in 2019 to present day. This robust digital document profiles our esteemed leadership team, highlights notable programs from our six supporting centers as well as collaborations with various partners on- and off-campus, and gives an exciting look at what is to come in our quest to better understand and enhance empathy and compassion in healthcare and beyond. We encourage you to read it at your leisure to learn more about us and how to get involved in our work.

Sanford Scholars Present at Summer Research Symposium

Last month, 2022-23 Sanford Scholars presented their empathy and compassion research projects at the UC San Diego School of Medicine Summer Research Symposium. The evening was filled with knowledge sharing and collaboration, with our very own Interim Institute Director William Mobley in attendance to support medical and public health students. Sanford Scholar projects ranged from evaluating the impact of self-compassion in long COVID-19 patients to assessing interest in peer Doula-facilitated empathy training among women with history of early pregnancy loss. We encourage you to learn more about their studies today.

Meeting of the Minds: Compassion Institute

Compassionate Institute visited the Sanford Institute as part of a three-part meeting tour at UC San Diego. During their time on campus, Sanford Institute and Compassion Institute (CI) leaders, including CI Founder Dr. Thupten Jinpa, Executive Director Stephen Butler, and more, had the opportunity to meet with UC San Diego Wellness Directors, as well as Dean of Clinical Affairs/CEO of UC San Diego Health Physician Group Dr. Christopher Kane regarding our clinician wellness efforts. In addition, they met with Center for Empathy and Compassion Training in Medical Education director Lisa Eyler to discuss Compassionatomy, a unique anatomy-thread course that was co-created with CI. Together, the group formalized the development of a manuscript for this course and began initial conversations on how to scale the program for external medical schools. Stay tuned for more updates on this collaboration in upcoming months.

Sanford Institute Participates in Inaugural ISCR Conference

This month, our team attended and participated in the International Society for Contemplative Research Inaugural Conference at UC San Diego. The conference featured the independent and collaborative work of neuroscientists, researchers, educators, and clinicians engaged in the investigation of mind-body practices. We attended presentations and workshops on a variety of topics, including a poster presentation from Dr. Federica Klaus of the Center for Empathy and Compassion Training in Medical Education on Compassionatomy, as well as live audience presentations from Sanford Institute funded investigators Dr. Cassie Vieten on VR in mindfulness and Dr. Jyoti Mishra on digital mindfulness for medical trainees. We look forward to attending the ISCR Conference in 2024!