Center for Compassionate Communication 

Lead With Compassion Workshop

Back by popular demand! We are hosting a Lead With Compassion workshop on April 8-9, 2026, for health care professionals, medical educators, and teaching artists who work in medical settings. Early bird registration available.

Recruiting Fellows

Open to all providers, join the UC San Diego Health: Sanford Compassionate Communication Academy Fellowship to rewire how you connect with patients, peers — and yourself.

Free Online Learning

Our engaging, highly rated online modules are video-based courses that reach beyond typical e-Learning by incorporating real stories, real providers and patients, interactive knowledge checks, exercises and more.

Affiliate Faculty Members Featured in New Mental Health Podcast

Center for Compassionate Communication Affiliate Faculty Members, Dr. Ami Doshi and Dr. Julie Celebi of UC San Diego Health, recently joined Symptom Media Podcast to share their personal experiences with burnout, reflecting on the systemic challenges, personal sacrifices, and early warning signs they overlooked.

About the Center for Compassionate Communication

The Center for Compassionate Communication is uniquely positioned to lead the charge in the development of evidence-based training in interpersonal communication, in order to ignite compassionate relationships in healthcare. Our team leverages experience, wisdom and practices shaped over 60+ years working in healthcare, journalism, the humanities, theater, instructional design and online learning.

Why We Exist

Beyond the demonstrable benefits to patients, research shows that improved interpersonal skills and stronger relationships with patients help physicians as well. Communication training also helps you share your research among all audiences with empathy and clarity. 

Through detailed, deliberate reflection and experiential learning, the Center for Compassionate Communication curriculum offers a versatile, repeatable process—and tools—to help you recognize the needs of others and communicate with authenticity and compassion. We embolden you to find your authentic voice, confront your biases, and determine your motivations.

Our Mission

Our mission is to inspire compassionate communication among healthcare workers and educators, creating compassionate leaders who help improve the work and lives of our healthcare teams.

Meet Our Team

Meet the people leading the charge on spreading compassionate communication to health providers, patients, and more at UC San Diego's Center for Compassionate Communication.

MEET THE TEAM

Why It Matters

There is a compassion crisis in healthcare in the United States. Healthcare providers are rising to unprecedented challenges, while systems are overloaded with competing priorities. The story is bleak. Something has to shift.  

Empirical research shows uniquivocally that compassion matters across the board. Effective communication improves both the patient experience and physician well-being.

Interpersonal communication between healthcare providers and patients is the centerpiece of compassionate healthcare. High-quality communication is also associated with better care coordination, improved compliance with health recommendations, and healthier outcomes.

We Value

• Practitioners in all disciplines dedicated to a deeper understanding of empathy, humanism, and compassion   
• Evidence-based practice
• Innovation
• Commitment to lifelong learning
• Ccurricular methods shared through experiential learning