Evidence-Informed Practice and the MVPs of Wellbeing in Healthcare with Colin West MD PhD

In S6 E5 I am delighted to welcome Dr Colin West MD PhD to the podcast. Dr West is a practising physician, educator, biostatistician and he is globally renowned for his research in professional and organisational wellbeing in healthcare. He has been deeply embedded in research work in this area with colleagues at Mayo Clinic for over two decades to advance and inform healthcare organisational and clinician wellbeing leadership, strategy and evidence-informed system and work unit interventions to promote physician wellbeing and reduce distress. Dr West is the inaugural program director for physician wellbeing at Mayo Clinic. He is the recipient of multiple awards for his research and education work and collaborates extensively with scientists and groups within and outside Mayo Clinic. External collaborations include members of leadership in the American Medical Association. His work with colleagues including Dr Tait Shanafelt has  been published in multiple top-tier journals, including the Lancet, the Journal of the American Medical Association, Annals of Internal Medicine, and JAMA Internal Medicine.   In this conversation we discuss the evolution of his work over the past two decades. We learn how the combination of unique skills, intellectual curiosity and a deep investment and sense of purpose led to a critical coalition of colleagues who have helped to advance and build evidence-informed road maps and organisational blueprints  to promote physician wellbeing and professional satisfaction and reduce burnout and distress. I was particularly keen to explore some of the key intervention studies including the COMPASS trail ( Colleagues Meeting to Promote and Sustain Satisfaction) and the research about leadership capability and coaching/development. This episode is full of both the science and practical wisdom Dr West brings as a clinical expert in this field and yet still scratches the surface of his work.  A lot of his efforts today centre on attention to the MVPs ( meaning values and purpose )of professional wellbeing for his colleagues and the work they do in turn for their patients. He finishes with a powerful call to action at this juncture and critical inflection point for healthcare and clinicians globally. This is fundamentally important work and I am grateful to Colin and colleagues for continuing to advance our knowledge and applied practice. 

Links/References/Resources

Dr West's Wellbeing Wednesday Thread https://www.linkedin.com/posts/colin-west-57821b82_colin-west-colinwestmdphd-on-x-activity-7252370843236749312-1WMg/

https://www.mayo.edu/research/faculty/west-colin-p-m-d-ph-d/bio-00027800https://edhub.ama-assn.org/steps-forward/pages/professional-well-being

The COMPASS Trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34366134/

Register for the Australasian Doctors' Health conference to continue to the conversation in 2025:https://adhc.org.au/

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