Registration Now Open
This December 8, convene with international experts to explore barriers, facilitators, and practical considerations related to the promises and risks of using generative AI tools for companionship, therapy, and mental health support. This free event is hosted by the Center for Empathy and Technology.
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New Funding Opportunity
Applications are now open for the Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion’s newest funding opportunity: Interdisciplinary Research on Empathy and Compassion. This award supports UC San Diego-affiliated faculty and researchers in advancing rigorous, cross-sector projects that foster empathy and compassion in healthcare, education, and society.
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Rebuilding Connection with Compassion
We're tackling clinician burnout through the Sanford Compassionate Communication Fellowship—using storytelling, theater, and empathy to rebuild connection in health care. See our latest feature in UC San Diego Today.
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Lead With Compassion
Back by popular demand! Early bird registration is open for the 2026 Lead With Compassion Workshop, an arts- and humanities-based leadership training for health care professionals and medical educators to foster empathy and compassion.
SAVE YOUR SPOTGet to Know Us
Catalyzed by the vision and generosity of T. Denny Sanford, the Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion at UC San Diego explores the neurobiology of compassion, informs medical education, and directly addresses the epidemic of physician burnout.
Our Centers
The Sanford Institute has established six centers that span across various disciplines, focusing on specific domains within empathy and compassion.
The Compassionate Classroom
On Tuesday, Oct. 28, learn key concepts to make your classroom a more compassionate space for teaching and learning. Aimed at those who teach adult clinical learners, this virtual workshop will include exercises in self-compassion, discussion of power dynamics in education, and concrete tips for enhancing belonging for learners while compassionately maintaining accountability in the classroom.
Free On-Demand Mediation Workshop
This free, on-demand webinar, hosted by the Center for Compassionate Communication, introduces the fundamentals of mediation. Participants will enhance their communication and listening skills, learn strategies for resolving conflicts, and recognize when mediation is an appropriate tool for managing difficult conversations.
Open Funding Opportunities
Interdisciplinary Research on Approaches to Empathy & Compassion
This program supports UC San Diego-affiliated faculty and researchers in advancing rigorous, cross-sector projects that foster empathy and compassion in healthcare, education, and society. Proposals may include novel curricula, interdisciplinary interventions, empirical measurement approaches, or systems-level policy frameworks.
Center for Empathy and Technology Seed Grant
This one-year seed grant supports UC San Diego faculty or research scientists in developing projects that use advanced technology (such as AI, digital health or precision medicine) to study, measure, or enhance empathy and compassion, and to investigate how technology shapes empathy and compassion in health-related contexts.
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