Mindful Healthcare Program

The 2020 Mindful Healthcare Summit - Coming Soon!

The Awake Network and Mindful are excited to announce the 2020 Mindful Healthcare Summit, a 5-day FREE online event featuring 20+ leading neuroscience researchers, mindfulness experts, and dedicated medical professionals who are making a difference in their healthcare systems, universities, and hospitals worldwide.

Building off the success of the 2019 event, our mission is to create a community of healthcare professionals and organizations dedicated to introducing mindfulness as part of their clinician well-being programs and overall organization culture. The first annual event held in 2019 attracted over 32,000 medical professionals in just its first week.

As we build the 2020 event, please see an overview of the 2019 summit below that paints a good picture of what’s to come in 2020. We look forward to working with you to bring these vital resources to your staff and students.

In partnership with

WORLD-CLASS FACULTY

In 2019, we gathered the foremost leaders in mindfulness and medicine, including neuroscience researchers, mindfulness experts, practicing physicians, nursing professors and healthcare executives. Many 2019 presenters will be returning with exciting new additions as well. Please see below for the 2019 presenter overview.

Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD

Founding Executive Director, Center for Mindfulness & Founder, Stress Reduction Clinic

Susan Bauer-Wu, PhD, RN, FAAN

President, Mind & Life Institute. Nursing Professor, Contemplative End-of-Life Care

Ronald Epstein, MD

Physician, Leading Researcher, Author, Attending: Medicine, Mindfulness and Humanity

Ni-Cheng Liang, MD

Pulmonary Physician and Mindfulness Teacher

Bobby Mukkamala, MD

Board Member, Crim Fitness Foundation and American Medical Association

Kelly McGonigal, PhD

Health Psychologist at Stanford University, Author, The Upside of Stress

Richard Davidson, PhD

Neuroscience Researcher. Founder, Center for Healthy Minds at Univ. Wisconsin-Madison

Cheryl Woods Giscombe, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC, FAAN

Associate Professor of Quality of Life, Health Promotion and Wellness, UNC Chapel Hill

See Full List of Speakers→

Learn Evidence-Based Practices to Improve Patient Care, Support Clinician Well-Being and Prevent Burnout

2019 Sample Presentations

Where To Get Started With Mindfulness

Learn the 3 components of implementing sustainable on-the-job mindfulness and the essential factors in a successful medical practice
Discover things you can do right now to make your workplace more supportive for yourself, your colleagues, and your patients
Hear how mindfulness can help you work from the foundation of your values and find what's truly important to you in your medical practice

The Alchemy of Empathy: Transforming Stress into Meaning at Work

Learn about the three different levels of burnout, and look at how the relationship between burnout and empathy can lead to compassion
Go beyond labeling emotions as "positive" or "negative" and explore emotion as a process that helps us do what we need to do next
Hear interesting and surprising data from Eve's research on emotions and burnout among healthcare professionals, and see the effectiveness of wellbeing intervention programs in systems facing high rates of clinician stress

Mindfulness as a Proactive Practice for Well-Being

Explore how student and professional performance improved in an area where mindfulness practices were incorporated
Understand how mindfulness can empower you to deal with everyday challenges in a healthy way
Follow along in a short practice to drop into your body, feel how you are feeling right now, and let go of stressors that are out of your control

Overcoming Bias and Health Disparities

Understand the role that bias and assumptions have in medicine, and hear research and testimonials on the effects of mindfulness training for medical students
Dive into the widespread behavioral and physical effects of stress on individuals and entire groups of people, and explore how mindfulness can play a part in reducing healthcare disparities
Recognize the effects that individual mindfulness can have on entire healthcare systems, and learn how to intentionally and thoughtfully take on the challenges facing medicine

Learn From 25+ Leading Neuroscience Researchers, Mindfulness Experts and Dedicated Medical Professionals at the Forefront of Healthcare Reform

Learn mindfulness and compassion practices to benefit personal wellbeing, patient care, and team dynamics.

Listen in as experts share their knowledge and experience bringing mindfulness to healthcare.

As we build the 2020 Summit, please see below for last year’s program outline.

UNIT 1: Mindfulness in Healthcare

Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD

Practical and Profound: Mindfulness in Healthcare

Look at some of the challenges facing modern medicine on the individual and systemic levels, and hear simple, practical ways to nurture patient and provider well-being
Recognize the common roots between medicine and mindfulness, and explore mindfulness practice as a radical medical act
Learn the effects that mindfulness and compassion have on public health as a whole, and know the possibilities of mindful medicine

Susan Bauer-Wu, PhD, RN, FAAN

Creating Mindful Systems

Understand the full scope of the burnout epidemic affecting healthcare providers today, and learn the research on mindfulness and clinician well-being
Hear real examples of how mindfulness has been integrated into existing healthcare systems, and discover the effects that mindful practices can have on a systemic level
Explore the systemic barriers to creating mindful environments at work, and get practical advice for making sustainable changes in your organization

Bobby Mukkamala, MD

Mindfulness as a Proactive Practice for Well-Being

Explore how student and professional performance improved in an area where mindfulness practices were incorporated
Understand how mindfulness can empower you to deal with everyday challenges in a healthy way
Follow along in a short practice to drop into your body, feel how you are feeling right now, and let go of stressors that are out of your control

Patricia Rockman, MD

Mindfulness as More Than a Calming Technique

De-construct some of the common myths around mindfulness and understand it as an empowering way of being rather than a quick solution
Learn why mindfulness is not about “becoming calm”, but about tuning into your immediate experience and strengthening your tolerance of strong emotions–and why that's good for self and patient care
Explore how mindfulness can help you stay healthy and resilient in the face of long-term stress, and follow along in a simple practice to use at any time

UNIT 2: Focusing the Mind

Ronald Epstein, MD

Where To Get Started With Mindfulness

Learn the 3 components of implementing sustainable on-the-job mindfulness and the essential factors in a successful medical practice
Discover things you can do right now to make your workplace more supportive for yourself, your colleagues, and your patients
Hear how mindfulness can help you work from the foundation of your values and find what's truly important to you in your medical practice

Arpan Waghray, MD

Mental Health for Clinicians

Take a critical look at the mental health challenges facing healthcare providers today, and learn practical steps you can take to create more supportive environments for yourself and your colleagues
Understand the importance of having a culture of well-being, and why that creates a successful medical system for quality patient care
Learn why mindfulness is a powerful tool that can help you adjust to stressors in a demanding work environment, and know you are not alone in your struggles and imperfections

Reena Kotecha, MBBS, BSc Hons

Mindful Medics: Finding Focus and Balance

Hear how mindfulness and meditation helped Dr. Kotecha improve her health and well-being after serious burnout as a practicing clinician
Learn how self-awareness leads to better self-care and a greater capacity to care for patients
Explore practices that you can do right now to bring more mindfulness and self-awareness into each day

Daniel Goleman, PhD

How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body

Learn the research about how a mindfulness practice positively affects your emotional intelligence, attention and performance, and provider-patient relationships
Follow along in a guided practice to expand your own caring for others, and hear practical tips for fitting in a mindfulness practice no matter how busy your schedule
Explore the 3 types of empathy, how each play a part in your life as a healthcare professional, and how to stay connected with patients in an increasingly technology-driven healthcare system

UNIT 3: Building Resilience & Work-Life Balance

Leonard Calabrese, MD

Mindfulness and the Immune System

Discover the lasting effects that a mindfulness practice can have on your immune system and physiology all the way down to the genetic level
Take a deep look into the science of the immunological aging process, and explore how mindfulness can be part of holistic wellness approach to disease management and treatment
Learn about the exciting research happening right now on mindfulness in the healthcare field, and hear Dr. Calabrese's personal testimonial on mindfulness' effects on his life and medical practice

Richard Davidson, PhD

The Science of Resilience

Learn the 4 components of well-being and human flourishing and how a mindfulness practice can nurture them in your life
Learn about the research that has been done around mindfulness and the brain, and explore specific skills you can develop to increase resilience, connection, and emotional regulation
Follow along in a practice to return to your motivation, engage in mindfulness and compassion, and dedicate the benefit for yourself and others

P. Nelson Le, MD, MBA

Moving Beyond the Promise: Breaking Down Clinician Burnout

Explore the key factors of burnout that have led to the current conversation around creating more supportive systems for healthcare providers
Learn the 7 Levels of Clinician Burnout and how they can be opportunities for real impact
Hear practical insights on how you can inspire your health system to start tackling the widespread issue of burnout among medical professionals

Eve Ekman, PhD, MSW

The Alchemy of Empathy: Transforming Stress into Meaning at Work

Learn about the three different levels of burnout, and look at how the relationship between burnout and empathy can lead to compassion
Go beyond labeling emotions as "positive" or "negative" and explore emotion as a process that helps us do what we need to do next
Hear interesting and surprising data from Eve's research on emotions and burnout among healthcare professionals, and hear the effectiveness of wellbeing intervention programs in systems facing high rates of clinician stress

Ni-Cheng Liang, MD

Work-Life Balance and Mindful Communication

Hear Dr. Liang's personal experience with mindfulness through cancer treatment, her medical practice, and burnout, and find a new definition of what work-life balance means
Learn the effects that mindfulness curriculums are having on medical students' performance, stress levels, and burnout rates, and understand the importance of system buy-in and action to make lasting changes in the field of medicine
Explore how mindful communication can improve interactions with patients, and follow along in a brief breath-awareness practice

UNIT 4: Connecting & Communicating with Compassion

Kristin Neff, PhD

The Power of Self-Compassion and Equanimity

Understand why motivation through self-compassion is more effective and more sustainable than motivation through fear, and find examples of how both might be showing up in your life
Learn the crucial difference between self-compassion vs self-esteem, and why self-compassion specifically is linked to positive effects on resilience and motivation
Follow along in a guided practice and hear practical tips to cultivate more self-compassion and equanimity in every part of your day

Frank Ostaseski

Compassionate Healthcare and the Wisdom of Death

Learn about The Five Invitations and how they can help us in understand death and be more loving and purposeful in our daily lives
Explore coping strategies uniquely suited for the experience that healthcare providers come across each day with sickness, death, and trauma
Understand how you can use presence, compassion, and respect to reflect humanity back to your patients, and follow along in a guided practice to find connection with and kindness towards others

Joshua Cutler, LICSW and Vania Rudolf, MD, MPH, FASAM

Communicating with Compassion: Mindfulness-Based Wellness Programs in Action

Hear how a mindfulness-based wellness program is transforming the clinician culture and patient care of one hospital
Explore the growth and impact that is possible when compassion and gratitude are implemented at a system level, and hear advice for creating a culture of safety and wellness in your workplace
Learn how to reconnect to purpose and meaning in your work and how that has been shown to increase resiliency and reduce symptoms of burnout

Jenee Johnson

Creating Racial Equity and Trauma-Informed Workplaces

Hear about the pioneering work in mindfulness and trauma happening in the public health sector
Explore what it means to have a trauma-informed perspective, and how organizations can benefit and flourish with this lens of healing and resilience
Look at the role that mindfulness can play in creating equity and justice, and follow along in practice to connect with what's important now

UNIT 5: Transforming Systems & Culture

Kelly McGonigal, PhD

The Science of Compassion

Learn the science behind what happens in your brain when you practice compassion, and hear the research on why a mindfulness practice compliments our ability to help others and effect change on larger systems
Hear a new definition of stress and learn its vital role in our compassion response, and learn the truth about compassion fatigue and its importance in healthcare
Follow along in a practice to feel compassion in your physical body and use it to find strength during any moment of the day

Cheryl Woods Giscombe, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC, FAAN

Overcoming Bias and Health Disparities

Understand the role that bias and assumptions have in medicine, and hear research and testimonials on the effects of mindfulness training for medical students
Dive into the widespread behavioral and physical effects of stress on individuals and entire groups of people, and explore how mindfulness can play a part in reducing healthcare disparities
Recognize the effects that individual mindfulness can have on entire healthcare systems, and learn how to intentionally and thoughtfully take on the challenges facing medicine

Zev Schuman-Olivier, MD

Transforming Systems with Mindfulness

Hear a case study of a mindfulness program has been implemented into every level of a healthcare system, and the effects it's had on clinicians, patients, and the surrounding community
Learn what organizations can do to support clinicians in starting a lasting mindfulness practice
Recognize the power that auto-pilot reactions have over our daily lives, and explore the STOP, ACHE, GO practice to bring yourself into the present moment and recognize change at any time during the day

Michael Dandorph and Cathy Jacobson

Caring for Caregivers and a Strategic Commitment to Wellbeing

See how two large health systems are prioritizing clinician well-being and combating burnout, and how they're dealing with the stressors on hospitals in a rapidly changing field of medicine
Hear advice for leaders looking to implement successful mindfulness programs on a systemic level, and what organizations can do to create environments that are less likely to lead to clinician burnout
Understand the importance of full buy-in and support from system leadership to deal with and implement lasting change

Optional Resource Package Available For Purchase After the Free Event

Continuing Education

This activity has been approved for physicians, registered nurses, psychologists, social workers and other healthcare providers as follows:

15 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
15 ANCC contact hours
15 APA CE credits
15 ASWB-ACE credit hours

The CME credits are included with no additional per user fees.

Guided Practice Library

The Resource Package includes a library of all the guided meditations and reflections from the event. These daily practices and reminders are made available in downloadable video and audio format for easy on-the-go access. Additional guided meditations from The Awake Network and Mindful on finding your center, working with strong emotions, cultivating self-compassion and more are included as well.

Over 32,000 Medical Professionals!

"This was a truly inspiring resource. Our profession needed this ongoing from the day we left graduate school, throughout each internship and ongoing business. It has been lost in the past years, affecting us all both physically and mentally. This caring was needed more often. Thank you."

- Marcia Harms, to Dr. Richard Davidson

"This was a terrific Summit and seminar. Jon Kabat-Zinn is certainly is one of the best and brightest in this field. This brief one hour talk was a very well done distillation of a very, very big problem."

- Dr Tom Nordstrom, Orthopedic Surgeon

"After day 4, I am so excited to apply and utilize the tools discussed and start to be mindful and to be connected. Then the busy mind says, how does one bypass a system that pushes practitioners to work like robots and pushes one to ignore that connection which is fundamental to healthy patient care? So my take away from this summit- I will start with me and be the light and the change."

- Psychiatric N.P, to Cheryl Woods Giscombe

"Some really great conversations here around the importance of authenticity, as well as being open and transparent for building trust and combatting stigma around burnout. Building mindful organizations comes through here – the value in asking ‘what is your organisation going to pay attention to?’ Inspiring stuff."

- Chris (MD), to Cathy Jacobson and Mike Dandorph

"What hit home for me was the reflection on the isolation and disconnection in practicing medicine and one of the remedies: to share our stories with each other and listen mindfully. An inspiring discussion. Thank you."

- Malcolm (NP), to Dr. Ronald Epstein

"Thank all of you for this refreshing summit. Mark Bertin’s meditations were simple and effective. Thank you Mark. The teachings about the differences between empathy and compassion were very welcome."

- Genevieve, on Dr. Mark Bertin's guided meditations

Produced by

The Awake Network specializes in curated online events that truly impact your life. Every year we put our energy into a few quality online conferences on topics that matter. We provide talks about what you want to know about mindfulness, meditation and living a good life. Learn more about The Awake Network here.

Mindful is the most respected and trusted source of mindfulness information, advice, and instruction—and the voice of the emerging mindfulness community. Through our bimonthly print magazine, robust website, and social channels, we provide insight, information, and inspiration to help us all live more mindfully. Our media platforms, and our projects and partnerships throughout the field, fall under the auspices of the Foundation for a Mindful Society, a mission-driven non-profit dedicated to inspiring, guiding, and connecting anyone who wants to explore mindfulness—to enjoy better health, more caring relationships, and a more compassionate society. Learn more about Mindful here.