August 25, 2025

Episode 136: The Future of Physician Wellbeing, Advocating for Doctors & Rethinking Physician Support.

38 minutes

Welcome to the Sustainable Clinical Medicine Podcast!

In this Episode, Dr. Sarah Smith sits down with Dr. Stefanie Simmons, an emergency medicine physician and the Chief Medical Officer of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation. Together, they dive deep into the critical topic of healthcare workforce burnout and what it really takes to create healthier, more sustainable clinical environments—not just for physicians, but for all healthcare workers.

Dr. Simmons shares her personal journey from residency, through struggles with peripartum depression, to pioneering new roles in clinician well-being and organizational support. They explore the stigma surrounding mental health in medicine, discuss the evolution of coaching and peer support, and look at the broader culture shift that's starting to reshape the medical landscape. Whether you're a healthcare professional searching for tools to thrive or an advocate for change in medicine, this conversation is packed with practical insights and hope for building a more supportive future in clinical practice.

Here are 3 key takeaways from this episode:

Systemic Change is Essential: We need to move beyond just “building a stronger canary”—the focus must be on building better, more human-centered healthcare environments that support both patients and clinicians.

Removing Mental Health Stigma Matters: Dr. Simmons spotlights the real harm from outdated licensing and credentialing questions about mental health. Progress is happening: more states and organizations are removing these barriers, making it safer for clinicians to seek help.

Actionable Resources Exist: The Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation provides toolkits, badges, and learning collaboratives to help organizations enhance clinician wellbeing, reduce administrative burden, and foster peer support.

Meet Dr. Stefanie Simmons:

Stefanie Simmons, MD is the Chief Medical Officer at the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation and a board-certified emergency medicine physician.

She was the primary advisor to NIOSH for the Impact WellbeingTM guide for healthcare leaders, leads multi-state programs to improve the operational environment of care and remove barriers to mental health care, and serves as a national thought leader in healthcare worker well-being. Stefanie served as the Vice President of Patient and Clinician Experience for Envision over 7 years, serving 26,000 physicians and advanced practice providers with a focus on professional well-being, including translational research and programs designed to bring well-being best practices to clinical environments. She served as lead clinical faculty for the Clinician Experience Project Wellbeing program.

Stefanie earned her Bachelor of Science and Medical Doctor degrees from University of Michigan and completed residency training at the University of Michigan/St. Joseph Mercy emergency medicine residency. She has completed additional training in medical education, research methods, coaching, and positive organizational psychology.

Please pay special attention to this detailed list of mental health resources, tools and ways to access more information on Dr. Simmons work.

ALL IN for Mental Health: https://drlornabreen.org/allinformentalhealth/

Specifically the ALL IN for Mental Health resource page: https://drlornabreen.org/allinformentalhealth/six-actions/accessible-affordable-mental-health-care/

ACEP wellbeing resource page: https://www.acep.org/life-as-a-physician/wellness

Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation Licensing/Credentialing toolkit: https://drlornabreen.org/removebarriers/

Write your Representative to support Reauthorization of the Dr. Lorna Breen Healthcare Provider Protection act: https://drlornabreen.org/reauthorizelba/

Become an Ambassador: https://drlornabreen.org/become-an-ambassador/

Donate (and thank you!): https://drlornabreen.org/donate/

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By Dr. Sarah Smith

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