Personal well-being
Practical tools, peer protocols, and mind–body practices physicians can take back to clinic on Monday morning.
International Conference
Well-Being
for Doctors
Healing systems. Supporting physicians.
Early Bird · 15 July 2026
Palacio de Congresos · Valencia, Spain
Expert committee
Our committee.
Prof. Jonathan Ripp
Mount Sinai · USA
Prof. Dr. Diana N. Ionescu
UBC · Canada
Prof. Ioana–Andreea Gheonea
UMF Craiova · Romania
Dr. Jamile Ashmore
Baylor Scott & White · USA
Prof. Phua Ghee Chee
SingHealth · Singapore
Prof. Mercedes Hurtado
Univ. of Valencia · Spain
WBD · two key dimensions
Healing systems. Supporting physicians.
Personal well-being
Practical tools physicians can take back to clinic on Monday.
Systemic change
Frameworks that embed well-being into how medicine actually works.
Who should attend?
Come for the sessions. Stay for the people.
- Physicians & educators
- Hospital & health leaders
- Well-being frontliners
- Researchers, insurers & partners
Built with the world's most respected institutions in physician well-being.
13 collaborators · 9 countries
Watch
See WBD in motion.
Two short films: an introduction to the conference, and a word from the committee on why physician well-being matters now.
The crisis behind the white coat
The demands of modern medicine are taking a growing toll on the people who practice it.
Burnout is no longer the exception. It is the working condition. WBD 2026 brings together the researchers, leaders and clinicians turning that around.
Read the full case50%
of physicians report symptoms of burnout.
1 in 3
experience anxiety in clinical practice.
24–25%
encounter clinical depression at some point in their career.
1 in 5
are considering leaving the profession due to stress and overload.
Our mission
Healing systems. Supporting physicians.
We empower physicians with evidence-based strategies that support their personal well-being, and we institutionalize that care through supportive structures and healthcare policy. Two dimensions, one mission.
Systemic change
Frameworks for hospital boards, policymakers and educators to embed well-being into how medicine actually works.
Who attends
Find your people.
Clinicians, educators, hospital and health-system leaders, and the researchers shaping what comes next. Real conversations with the people who get it.
Physicians & educators
Practising clinicians, residents, and the people training the next generation.
Hospital & health leaders
CMOs, CWOs, board members and operations heads designing healthier systems.
Well-being frontliners
Peer supporters, coaches, therapists and chaplains working with clinical teams.
Researchers, insurers & partners
Academics, payers and industry working at the edge of the field.
Program
Three days. Insight, evidence and action toward change.
Time
Session
Stage
-
14:00
WelcomeMain Hall
Welcome address from the Committee
WBD Expert Committee
-
14:15
PlenaryMain Hall
Physician Well-Being Today: From Concept to Application Across Individuals and Systems
- 14:15–14:35 Phua Ghee Chee · Deputy CEO, Singapore General Hospital; Group Director of Staff Wellness, SingHealth, Singapore
- 14:35–14:45 Q&A
-
14:45
KeynoteMain Hall
From Burnout to System Accountability: Building the Infrastructure for Physician Well-Being
- 14:45–15:05 Heather Farley · VP of Professional Satisfaction, American Medical Association (AMA), USA
- 15:05–15:15 Q&A
-
15:15
Break
Well-Being refreshment break
-
16:00
Session 1Main Hall
The Elephant in the Room: Addressing High-Risk Threats to Physician Well-Being
- 16:00–16:10 Physician well-being in crisis and disaster contexts: sustaining performance under extreme demand Jose M. Martín-Moreno · Professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Valencia, Spain
- 16:10–16:20 Emotional challenges physicians face and how to emerge scarred but healed Egidio J. da Silva · Consultant Anaesthetist and Clinical Director, Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham, UK
- 16:20–16:30 Preventing Physician Suicide: Whose Responsibility Is It? Lalith Wijedoru · Social Health Consultant; Founder, Behind Your Mask; former Consultant Paediatric Emergency Physician, NHS, UK
- 16:30–16:40 Physical and mental wellbeing risks among UK healthcare workers from diverse ethnic and migration backgrounds Katherine Woolf · Professor of Medical Education Research, UCL, UK
- 16:40–17:00 Panel discussion
-
17:00
KeynoteMain Hall
Keynote: to be announced
- 17:00–17:20 Tomas Zapata · Unit Head, Health Workforce and Service Delivery, Division of Health Systems, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Denmark
- 17:20–17:30 Q&A
-
17:30
Break
Short break
-
17:40
Session 2Main Hall
Innovation & AI in Physician Well-Being: Promise, Limits, and Pitfalls
- 17:40–17:52 What actually improves well-being vs what just improves efficiency Ioana Gheonea · Professor, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova; Chair, Young European Society of Radiology Committee, Romania
- 17:52–18:04 AI as a clinical ally: reducing workload and redefining sustainable medical practice Patricia Udaondo · AIKEN Clinic, Spain
- 18:04–18:30 Panel discussion: opportunities and challenges of integrating digital tools and AI into healthcare professional well-being strategies Corinne Isnard Bagnis · Sorbonne University; AP-HP, France Ioana Gheonea · Craiova, Romania Patricia Udaondo · AIKEN Clinic, Spain
-
18:30
ReceptionExhibition floor
Harmony in Health: a sustainable welcome reception
Open to all delegates and partners
Time
Session
Stage
-
09:00
WorkshopsWorkshop Hall
Parallel workshops
- Workshop 1 · Beyond Burnout: Boundaries, Recovery, and Sustainable Performance in Healthcare Milan Mehta · NHS General Practitioner; Stress Management Coach; Founder, Success Mindset Solutions, UK
- Workshop 2 · Micro-Recovery in Motion: Reimagining Wellbeing in Healthcare Systems Yasmine Weeks · General Practitioner; ADHD Physical Health Specialist, NHS; Founder, Retreats4Medics, UK
-
10:00
PlenaryMain Hall
Well-Being–Centered Leadership: Building Community, Trust, and Engagement
- 10:00–10:20 Jamile Ashmore · Chief Wellness Officer and Director of Medical Psychology, Baylor Scott & White – The Heart Hospital; Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Texas A&M College of Medicine, USA
- 10:20–10:30 Q&A
-
10:30
Break
Well-Being refreshment break
-
11:00
Session 3Main Hall
Mental and Physical Health Strategies for Sustainable Performance in Clinical Practice
Proven techniques and tools for best results · individual skills plus organizational enablers · when self-care is appropriate vs insufficient
- 11:00–11:10 To be announced Diana Ionescu · Clinical Professor of Pathology, University of British Columbia; Medical Director, Cervical Cancer Screening Laboratory and Clinical Trials, BCCA Laboratories, Canada
- 11:10–11:20 The challenge of teaching mindfulness and compassion as non-technical skills of healthcare professionals Corinne Isnard Bagnis · Professor of Nephrology, Sorbonne University; Senior Clinician at AP-HP (Paris), France
- 11:20–11:30 You cannot care for others if you do not care for yourself first Caroline Justich · Founder, Be accepted – Home of the smart 8; Past Chairperson & Member, European Society of Radiology Patient Advisory Group, Austria
- 11:30–11:50 Panel discussion
-
11:50
Session 4Main Hall
Empowering Workplaces: Designing Well-Being–Focused Work Environments
- 11:50–12:00 From Overseas to Overwhelmed: Well-Being Challenges Unique to International Medical Graduates from South Asia in the NHS Sandeep Buddha · Consultant Stroke Physician, North Bristol NHS Trust; Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK
- 12:00–12:20 Designing a Well-Being-Focused Hospital Philip Yu · Chief Medical Executive, Sutter Medical Center Sacramento, USA Laurie Gregg · Chief Well-being Officer, Sutter Independent Physicians & Sutter Medical Center Sacramento, USA
- 12:20–12:30 Burnout is a Design Flaw: Re-engineering Surgical Pathways to Protect Clinician Well-Being and Improve Patient Outcomes Pratap Dutta · Consultant Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon, Skin Cancer Lead, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, UK
- 12:30–12:40 From Compassion to Culture: Leadership Models for Well-Being-Focused Healthcare Workplaces Shreedhar Aranganathan · Consultant Spinal Surgeon; Member, Commonwealth Leadership Institute (CLI), UK
- 12:40–13:00 Panel discussion
-
13:00
Lunch
Well-Being lunch break
-
13:30
WorkshopsWorkshop Hall
Parallel workshops
- Workshop 1 · Find your Joy of Medicine through mindfulness and connections Irina Korman · Internal Medicine Physician; Member of the Board of Directors, Sierra Foothills Medical Society, USA
- Workshop 2 · Steady Under Pressure: practical regulation skills for stress and distress in medicine James Brunning · Consultant Anaesthetist; Final FRCA Examiner; Trust Wellbeing Lead; SOMA Breath Instructor, UK
-
14:30
Main Hall
To be announced
-
15:15
Session 5Main Hall
Harmonizing Lives: Boundaries, Recovery, and Sustainable Performance
Energy management · recovery and how systems could support it · role modelling by leadership
- 15:15–15:25 To be announced Svetlana Galitzine · Consultant Anaesthetist, Nuffield Department of Anaesthetics, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK
- 15:25–15:45 To be announced
- 15:45–16:00 Panel discussion
-
16:00
Break
Well-Being refreshment break
-
16:30
WorkshopsWorkshop Hall
Parallel workshops
- Workshop 1 · Building Resilience & Mindfulness: practical strategies for daily practice Diana Ionescu · Clinical Professor of Pathology, University of British Columbia; Medical Director, BCCA Laboratories, Canada
- Workshop 2 · Designing a Comprehensive Organisational Physician Well-Being Program (governance, funding, evaluation) Jonathan Ripp · Dean for Well-Being and Resilience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), USA Phua Ghee Chee · Deputy CEO, Singapore General Hospital; Group Director of Staff Wellness, SingHealth, Singapore
- Workshop 3 · Peer Support Pearls Laurie Gregg · Chief Well-being Officer, Sutter Independent Physicians & Sutter Medical Center Sacramento, USA Mibhali Bhalala · Obstetrician-Gynaecologist, Lifestyle Medicine, Kaiser Permanente; ACOG, USA Judy Kimelman · former Obstetrician-Gynaecologist; Fellow, ACOG, USA
- Workshop 4 · Shift Happens: Connection, Failure, and Finding Belonging in Medicine Yasmin Rahman · GP, Educator, Trainer, Appraiser, Mentor; Programme Director, New to Leadership (North Central & North East London), UK
Time
Session
Stage
-
09:00
PlenaryMain Hall
Physician and Healthcare Workforce Well-Being Programs: Lessons from Real-World Implementation
- 09:00–09:20 Nigel Girgrah · Chief Wellness Officer, Ochsner Health, USA
- 09:20–09:30 Q&A
-
09:30
Session 6Main Hall
Innovation & AI in Physician Well-Being: Promise, Limits, and Pitfalls (Part II)
- 09:30–09:40 Can AI reduce physician burnout? From hype to real clinical impact Salvador García-Delpech · Medical Director, AIKEN Clinic, Spain
- 09:40–09:50 To be announced Muneer Alobeidli · Founder & CEO, Future Well Being, UAE
- 09:50–10:00 To be announced
- 10:00–10:15 Panel discussion
-
10:15
Break
Well-Being refreshment break
-
11:00
PlenaryMain Hall
Organizational Commitment to Well-Being: What does it look like and how to get started?
- 11:00–11:20 Jonathan Ripp · Dean for Well-Being and Resilience; Professor of Medicine, Medical Education and Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), USA
- 11:20–11:30 Q&A
-
11:30
Closing panelMain Hall
Looking Ahead: Shared Commitments and Next Steps in Physician Well-Being
Panellists
- Jonathan Ripp · Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), USA Phua Ghee Chee · Singapore General Hospital; SingHealth, Singapore Diana Ionescu · University of British Columbia, Canada Mercedes Hurtado Sarrió · Professor, University of Valencia; Ophthalmologist; President, Medical College of Valencia, Spain Ioana Gheonea · University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania
-
12:00
Lunch
Well-Being light refreshment lunch
Expert committee & speakers
The people writing the playbook.
A curated faculty of clinicians, researchers and reformers from around the world.
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · USA
Prof. Jonathan Ripp
Dean for Well-Being and Resilience · Professor of Medicine, Medical Education and Geriatrics
University of British Columbia · BCCA Laboratories · Canada
Prof. Dr. Diana N. Ionescu
Clinical Professor of Pathology · Medical Director, Cervical Cancer Screening Laboratory and Clinical Trials
University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova · Romania
Prof. Ioana–Andreea Gheonea
Professor · Chairperson, Young European Society of Radiology Committee
Baylor Scott & White · The Heart Hospital · Texas A&M College of Medicine · USA
Dr. Jamile Ashmore
Chief Wellness Officer · Director of Medical Psychology · Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine
Singapore General Hospital · SingHealth · Singapore
Prof. Phua Ghee Chee
Deputy CEO · Group Director of Staff Wellness
University of Valencia · Medical College of Valencia · Spain
Prof. Mercedes Hurtado Sarrio
Professor · Ophthalmologist · President of the Medical College of Valencia
Attend
Bring a colleague. Bring your team.
Hospital teams who attend together leave with a system, not a notebook. Group rates lock in at the early-bird window.
Students · Trainees · Fellows
Resident
For students, residents in training, and clinical fellows. Status confirmation required.
€399 €499
Early Bird · ends 15 July 2026
- 3-day full conference pass
- Admission to all sessions & workshops
- Exhibition + program refreshments
- Certificate of attendance
Medical Association Member
Member
For members of medical associations. Valid membership document required.
€599 €759
Early Bird · ends 15 July 2026
- All sessions, workshops, exhibition
- Program refreshments + breaks
- Certificate of attendance
- Access to networking events
Full participant
Delegate
For practising clinicians and individual attendees.
€699 €859
Early Bird · ends 15 July 2026
- 3-day full conference pass
- All sessions, workshops, exhibition
- Program refreshments
- Certificate of attendance
Industry · Corporate
Industry
For pharma, MedTech, insurers and corporate delegates. Includes exhibition floor access.
€1,199 €1,459
Early Bird · ends 15 July 2026
- 3-day corporate access
- Exhibition floor priority
- Networking dinners
- Talk to partnerships for tier upgrades
Full refund until 10 June 2026 · 50% refund until 10 September · no refund after. Bank transfer fees are non-refundable.
Host city
Valencia,
in November.
20°C in November, Mediterranean coast, no jet-lag for most of Europe. The kind of place that makes a hard conversation a little easier.
- November temp
- 10–20°C
- From VLC airport
- ~25 min
- Metro 3/5 fare
- €4.80
- Turia Gardens
- 9 km
Ciudad de las Artes
A city built for the future.
Beach
Malvarrosa
Food
Mercado Central
Green corridor
Turia Gardens · 9 km
Common questions
Before you book a flight.
Still need help? Email registration@wellbeingfordoctors.net and a human will reply within one working day.
When and where is WBD 2026?
Well-Being for Doctors runs 14–16 November 2026 at the Palacio de Congresos de Valencia, Av. de les Corts Valencianes 60, Valencia, Spain.
What's included in my registration?
Your delegate badge gives you admission to all sessions and workshops, the exhibition, program refreshments and breaks, and a certificate of attendance.
Is there a virtual or hybrid option?
No. WBD 2026 is in-person only. Registered badges are mandatory in all event areas; non-registered guests, including family members, are not permitted.
What language is the conference in?
All presentations are delivered in English. Submissions to speak are also accepted in English only.
When does early bird pricing end?
Early Bird closes 15 July 2026 (from €399). Regular pricing applies from 16 July 2026.
What payment methods are accepted, and what's the refund policy?
Online card payment (Visa, MasterCard, American Express) or bank transfer (€30 handling fee applies). Groups of 3 or more, email the registration team directly for group rates.
Refunds: Full refund until 10 June 2026 · 50% refund 10 June to 10 September · No refund from 11 September. Bank transfer fees remain non-refundable.