This story is one of more than 20 health system profiles featured in the 2025 AMA Joy in Medicine® magazine (log into your AMA account to view).
To make powerful, lasting change to physicians’ well-being, start with people and their relationships,” says Heather Spies, MD.
“We have found that investing in leadership and the growth of our leaders in a health system is crucial for the well-being of our physicians because they’re who often most influence their department and practice,” says Dr. Spies, physician director of clinician experience and well-being for Sanford Health.
“Every day, short term, long term—everything is affected by whether physicians have a good relationship with their leader or not,” she adds.
Dr. Spies recounts Sanford Health’s experience with one specialty in the health system whose members were struggling with low well-being, low satisfaction and high burnout. Their leader—inspired in Sanford Health clinician leadership training to dig into the group’s problems—used AMA-structured listening sessions and assessment tools to spearhead a remarkable turnaround within six months. Over that time, the group’s well-being and satisfaction achieved one of the highest changes for the better in the entire health system.
“During a really hard time as a department chair, he had all those other leaders in the program alongside him to bounce ideas off in a safe space, and to say, ‘I'm trying this. Why is this not working?’” she shares. “Having that lateral mentoring of those colleagues was key in leading that group into being in a much better place.”
Link between leadership and well-being
The state of physician well-being in the nation continues to be troubling, with far too many physicians reporting burnout and intent to leave their jobs. Though figures have dropped off from the historic highs seen during the COVID-19 public health emergency in 2022, when three out of five physicians reported symptoms of burnout, much remains to be done to turn the tide.
Leadership is a key component of increasing well-being among physicians, and effective leadership represents one of the six pillars of the AMA Joy in Medicine® Health System Recognition Program.
Investments in leadership training and skill development and building relationships in the process pays dividends, Dr. Spies says.
“If we invest and really keep wellness-centered leadership as a component of what we want all of our leaders to be, both our physician leaders and nonphysician administrative leaders, everybody who affects physicians’ practices, we know that we're going to positively impact the way their day-to-day clinical practice goes and then, ultimately, how they are able to care for patients,” she says.
