Stephen Trzeciak, MD, MPH, and author of Compassionomics: The Revolutionary Scientific Evidence that Caring Makes a Difference, was featured during the James L. Stambaugh, Jr., MD, Lectureship in Humanities in Medicine. The lecture, held on September 26, was attended by over 120 learners, faculty members, and hospital specialists to inquire: can implementing compassion in healthcare save lives? Does compassion in healthcare really matter?

“Through curating evidence from more than 1000 scientific abstracts and over 250 original peer reviewed journal science research papers we have evidence-based confirmation that compassion matters in meaningful and measurable ways for patients, for patient care, and for those who care for patients,” said Trzeciak.

Trzeciak addressed the "Compassionomics" of which compassion can be used to improve the delivery of healthcare, the effects of compassion on physician health and burnout rates, and the opportunity to reduce healthcare disparities using compassion.

“Dr. Trzeciak’s visit emphasized that there is an evidence-based case for compassion,” said Jeffrey Bumpous, MD, interim dean of the School of Medicine. “Compassion improves medical outcomes and reduces burnout of health professionals. Compassion must be intentional and can be learned and improved.”

Trzeciak, a specialist in intensive care medicine, focuses his research on “Compassionomics” the study of the scientific effects of compassion on patients, patient care and those who care for patients.

“I only wish that more students and faculty could have heard the lecture on compassion in healthcare,” said Chris Seals, PhD, MEd, assistant dean and assistant professor for the School of Medicine. “Spending literally 40 additional seconds of compassionate and genuine dialogue with a patient makes a significant difference in health outcomes for the patient. This wasn’t just a warm and fuzzy opinion piece. The lecture referenced numerous pieces of research that supported the argument. This was for doctors and patients but I also hope that people use this knowledge with their families, teammates, and coworkers.”

The Stambaugh Lecture Series was made possible by a generous donation from the Stambaugh family. The $75,000 donation was used to establish the James. L. Stambaugh, Jr., M.D. Humanities Lectureship in Humanities in Medicine, which seeks to educate on subjects directly related to the humane and benevolent aspects of professional medical care and medical ethics.

See photos from the event here.