Track 01
Physician well-being & system accountability
Where individual responsibility ends and institutional duty begins. The defining question of the field.
Program
Plenaries, keynotes, panels and parallel workshops across three days in Valencia. All sessions in English. Designed by the international expert committee. The program may be subject to change.
Well-Being for Doctors 2026, 14 to 16 November. Regular rate open now.
The conference starts in
All times Central European Time · Sessions translated EN / ES
Concept to application: setting the field, defining ownership, naming the high-risk threats.
WBD Expert Committee
Chair: Jonathan Ripp, Professor of Medicine, Medical Education and Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, and Dean for Well-Being and Resilience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), USA
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
Keynote
Chair: Jamile Ashmore, Chief Wellness Officer and Director of Medical Psychology at Baylor Scott & White – The Heart Hospital; Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Texas A&M College of Medicine, USA
14:45-15:05
Heather Farley · Group Vice President of Professional Satisfaction + Practice Sustainability, American Medical Association (AMA), USA
15:05-15:15
Q&A
15:15
Chair: Mercedes Hurtrado-Sarrio, Professor at the University of Valencia; Ophthalmologist; President of the Medical College of Valencia, Spain
15:15-15:25
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
15:25-15:35
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
15:35-15:45
Preventing Physician Suicide: Whose Responsibility Is It?
Lalith Wijedoru · Social Health Consultant; former Consultant Paediatric Emergency Physician, NHS, UK
15:45-15:55
Physical and mental wellbeing risks among UK healthcare workers from diverse ethnic and migration backgrounds
Asta Medisauskaite · Principal Research Fellow · UCL Medical School, UK
15:55-16:15
Panel discussion
16:15
16:50
Chair: Phua Ghee Chee, Deputy CEO of Singapore General Hospital and SingHealth’s Group Director of Staff Wellness, Singapore
16:50-17:10
Tomas Zapata · Director, WHO Academy; Former Unit Head, Health Workforce and Service Delivery, Division of Health Systems, WHO Regional Office for Europe, France
17:10-17:20
Q&A
17:20
Chair: Corinne Isnard Bagnis, Professor of Nephrology, Sorbonne University; Senior Clinician at AP-HP, France
17:20-17:32
The AI-Era physician: Redefining Professional Identity, Meaning and Fulfilment
Jai Rao, Deputy Chair in the SingHealth Staff Wellness Council, Singapore
17:32-17:42
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
17:42-17:52
AI productivity paradox in Radiology
Maija Radziņa, Tenured Professor in Radiology and Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare, Riga Stradins University, Latvia
17:52-18:10
Panel discussion: opportunities and challenges of integrating digital tools and AI into healthcare professional well-being strategies
Corinne Isnard Bagnis · Professor of Nephrology, Sorbonne University; Senior Clinician at AP-HP, France
Ioana Gheonea · Professor at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova; Chairperson of the Young European Society of Radiology Committee, Romania
Patricia Udaondo · Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Valencia, Spain
Maija Radziņa · Tenured Professor in Radiology and Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare, Riga Stradins University, Latvia
Jai Rao, Deputy Chair in the SingHealth Staff Wellness Council, Singapore
18:10
Plenary
Session not included in the main event CME/CPD credit. Industry supported session details
18:25
InnovaTION CATALYST FINALISTS
Session not included in the main event CME/CPD credit
Chair: Jonathan Ripp, Professor of Medicine, Medical Education and Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, and Dean for Well-Being and Resilience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), USA
18:25-18:33
The Induction Gap: A Peer-Informed Solution
Ambar Siddique, Nottingham University Hospitals, UK
18:33-18:41
Predict the Situation, Not the Patient: Context-Aware AI to Prevent Violence Against Healthcare Workers
Sašo Mravljak, University Of Ljubljana, Faculty Of Medicine, Slovenia
18:41-18:49
First Circle
Aleeya Ahmad, Rmit University, Australia
19:00
Open to all delegates and partners
Leadership, culture and sustainable practice, building the systems back better.
Workshop 1 · Beyond Burnout: Boundaries, Recovery, and Sustainable Performance in Healthcare
Plenary Hall (MR1 B+D)
Milan Mehta · NHS General Practitioner; Stress Management Coach, UK
Workshop 2 · Micro-Recovery in Motion: Reimagining Wellbeing in Healthcare Systems
Parallel Hall (MR1 A)
Yasmine Weeks · General Practitioner; ADHD Physical Health Specialist, NHS, UK
Chair: Jonathan Ripp, Professor of Medicine, Medical Education and Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, and Dean for Well-Being and Resilience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), USA
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
10:45-10:55
Can the Practice of Medicine be a Spiritual Practice? The Coevolution of the Fields of Physician Wellbeing and Prosocial Emotions. Implications for the doctor at the bedside
Leif Hass, Wellbeing Champion, Sutter Health, Advisor on Health and Healthcare, UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, USA
Proven techniques and tools for best results · individual skills plus organizational enablers · when self-care is appropriate vs insufficient
Chair: James Brunning, Consultant Anaesthetist, Wellbeing Lead for Medical Staff; Final FRCA Examiner, Wellbeing Course Director; Breathwork Instructor; PGCME; Certificate in Clinical Hypnosis (British Society of Medical and Dental Hypnosis), UK
11:00-11:10
The silver lining between being hurt and being heard
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
Mental Health in UK Resident Doctors: Prevalence and Strategies for Improvement
Hammaad Khalid · Resident Doctor, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, UK
11:30-11:50
Panel discussion
Chair: Laurie Gregg, Chief Well-being Officer (CWO), Sutter Independent Physicians & Sutter Medical Center Sacramento; USA
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
Workshop 1 · Find your Joy of Medicine through mindfulness and connections
Parallel Hall (MR1 A)
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
Plenary Hall (MR1 B+D)
James Brunning · Consultant Anaesthetist; Final FRCA Examiner; Trust Wellbeing Lead; SOMA Breath Instructor, UK
14:45
Panel
Session not included in the main event CME/CPD credit. Industry supported session details
Chair: Nigel Girgrah, Chief Wellness Officer, Ochsner Health, USA
15:30-15:50
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
15:50-16:00
Q&A
16:30-17:45
Workshop 1 · Building Resilience & Mindfulness: practical strategies for daily practice
Parallel Hall (MR1 A)
Diana Ionescu · Clinical Professor of Pathology, University of British Columbia; Medical Director, BCCA Laboratories, Canada
16:30-17:45
Workshop 2 · Designing a Comprehensive Organisational Physician Well-Being Program (governance, funding, evaluation)
Plenary Hall (MR1 B+D)
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
17:45-18:00
Technical break
18:00-19:00
Workshop 3 · Peer Support Pearls
Plenary Hall (MR1 B+D)
Laurie Gregg · Chief Well-being Officer, Sutter Independent Physicians & Sutter Medical Center Sacramento, USA
Mibhali Bhalala · Obstetrician-Gynaecologist, Lifestyle Medicine; ACOG, USA
Judy Kimelman · former Obstetrician-Gynaecologist; Fellow, ACOG, USA
18:00-19:00
Workshop 4 · Shift Happens: Connection, Failure, and Finding Belonging in Medicine
Parallel Hall (MR1 A)
Yasmin Rahman · GP, Educator, Trainer, Appraiser, Mentor; Programme Director, New to Leadership (North Central & North East London), UK
From insight to action: the 6-12 month roadmap and the Valencia commitments.
Chair:Jonathan Ripp, Professor of Medicine, Medical Education and Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, and Dean for Well-Being and Resilience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), USA
09:00-09:20
Nigel Girgrah · Chief Wellness Officer, Ochsner Health, USA
09:20-09:30
Q&A
Chair: Ioanna Gheonea, Professor at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Chairperson of the Young European Society of Radiology Committee, Romania
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
The Health Workforce as Health Infrastructure: From Burnout Prevention to Health System Resilience
Roxana Mittler-Matica · Physician; Board-certified Neurosurgeon; Engineer; Chief Medical Officer, Germany
09:50-10:00
AI as a clinical ally: reducing workload and redefining sustainable medical practice
Patricia Udaondo · AIKEN Clinic, Spain
10:00-10:15
Panel discussion
10:15
Break
10:25-10:35
The 3W Reset: A Simple Mental Health Check-In for Doctors
Omobolanle Kazeem, Public health expert and Consultant Paediatrician in Obesity and Diabetes, NHS, UK
10:50
Energy management · recovery and how systems could support it · role modelling by leadership
Chair: Diana Ionescu, Clinical Professor of Pathology, University of British Columbia; Medical Director, Cervical Cancer Screening Laboratory and Clinical Trials at BCCA Laboratories, Canada
10:50-11:00
Educate. Recharge. Perform: Lessons from a pilot Medics’ Wellness & Education Meeting
Svetlana Galitzine · Consultant Anaesthetist, Nuffield Department of Anaesthetics, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK
11:00-11:10
You Can’t Self-Care Your Way Out of a Broken System: Rethinking Physician Well-Being
Johanna Janku · MD, Specialist in Gynecology and Obstetrics; Psychosexual Clinician, Switzerland
11:10-11:20
You cannot care for others if you do not care for yourself first
Caroline Justich · Patient Advocate; Past Chairperson & Member, European Society of Radiology Patient Advisory Group, Austria
11:20-11:30
Longevity for Surgeons: Addressing Reduced Healthspan in the Surgical Profession
Lachezar Dobrichkov, Vascular and Endovascular Surgeon · Sofiamed University General Hospital, Bulgaria
11:30-11:50
Panel discussion
11:50
Panellists
Jonathan Ripp · Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), USA
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
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
* The program could be subject to changes.
Where individual responsibility ends and institutional duty begins. The defining question of the field.
Suicide, severe burnout, moral injury. The conversations the profession needs to be having out loud.
Promise, limits, pitfalls. The vendor pitch versus the evidence.
Empowering workplaces. Psychologically safe and supportive cultures by design, not by accident.
Real-world programs from the systems that actually moved the needle.
Boundaries, recovery, well-being-centred leadership. The leadership skills the next generation needs.
Accreditation
The Well-Being for Doctors International Conference has been accredited by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME®) with 12.5 European CME credits (ECMEC®s).