Quoteworthy
Everyday in my clinical practice, I witness great suffering. Empathy, standing in another's shoes, was crushing me emotionally. Compassion, on the other hand, gave me a path forward. I was no longer just bearing witness to suffering but carefully evaluating what I could do about it.
Michelle Hofmann

Most Recent
A Bow to the Unseen

Terry Tempest Williams is a writer, naturalist, activist, educator—and patient. In this second “Dispatch from the Desert,” Terry explores embracing the Unseen to acknowledge our interconnectedness and reimagine our changing world.

A Hiding Heart

There’s a compassion wall—a barrier created by the extra precautions COVID-19 requires. Harvard Graduate School of Education student Niharika Sanyal reflects on the pain of the provider, the patient, and the loved ones across the world struck by the pandemic.

The Plant That Outgrew Its Pot

Harvard Graduate School of Education student Niharika Sanyal shares a simple story with a powerful message of hope and universal connection.

Finding Beauty in a Broken World

Terry Tempest Williams is a writer, naturalist, activist, educator—and patient. As our workforce prepares to care for more patients, she asked her physician, Dr. Tom Miller, to put her to work. In this first “Dispatch from the Desert,” Terry offers solace by way of a brief transport to Castle Valley, Utah.

Neuroplasticity: How to Use Your Brain’s Malleability to Improve Your Well-being

The brain is a highly active and malleable learning machine. Knowing that, we can develop strategies to improve well-being, like engaging in activities that are new and challenging. Resiliency Center Director Megan Call explains how to get started.

Want To Reduce Burnout? Focus on Autonomy and Community

University of Utah Health’s best thinkers came together to tackle a major problem: burnout. Last year, 40 teams across the health system took on the challenge as part of the Resiliency Center’s Wellness Champion Poster Session. The results? Fulfilling basic needs like scheduling autonomy, being heard, and building a community all make a big difference.

Improving Wellness: 40 Teams and Another 12 Months of Progress

University of Utah Health is committed to tackling a major problem in health care today: burnout. Last year, 40 teams spread across an enormous health system took on the challenge. We sat down with family physician and co-director of the Resiliency Center Amy Locke to learn about what works in improving faculty and staff wellness.

3 Ways To Build Mindful Habits

Health care is complicated, emotionally challenging work. Thriving in complexity requires two things: continuous system improvement and building individual resilience. This article focuses on three ways we can build habits that support individual resilience from three experts who do it every day.

Practice: Body Scan

Mindfulness instructors Rob Davies and Heidi O’Donoghue guide us through the body scan, a simple meditation that helps relax the body — and as a bonus, can also help you sleep.

Practice: Awareness of Breath

Mindfulness instructors Heidi O’Donoghue and Trinh Mai guide us through a simple breathing exercise. Practiced regularly, this meditation cultivates awareness, concentration, and calmness.

Workplace Aggression

Workplace aggression occurs so frequently in health care that it’s often accepted as “part of the job.” Patient Safety nurse coordinator Connie Phelps describes some of the work being done at University of Utah Health to help shift that paradigm.

Peer Review: What I Learned at Utah Advanced Communication Training

In November 2017, hepatologist and liver transplant specialist Juan Gallegos-Orozco completed the inaugural Utah Advanced Communication Training seminar. Accelerate sat down with Gallegos-Orozco to talk about UACT and how it changed his perspective on communication.