I’m a primary care physician with more than 35 years of experience in medical practice and health care organizational leadership. In these roles I’ve been responsible for clinical operations, quality and safety, practice design, leadership training, and building the quality of the physician workforce.

I’ve practiced and managed in the public sector, private practice, and multispecialty group practice environments. Most recently, I served as the chief medical officer at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, a 600-physician multispecialty practice in eastern Massachusetts.  

I studied biology at Harvard as an undergraduate, completed medical school at Stanford, and returned to Harvard Medical School for my internal medicine training. Since becoming a trained and certified coach, I have launched a coaching and consulting practice that focuses on performance improvement and leadership development.  

As a Harnisch Scholar at the Institute of Coaching in Boston, I am the principal investigator of a grant to improve primary care physician morale and engagement through coaching interventions.  I am also a core faculty member of the Managing Workplace Conflict: Improving Leadership and Personal Effectiveness course of Physician Health Services, Inc.

You can reach me at les@lchwabcoaching.com.

Dr. Marie Curious is my MedPEP name. Remaining anonymous helps me speak frankly and openly about the challenges I face practicing medicine at a time when many doctors are treading water, furiously, just to stay afloat.

Although Marie Curious is not my real name, I am very much a real doctor. My education and medical training were top notch. I’m a board-certified internist and I care for adults in a clinic in the Boston area.  I am married to a fellow physician and we’re doing our best to care for our patients, our children, and ourselves in the demanding world of Massachusetts medicine. 

Here at MedPEP, I’ve teamed up with a wise mentor, Dr. Les Schwab, to interview a series of experts who help me battle physician burnout so that I can regain my enthusiasm for medicine. 

Feel free to email me at MedPEP@mms.org.

I’m the chief of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Services at the VA Boston Healthcare System and a faculty member of Harvard Medical School.  I’m also the founder and director of the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine (ILM), and a Fellow of American College of Sports Medicine (FACSM), where I helped to develop and lead ACSM’s Exercise is Medicine™ global initiative. 

I am the co-author of ACSM’s Exercise is Medicine,™ A Clinician’s Guide to Exercise Prescription (Wolters-Kluwer, 2009).  I am the co-founder and co-director of the Lifestyle Medicine Education Collaborative (LMEd) which is working to include lifestyle medicine in medical school curricula.

I am an active clinician and researcher, and I speak and consult nationally.  My mission is to guide a broad-based effort to reduce lifestyle-related death, disease, and costs through clinician-directed interventions with patients. The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition has recognized me and the ILM with its Community Leadership Award.  From time to time I appear on national media, including Good Morning America, ESPN radio, and in Time magazine. 

You can reach me at: ephillips1@mgh.harvard.edu.

I’m a leader in building the coaching workforce in healthcare, and founder of Wellcoaches Corporation, the first School of Coaching for health professionals and now a global standard-bearer for professional coaches in healthcare and wellness. I’m a 17-year veteran of the biotechnology industry in the US, UK, Canada, and France.

I’m the co-founder and co-director of the Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, and the co-founder and course director of the annual “Coaching in Leadership & Healthcare” conference delivered by Harvard Medical School. I created and teach the Science of Coaching Psychology course at Harvard University Extension School, and transformational leadership and coaching courses at Harvard Medical School Office of Global Education. I am a co-founder and board member of the International Consortium for Health & Wellness Coaching. I spearheaded the formation of a strategic partnership with the National Board of Medical Examiners and am a founding member of the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching. I provide leadership and team coaching to healthcare organizations.

You can reach me at margaret@wellcoaches.com.

I am passionate about helping physicians run the marathon of their careers. As a Master Certified Coach and certified mindfulness meditation teacher who has coached over 500 physicians and physician leaders, I bring cutting-edge advances in neuroscience, mindfulness, and social psychology research to help physicians overcome difficulty in managing conflict, leadership, efficiency, and burnout, so they can truly thrive in their work. In a non-judgmental and supportive fashion, I help physicians mobilize their strengths, and build their emotional intelligence and a growth mindset, which allows them to succeed in their careers and lives.

I am a part-time Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a founding fellow in the Harvard Institute of Coaching. I’m in the Division of General Medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital where I teach resilience to the Internal Medicine residents. A longstanding mindfulness practitioner and certified mindfulness teacher, I also lead retreats, workshops, and courses on mindfulness and resilience.

I am the proud author of Everyday Resilience. A Practical Guide to Build Inner Strength and Weather Life’s Challenges that came out in August 2020. You can download a free chapter and learn more about my coaching here. My mindfulness series for physicians, The Daily Dose of Calm, is available for free here.

I’d enjoy hearing from you at info@gailgazelle.com.

I am a consulting and coaching psychologist, educator, and behavioral health provider with more than 20 years’ experience applying empirically based change principles to clients’ development goals and work problems. I founded Working Together for Health℠ to serve the unique needs of clinicians. Changes in the healthcare environment were challenging my clinician clients, and people in need were having difficulty getting access to high-quality psychological services. Given these trends, I wanted to help bring the benefits of evidence-based psychology to the world of medicine — to both support and relieve front-line clinicians and bring comfort to patients.

I am an ILM Scholar at the Institute for Lifestyle Medicine at Harvard Medical School, where I teach patient-centered counseling skills and stress management for primary care. I am a Founding Member of the Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital, and I’m on the Research Committee of the National Consortium for Credentialing of Health and Wellness Coaches. I maintain an active cognitive behavioral therapy practice, and, through Working Together Coaching and Consulting℠, help highly trained and innovative individuals, practices, and small businesses address their achievement challenges. I have authored over 20 publications and have presented my work to national and local audiences. I am a core faculty member of the Managing Workplace Conflict: Improving Leadership and Personal Effectiveness course of Physician Health Services, Inc.

You can reach me at diana@workingtogetherforhealth.com.

I coach leaders who wish to expand their effectiveness through a deeper understanding of their leadership capabilities and goals, and their impact on the work environment. Utilizing my multifaceted background in medicine, coaching, leadership, and broadcasting, I help medical and academic leaders succeed by clarifying their vision and implement it using an enhanced understanding of human dynamics, psychology, communication, and neuroscience.

My coaching programs also use researched-based coaching methods to help disruptive high-performing leaders become admired and supportive contributors to their organization’s advancement.

I am a certified physician-development coach through the Physician Coaching Institute and accredited by the Boss Whispering Institute. I trained at the Massachusetts General Hospital and am a board-certified psychiatrist. After residency, I served on staff at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and as a Harvard Medical School instructor before opening a private practice. Prior to medical school I was an award-winning broadcast journalist and honed organizational skills in government and political leadership positions.

Outside of my coaching and medical practice, I serve on multiple committees at the Massachusetts Medical Society and am on the Board of Directors for the Physicians Insurance Agency of Massachusetts. I am a founding fellow of Harvard Medical School’s Institute of Coaching and am on the advisory board of the Physician Coaching Institute, where I’ve developed educational programing for graduate coaches. I also speak on career leadership, communications, and burnout prevention.

I would be happy to discuss your professional needs. Contact me at cathy@lantericoaching.com.

I’m a trained physiatrist with experience helping patients to reach their optimal level of functioning after trauma to the central nervous system or musculoskeletal system. I work mainly with stroke patients and their caregivers in groups in conjunction with the Stroke Institute for Research and Recovery at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. I am a clinical assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and I run the Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group there. I am also a certified health and wellness coach, and in that capacity, I help people optimize their level of wellness by adopting healthier lifestyles. I’m the founder of Wellness Synergy, a wellness coaching company. I consider it an honor and a joy to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors like regular exercise, proper nutrition, stress reduction, and weight management. I do so by identifying motivators, obstacles, strengths, and strategies for behavior change.

My father’s stroke inspired me to co-author a book entitled, Life After Stroke: The Guide to Recovering Your Health and Preventing Another Stroke. My personal experiences have prompted me to marry my knowledge of physiatry with wellness coaching skills. I have led wellness groups for stroke survivors, in addition to my work with the general public and health professionals. I’m an assistant clinical professor at Harvard Medical School, director of Medical Student Education of the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine, and a member of the board of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. I am the co-editor of the behavior medicine section and addictions section for the upcoming Lifestyle Medicine Textbook (3rd edition).

You can reach me at beth@wellness-synergy.com.

I’m a clinical and consulting psychologist, and a board-certified coach, and I have more than 25 years of experience providing behavioral health services, specialized coaching and consultation, and crisis management interventions for a variety of corporations, management groups, and individual clients. I blend consultation and coaching skills with an understanding of organizational dynamics, in order to promote employee health and wellness, support executive and management development, and to maximize personal and professional performance.

I have professional expertise in Critical Incident Stress Management and Critical Incident Debriefing procedures with an ability to provide on-site support for workplace emergencies and organizational crises. I have years of experience working with abrasive executives, disruptive physicians, and intimidating employees. I am a proficient writer, and an engaging public speaker who has received excellent evaluations for the development and presentation of strategic programs for a variety of professional groups and organizations. For example, in 2015 I presented a Keynote Speech at the Second Annual “National Workplace Bullying Coalition's Dignity Conference,” and I was a panelist discussant on Professional Coaching & Enhanced Self-Care to Counteract Stress, Burnout & Frustration at a plenary session of the North American Spine Society’s national conference in 2016.

You can contact me at amorse@psyvantage.com.

I’m an associate professor of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at Harvard Medical School. I am a Senior Educator for the Center for Medical Simulation in Boston and a Consultant for the Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Anesthesia, Pain and Critical Care.

In 2008, I founded the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Center for Professionalism and Peer Support where I served as the director for over 10 years. During that time we became a model for national and international institutions seeking methods to enhance trust and respect and improve clinician wellbeing. I continue to assist organizations in developing specific programmatic approaches such as peer support, professionalism and wellbeing initiatives.

I served as chair of the Ethics and Professionalism Committee of the American Board of Medical Specialties and have held multiple educational leadership roles including: senior associate director of Graduate Medical Education for Partners HealthCare, founding scholar of the Academy at Harvard Medical School, and president of the Society of University Otolaryngologists. I was one of BWH’s first woman division chiefs. She serves on the faculty of the Harvard Leadership Development for Physicians and Scientists. I am a core faculty member of the Managing Workplace Conflict: Improving Leadership and Personal Effectiveness course of Physician Health Services, Inc.

You can reach me at jshapiro@mgh.harvard.edu.

My 30 years as a practicing family physician and as a physician executive in both small and large health care systems led me to my passion for returning joy to patient care using a Lean approach. I’ve personally felt the pain of frustrated patients, overworked providers, and stressed leaders, as well as the joy of resolving those pains.

I’m an experienced physician executive, C-suite coach, and subject matter expert on physician burnout with a proven approach to identify, treat, and prevent burnout in individuals and organizations. I work to help organizations reduce the risk of physician burnout using a five-step approach that addresses burnout’s root causes at organizational, clinical, and individual levels. I also coach health care leaders on medical group leadership, medical group mergers and acquisitions, physician engagement, EHR optimization, and physician compensation plans.

You can contact me at paul@pauldechantmd.com.

I’m a writer and change agent. I left clinical practice in 1996 because of burnout, but I never left health care. In the 20-odd years since I exchanged my stethoscope for a keyboard, I have focused on exposing the flaws in the health care system and highlighting the courageous innovators who are fixing problems and finding ways to better care for patients and those who care for them. I craft documents tailored directly to my clients’ needs: reports, white papers, articles, case studies, and blog posts for nonprofit foundations and consulting firms working to improve the care delivery system. I’ve won several awards for my work and recently co-authored Preventing Physician Burnout: Curing the Chaos and Returning Joy to the Practice of Medicine, which has been well-received by experts in the field.

I write, blog, speak, and consult, all in the service of improving health care. I remain, and will always be, a physician at heart.

You can contact me at dshannon@mdwriter.com.

I’m a psychiatrist and I’ve developed an empathy training approach based on research in the neurobiology and physiology of empathy. This approach was tested in pilot studies and a randomized, controlled trial at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). As a result of this work, I now serve as the chief scientist for Empathetics, an innovative company that provides empathy and interpersonal skills training for medical professionals. I’m also a part-time associate professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and I serve as the director of the Empathy and Relational Science Program at MGH. I’m a core member of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations. I am also the  Author of “The Empathy Effect” and my TEDx Talk: “The Power of Empathy” has had 600,000 viewers.

I completed my residency and chief residency at MGH and Harvard Medical School. I have devoted my career to teaching and research in the art and science of the patient-doctor relationship. I received my MD from Boston University School of Medicine and my BA from Wesleyan University. For more information about Empathetics training for organizations, please visit www.empathetics.com. I can be reached at hriess@empathetics.com.

I can be reached at hriess@empathetics.com.

I’m a licensed psychologist that began coaching in 1986. Over the years, many of my coaching clients have been physicians, medical leaders, health care executives, and health care organizations. I’m particularly passionate about the power of coaching, emotional intelligence, and positive psychology to uplift humanity. I design and deliver executive coaching programs, wellness coaching programs, internal coaching programs to build a coaching culture, and emotionally intelligent leadership programs, globally. I have served on the International Coach Federation (ICF) Global Board of Directors, recently holding the office of vice president. I have also served as president and for five years as an international board member of the Association of Coach Training Organizations. I have served on the editorial board of Coaching: International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice. An expert on emotional intelligence in the workplace, I’m a frequent speaker at academic and professional conferences on peak performance, well-being, and emotional intelligence. As the founder and president of the College of Executive Coaching, I have trained thousands of health professionals (including physicians) and medical leaders as professional coaches.

I’m the author of several coaching books such as Personal and Executive Coaching, Positive Psychology in Coaching, and the Well-Being Coaching Workbook. I have a PhD in psychology and I am a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara; the Chicago School of Psychology; and Antioch University.

You can reach me at www.executivecoachcollege.com.

I’m an internist at Bellevue Hospital, the oldest public hospital in country, and a faculty member of NYU School of Medicine. I am also editor-in-chief of the Bellevue Literary Review, the first literary journal to arise from a medical setting.

I write about medicine and the doctor-patient connection. My most recent books are What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear and What Doctors Feel: How Emotions Affect the Practice of Medicine. The book that really came from my heart was my first one, Singular Intimacies: Becoming A Doctor at Bellevue.

My writings have also appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, the New England Journal of Medicine, the Lancet, Slate Magazine, and on CNN.com and National Public Radio.

I’m currently working on a book about medical error, while several unfinished novels in various states of disrepair gather prime New York City dust under my bed. I live with my husband, three children, and the endless challenges of the cello in a singularly intimate, Manhattan-sized apartment.

You can contact me via DanielleOfri.com.

I’ve worked as an effective and empathic leader in a major academic medical center, on the board and in the delivery system of a large multispecialty medical group, and at the helm of a nationally renowned physician health program, Physician Health Services, Inc.

I trained at Harvard (summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa), Penn Medical School, and Harvard’s McLean Hospital (chief resident). I’m an experienced medical leader, as well as a seasoned psychiatrist, a highly-regarded addiction expert, and a practicing thought leader in physician coaching.

You can contact me at drsteve@adelmed.com.

I’m a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and psychopharmacologist. My approach to psychotherapy is relational, pragmatic, structured, direct, and emotionally vivid. As a psychopharmacologist, I shape treatments in a modern way, without taking undue risks. I utilize what’s tried and tested, imaginatively minimizing side effects. I’m trained in many modalities: psychoanalytic, cognitive behavioral, solution-focused, motivational, hypnosis, and others. I’ve also been trained in AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy).

After training in neurobiology with highest honors, I completed my medical degree at University College London. I came to the United States to train in psychiatry and addiction (Payne Whitney Clinic, New York Presbyterian Hospital, Cornell Medical Center), and have done research in the neurobiology of addiction at Rockefeller University. I have been a faculty member at Cornell, Vermont, and, Harvard Medical Schools. I am dually boarded by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in general psychiatry and addiction psychiatry.

Since graduating in 1999, I have established and led addiction treatment programs (NYC, Vermont), directed evidence-based dual disorders programs, overhauled national addiction and pain programs (Kaiser Permanente, Colorado), and treated thousands of patients. I have written articles in neurobiology, psychiatry, and addictions, and have lectured at major conferences nationwide. I am especially interested in helping other physicians provide excellent and compassionate care to patients with chronic pain and opioid misuse.

You can reach me at markg@psychgarden.com.

I’m the chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine at University of Pittsburgh, where I am also a visiting professor of medicine and the director of the Center for Research on Health Care. I’m a primary care internist who also practices addiction medicine, and I’ve cared for hundreds of patients with substance use disorders. My clinical practice has focused on the care of underserved populations. I am particularly interested in caring for patients who have experienced the triad of trauma, pain, and substance misuse. I enjoy employing my Spanish language skills with Latin American immigrants.

I have developed and researched interventions to combat the current crisis in opioid use disorders. Additionally, I have studied violence and its health impacts, and I utilize what I’ve learned in my academic work to help patients with substance use disorders. I often speak about my research and its clinical and professional applications at national and international conferences. My topics have ranged from intimate partner violence and chronic pain management to physician work-life integration.

I have directed a wellness initiative for five years, and some of my research and publications are in the field of burnout and wellness. I hope to continue to develop the data to support interventions to decrease burnout and improve vitality and physician resilience among primary care physicians and academic medical faculty. I received my MD from Harvard, my MPH from Boston University, and my BA from Yale.

You can reach me at liebschutzjm@upmc.edu.