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Practicing humility can improve team-based care.

November 10, 2020 | 2 min read

Moving From Empathy to Humility

By Barret Michalec, PhD, Arizona State University

Acting with humility is granting someone else a higher status than one claims for themselves. This acknowledgement of respect is critical to being an effective healthcare professional.

April 25, 2022 | 1 min read

Showing Empathy to Reduce Patient Anxiety

By Mariana Calleja, MD, Grupo Quirón, Barcelona, Spain

Smiling, communicating calmly, and avoiding medical jargon can help patients feel more comfortable and relaxed.

January 19, 2021 | 2 min read

How to Mitigate Compassion Fatigue

By Dimitrios Tsatiris, MD, Cleveland, Ohio

Prioritizing self-care and making an effort to connect with others may prevent burnout and allow us to continue to give clinically excellent care to patients.

"Laine," by William Stoehr.

April 17, 2025 | 1 min read

HOPE

Art can foster hope for healing for those living with substance use disorders.

The author's pediatrician was an early role model in her development as a neurologist.

October 15, 2018 | 1 min read

Respect, Empathy, and Communciation

By Andrea Corse, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

My approach to care is to provide the kind of care you would want for yourself and your family.

February 10, 2022 | 1 min read

How to Express Empathy With Humility

By Rebekah Fenton, MD, Northwestern University

To show we care, we can simply say something like, “I can’t imagine how hard this must be.”

April 9, 2018 | 3 min read

Healing Through Compassion and Empathy

By Kristen Nelson, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Read Dr. Nelson’s clinical mission statement, reminding us that “no matter what, you’re not just treating the patient, you’re treating the whole family.”

June 8, 2023 | 3 min read

The Swiss Army Knife

By Cory Rohlfsen, MD, University of Nebraska Medical Center

Sometimes clinicians’ wellspring of empathy runs dry. Unfolding a few simple tools—like mirroring patients’ nonverbal communication—can improve therapeutic relationships and allow us to provide compassionate care even when we are not at our best.

October 14, 2025 | 5 min read

Procedures that are painful for both patients and clinicians

Some medical procedures are uncomfortable and do not go quickly or smoothly. The patient’s well-being and the need to complete the task must both be thoughtfully considered continuously.

June 3, 2024 | 3 min read

Injecting empathy into interventional procedures

By Stephanie Van, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

As an interventional specialist, compassion and connecting with patients are prioritized in my care. Acknowledging concerns, providing reassurance, and verbalizing each step of the procedure helps to build trust and alleviate patient anxiety.

May 5, 2021 | 2 min read

Empathy Instead of Judgment

By Isaiah Crum, MD, University of Pittsburgh

Through the death of an infant patient, I was reminded of how integral being compassionate and non-judgmental is to clinical care.

October 16, 2019 | 2 min read

How to Show Empathy When Patients Express Anger

By Zainab Obaidi, MBBS, Johns Hopkins Medicine

There are strategies that can be used effectively when patients express anger.

Operationalizing basic systems like a phone call home following a hospitalization can make a meaningful difference for patients.

March 25, 2025 | 3 min read

Operationalizing empathy

By Steve Meth, JD, MS, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Small systemic adjustments can have a significant impact on care quality. Examples that have been impactful recently include post-discharge phone calls, AI scribing, and better integration of bedside EHR.

"If I die, tell my mother I love her. If I get better, I'm going to visit her in Tennessee. She has ten acres and a farmhouse."

May 11, 2021 | 1 min read

Empathy at The End of Life

By Avani Prabhakar, MBBS, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine

At the end of life, clinicians who are present and listen compassionately may be entrusted with patients’ final wishes. Attempting to honor these requests is one way to serve.

November 27, 2019 | 3 min read

Clouds and Codes Aren’t Care

By Gisele Waters, PhD, Founder and President of Symbiotica Consulting

The promise of artificial intelligence is that it gives healthcare professionals the opportunity to improve the quality of care by allowing humans to focus on humans.

March 28, 2019 | 6 min read

Integrating Psychology and Primary Care

By Benjamin Bensadon, PhD, University of Florida College of Medicine

Person-centeredness holds great potential to maximize healing in the way Osler envisioned more than a century ago. But to translate this concept clinically, psychology and medicine must come closer together. The closer we can come together, the closer we can come to Osler.

October 6, 2025 | 1 min read

Hope made visible

My portraits of grief, resilience, and dignity, foster empathy and dialogue—reminding us that hope and compassion are vital to medicine and community.

July 30, 2024 | 3 min read

Unplug to recharge

By Jennifer Katzenstein, PhD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

When I engaged in a personal digital detox, I noticed my ability to focus on patients improved. Two ideas to try are setting screen-time limits and establishing tech-free zones.

September 29, 2021 | 2 min read

Finding Your Way to Compassion Satisfaction

By Wilson Hurley, LCSW

Practicing strategies that renew compassion will allow you to care for patients more effectively.

July 14, 2021 | 1 min read

How to Respond to Off-putting Comments from Patients

By Elizabeth Steuber, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Sometimes comments from patients are rooted in their own unmet fears or needs. Instead of reacting to your own discomfort in the face of such comments, remaining curious and asking open-ended questions may help you understand what’s behind such unpleasant remarks.

January 3, 2019 | 1 min read

Post-Holiday Reflections

Throughout the entirety of the year, placing emphasis on humanity and connecting with patients is paramount.

August 24, 2022 | 2 min read

Conversations with those who are vaccine-hesitant (archives, 2022)

By Joan Park, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Talking about vaccines with patients can sometimes feel challenging. Extending empathy, sharing your own story, and being honest about potential side effects can be helpful.

October 29, 2018 | 2 min read

The Power of Laughter

By Carol Ann Huff, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Laughter is wonderful medicine and can almost always be heard emanating from my clinic!

Newly Renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza NW, Washington, D.C., June 2020.

June 30, 2020 | 1 min read

Learning to be Antiracist

By Ashlyn McRae, Medical Student, Johns Hopkins Medicine

We must acknowledge the ways in which we have been, and are racist. This will allow us to provide the most equitable care to all of our patients.

"Critical care unit," drawing by the author.

October 29, 2024 | 1 min read

“Critical care unit”—a visual reflection

By Sujal Manohar, medical student, Baylor College of Medicine

In the face of devastating diagnoses and uncertain prognoses, pediatric patients and their loved ones need to feel heard and understood.

September 11, 2025 | 2 min read

Compassion at eye level

When communicating with patients, words, tone, and gestures matter. In addition, genuine presence provides comfort to patients who are suffering.

July 12, 2018 | 1 min read

Storytelling in Medicine

By Susan Lehmann, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

The ability to learn your patient’s story from their words is the essential skill for developing a comprehensive understanding. This is crucial for accurate diagnosis and for establishing a therapeutic bond with each patient.

September 25, 2019 | 1 min read

Promises

By Michelle Gyenes, MS, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health

Be thoughtful about promises that you make to patients. When you do make a promise, make sure that you can keep it.

Sketch of Carl Rogers, Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

June 27, 2019 | 5 min read

Lessons From “Empathic: An Underappreciated Way of Being”

By Leslie Ordal, MSc, CGC

Reading Carl Rogers' 1975 essay can help you cultivate the skill of listening without judgement.

“We often jump to reassure, fix, and plan. If we can be still for a moment, we can remain present and let compassion guide our actions.”

December 8, 2020 | 3 min read

The Messy

By Cassie Ferguson, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin

Caring for children in the pediatric ED is both rewarding and exhausting. Cultivating compassion for patients and ourselves can help to sustain our practice and our well-being.

May 23, 2022 | 2 min read

Communication: A Chaplain’s-Eye View

By Peter Heikkinen, MDiv, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Hearing, acknowledging, and appreciating the patient’s perspective is central to effective communication.

Clinically excellent healthcare professionals maintain a growth mindset.

January 6, 2025 | 2 min read

Defining exemplary care

By Kristopher Keppel, medical student, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Exceptional patient care requires "pragmatic empathy"—the artful blend of compassion and candor—combined with a holistic approach that considers the patient's broader life context.

November 5, 2020 | 3 min read

Cultivating Compassion

By Aidan Crowley, Medical Student, University of Pennsylvania

Compassion—acting on the desire to relieve suffering—is central to giving clinically excellent care to those in need.

August 26, 2024 | 2 min read

The Argentinian way

By M. Carolina Musri, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

In Argentina, I learned that relationship-building in medicine is paramount. With patients, talking about anything non-medical can deepen a connection. With coworkers, sharing lunch every day can help reduce stress and improve well-being.

April 29, 2024 | 3 min read

A patient’s reflection on connecting with clinicians—what matters most

By Jennifer Ball, BSJ, MA, Chicago, IL

Empathy and cultural competence are cornerstones of excellent patient care. Prioritizing these values can help each patient feel respected, empowered, and supported.

March 27, 2024 | 1 min read

Deepening connections: takeaways from David Brooks’ “How to Know a Person”

By Gretchen Miller, Managing Editor

Healthcare professionals can enhance their connections with patients and coworkers by truly understanding others. Looking beyond the surface, cultivating empathy, and mastering the art of paying attention can help clinicians build deeper relationships.

"Nighthawks," Edward Hopper, 1942.

January 2, 2019 | 3 min read

The Human Experience of Illness

By Tina Zhang, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Paintings, photographs, and poems can foster dialogue about the human experience of illness and allow learners to approach challenging topics in a more comfortable way.

March 9, 2021 | 2 min read

Self-Compassion: A Resilience Strategy For Stressful Times

By Jennifer Hartmark-Hill, MD, University of Arizona

Cultivating self-compassion can combat stress and burnout, and improve your overall well-being.

Clinician self-disclosure must be done thoughtfully if it is to strengthen the root of the patient-doctor relationship.

January 18, 2021 | 5 min read

The Pros and Cons of Clinician Self-disclosure

By Howard Chang, Medical Student, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Clinician self-disclosure, if done thoughtfully, may help some patients feel better understood and strengthen the patient-doctor relationship.

January 11, 2021 | 2 min read

Meditation to Manage Stress

By Wilson Hurley, LCSW

Stress can cause us to be impatient with patients and colleagues. Noticing this and refocusing our attention toward the patient can help us continue to give excellent care.

Hippocrates featured in the interior of the old town hall in Gõttingen, Niedersachsen, Germany. Public domain, Wikimedia Commons.

February 20, 2020 | 3 min read

“Life is short, and art long”

By Jonathan Yeh, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

The art of honest and empathetic communication is fundamental to being an excellent clinician. And, it can be improved with intentional practice.

August 20, 2024 | 2 min read

Wounded healer

By David Kopacz, MD, University of Washington

Clinician burnout can erode compassion, which is at the heart of healthcare. To reignite a passion for healing, clinicians must tend to their own souls in addition to mind and body.

August 1, 2019 | 3 min read

Mindset and the Power of Yet: A Conversation With Dr. Gurpreet Dhaliwal

Excellent clinicians are also thoughtful mentors. Mentors are like beacons as we navigate our path forward.

August 5, 2024 | 2 min read

Shaping great clinicians

To ensure the next generation of healthcare professionals is outstanding, clinicians need to role model clinical excellence. Asking open-ended questions and listening to patient concerns are two ways to demonstrate patient-centered care.

March 24, 2025 | 2 min read

Bones and “bons mots” (Fr)

Narrative medicine provides a framework for integrating empathy, reflection, and trust into all fields of medical practice, fostering deeper connections between practitioners and patients.

June 29, 2018 | 1 min read

Getting Into Character

By Scott Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Working as a primary care provider for the last 24 years, I can say without a doubt that reading fiction has expanded my capacity to connect with my patients with a greater level of empathy.

The author enjoying time with her beautiful family. Photo credit to the author, and used with permission.

April 18, 2019 | 1 min read

Patients Are Partners, Not Consumers

By Hala Durrah, MTA, Patient Family Engagement Advocate & Consultant, Washington, DC

My hope is that physicians, patients, and families, consider each other as partners, with mutual respect, trust, compassion, understanding, and empathy guiding and facilitating interactions and relationships.

December 8, 2022 | 2 min read

Embracing Music to Cope With Burnout

By Tara Rajendran, MBBS, MFA, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India

Playing and listening to music every day fosters my well-being and allows me to take better care of patients.

January 9, 2025 | 2 min read

Caution: red tape ahead

By Katharine Russo, PharmD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Holistically caring for patients includes helping them navigate healthcare systems. Take time to support already stressed patients through the frustrating and opaque processes of insurance and prior authorizations.

April 15, 2024 | 1 min read

When the end is near

By Avani Prabhakar, MBBS, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Shubham Tomar, MBBS, MPH, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

At the end of life, loved ones often must make difficult decisions. Healthcare professionals can help ease this burden by showing empathy and compassion.