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2025 Capstone Projects

2025 Capstone Projects

Jamil Allan - Compassion Under Siege: The Fight for Humane Healthcare in Gaza’s War Zones

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has left its healthcare system in a state of collapse, with doctors and nurses operating under impossible conditions, often without essential medical supplies, electricity, or even physical safety. This paper examines the role of compassionate care in war zones, using Gaza as a case study to explore the resilience of medical professionals, the ethical dilemmas of providing care under siege, and the impact of systemic healthcare deprivation on vulnerable populations, especially women and children. Through a combination of firsthand accounts, interviews, systematic reviews, and policy analyses, this research investigates how compassionate care functions amidst extreme adversity.
The study uses a qualitative methodology, drawing from primary testimonies of Palestinian healthcare providers, personal family narratives, and an extensive review of academic and humanitarian reports. Key findings reveal that compassionate care in Gaza is not just an ethical obligation but a survival mechanism, with medical professionals regularly resorting to creative improvisation, community-based care networks, and psychological support to promote both their patients and themselves. The paper also highlights the role of international aid organizations in contributing to Gaza’s fragile healthcare system, while exposing the failures of global governance to ensure medical neutrality in war.
This research ultimately argues that compassionate care in conflict zones must be formally recognized as a fundamental pillar of humanitarian intervention. It calls for systemic policy changes, including expanded telemedicine initiatives, trauma-informed training for war-zone medical personnel, and stronger enforcement of international protections for healthcare workers. By centering the voices of those on the ground, this paper strives to illuminate the profound impact of compassionate care as a means of resistance, resilience, and dignity in the face of oppression.

Lauren Barnes - A Pain in My Joint? An Exploration of Chronic Pain, Osteoarthritis, and Patient-Centered Communication

Chronic pain has emerged as a significant issue for modern society. Affecting hundreds of millions worldwide, chronic pain leads to significant disability, reductions in quality of life, and mental health problems. This paper examines and integrates information from sources across multiple disciplines about the origins of chronic pain, social influences, and cognitive factors that maintain chronic pain. Specifically, this paper discusses osteoarthritis, a degenerative chronic pain condition that affects the joints. Biochemical mechanisms that mediate global chronic pain conditions include central sensitization, long-term potentiation, and inflammation. Biochemical mechanisms associated with OA include bone marrow lesions, synovitis, and changes in nerve growth factor. There are multiple brain regions that influence the signaling within the descending pain pathway, thereby enhancing pain. Further, cognitive factors that influence chronic pain include attention and mood. Chronic pain patients have higher rates of mental health problems, and the degree of pain catastrophizing correlates with decreased quality of life. These results are presented using data from studies with patient populations with chronic pain and supported in the context of patients with OA. This paper builds a broad foundation of chronic pain and OA to support the idea of using patient-centered communication to improve patient outcomes. Patient-centered communication hinges upon the principles presented within the Compassionate Care in Medicine program, as utilizing this communication style prioritizes patient involvement in healthcare and improving patient outcomes. As presented in the final section of this capstone, utilizing patient-centered communication is a highly effective practice for improving all patient outcomes, but given the complexity of the chronic pain experience, patient-centered communication should be the standard for treating chronic pain patients.

Grace Billhartz - Disparities in Healthcare: The Impact of Compassionate Caring for Low-Income Populations

Unsurprisingly, those in poverty experience worse healthcare outcomes than other members of society. It is often assumed that this disparity arises due to a lack of financial resources. However, data on the United States’ spending on healthcare resources for the poor suggests that money is not the only factor influencing the quality of care received by lower-income patients. Through a combination of published research and interviews with healthcare professionals, this paper aims to articulate the importance of compassion in relationships between low-income patients and their physicians. Notably, research has found that person-centered care has the potential to increase patient compliance and satisfaction, ensuring that every patient receives the quality of care they deserve regardless of their socioeconomic status.
Furthermore, compassionate care has the capacity to empower low-income patients to take control of their own health journeys. When physicians make an effort to listen and understand their patients' unique needs and circumstances, a patient may no longer feel stigmatized or ashamed due to their financial situation. By studying compassion science and its implications in the healthcare system, physicians can contribute to increased patient trust and quality of care for impoverished patients.

Lauren Bisignani - Compassionate Care Meets Community-Based Design: A New Paradigm for Addressing Community-Health Issues

Communities around the world face complex challenges that shape their health outcomes, requiring healthcare providers to move beyond traditional care models and deeply understand the unique needs of the particular populations they serve. This paper explores the integration of compassionate care with community-based design principles in addressing significant community health challenges, particularly Indiana’s high infant and maternal mortality rates (IMR and MMR). Compassion science emphasizes the biology, psychology, and neuroscience of compassion and its effects on clinical practice. With its focus on understanding the physical, emotional, and social needs of patients, compassion science offers a robust framework for improving health outcomes. However, by combining compassion with the collaborative, community-driven approach of community-based design, physicians can tailor care to local challenges within their particular community, more effectively addressing the broader social determinants of health that contribute to disparities in health outcomes. This paper represents a comprehensive literature search and evaluation of that literature and argues that both compassionate care and community-based design are essential for physicians to most effectively approach community health challenges. Together, these approaches provide a framework for interventions that go beyond immediate medical care, addressing root causes and engaging communities in meaningful ways. Through this integrated approach, healthcare providers can create more sustainable, impactful solutions to improve community health.

Morgan Blakey - Addressing Black Maternal Mortality: The Role of Compassionate Care in Reducing Racial Disparities

Black maternal mortality remains a continuous public health crisis in the United States, with Black women facing maternal death rates nearly three times higher than white women. This research examines the factors contributing to Black maternal health disparities, including social determinants of health, inadequate access to quality care, gaps in medical education, and the underrepresentation of Black healthcare providers. The main focus of this capstone is understanding the potential of compassionate care to dismantle these inequities. Through multiple approaches drawing from psychology, neuroscience, and public health, this paper explores how empathy, cultural humility, awareness of implicit bias, and patient-centered communication can improve maternal outcomes for Black women. The research involved a literature review of different studies on racial disparities in maternal health, as well as analysis of interventions that are rooted in compassionate care. Findings show that strategies such as expanding Medicaid coverage for doulas and midwives, improving cultural competency training, and addressing provider bias are effective in improving outcomes for Black mothers. In conclusion, this paper discusses how adopting a compassionate care framework in maternal healthcare is necessary in order to reduce maternal deaths and reduce the number of preventable maternal deaths.

Bridget Blaney - Compassionately Caring for Patients with Limited English Proficiency

This paper discusses how compassion is necessary in treating patients with limited English proficiency (LEP). A comprehensive literature review of PUBMED and related resources was completed on the aforementioned topic. There is a knowledge gap, particularly in the U.S., on using translators in medical care and how they are effectively and ineffectively used. In looking into all types of interpreters, a discussion of in-person professional interpreters, virtual interpreters, online software, preloaded applications, and ad hoc translator services is provided to give context for the remainder of the paper. Findings indicate that there are benefits and drawbacks to each of the most commonly used translator types and the specific issues regarding patient outcomes when translation services are not used. There is an increase in adverse medical outcomes for LEP patients when translator services are not used and an increase in physician stress. Considering the positive effects of the compassion paradigm and the positive effects of translator use, it becomes clear that the two are connected and should not be separated. Conclusions from the evidence provided paired with the knowledge that the United States will continue to grow in the number of languages spoken in the coming years, evolving include the possible interpretation services to include AI services paired with education shifts to include teaching medical students how to use translator services so that they are ready when they enter their practice will be a step in the right direction specifically compassionate care.

Lily Bodnar - Navigating Gender Dynamics in Healthcare: Enhancing Patient Experience and Physician Practice Through Compassionate Care

Female patients often face challenges during clinical encounters in male-dominated specialties, especially those that require conversations regarding intimate issues. Similarly, female physicians often face career challenges when practicing in male-dominated specialties. This gender disparity pervades the patient experience and impacts patient outcomes for female patients and affects the well-being of female physicians. This research explores the gender dynamics between patient-physician dyad interactions in male-dominated specialties. Using case-studies and analyzing patient experiences, the research reveals that female patients often feel uncomfortable with and dismissed by male physicians resulting in worse health outcomes.
The research also reveals that female physicians encounter difficulties in male-dominated specialties, including gender bias and lack of career mentorship and career opportunities, impacting their ability to provide optimal care for patients, which, in turn, can reinforce negative patient experiences and outcomes for female patients. To address this disparity, this paper employs the principles of Compassion Science to recommend practical tools and skills to improve patient-physician interactions. Compassion Science offers physicians the skills needed to appropriately care for patients and themselves, thereby improving patient satisfaction, health outcomes, and physician well-being.

John Bonini - Physician’s Role in Breaking Bad News to Patient’s Loved Ones

When patients receive a diagnosis, the emotional impact often extends beyond them to their families and loved ones, who may experience significant distress. This emotional ripple of stress can be placed back onto the patient, potentially complicating the treatment process and prolonging treatment time. Physicians play a critical role in addressing this broader emotional burden, and must recognize the patient’s support group's own worries for the benefit of the patient. This paper explores the importance of acknowledging the need for a holistic approach in delivering difficult news effectively to the patient's support group, emphasizing how healthcare providers can foster a supportive environment through effective communication strategies. It evaluates established mnemonics like S-P-I-K-E-S and A-R-C-H-E-S to create a new mnemonic, C-A-L-M-E-R, designed to prepare physicians to guide families in managing their emotions, while maintaining a clear focus on the patient’s care and well-being. By integrating these approaches, healthcare providers can alleviate unnecessary stress on the patient, enhance the recovery process, and promote emotional well-being for the patient and their loved ones alike. This comprehensive strategy ultimately improves the patient’s experience, leading to more compassionate and effective care.

Nicole Braun - A Systems Approach to Patient Experience: Core Elements for Sustainable Change

In recent years, the healthcare industry has increasingly prioritized patient experience as a critical indicator of quality care. This capstone explores the implementation of a systems approach to improving patient experience by analyzing leadership, administrative strategy, staffing ratios, organizational culture, and the use of measurement tools. Patient experience encompasses all interactions within the healthcare system. To improve the system, it requires collaboration across disciplines, decision-making, and a culture rooted in compassion. This capstone project highlights how coordinated leadership, especially from administrators and frontline supervisors, fosters environments that support patient-centered care, adequate staffing levels, particularly optimal nurse-to-patient ratios, directly correlate with improved patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes. Moreover, healthcare culture plays a vital role, and institutions that prioritize empathy, communication, and holistic care experience notable gains in both staff morale and patient trust.
Case studies from institutions such as Cleveland Clinic, HCA Healthcare, and Mayo Clinic illustrate effective strategies that integrate empathy, technology, and interdisciplinary teamwork. These models demonstrate how measurable interventions—such as real-time feedback, standardized surveys, and structured communication frameworks—can enhance both provider performance and patient perceptions. However, the research also identifies persistent challenges, including resource limitations, staff burnout, and resistance to change, which threaten the sustainability of patient experience initiatives. The study concludes that achieving long-term success requires embedding patient-centered values into organizational strategy, balancing financial goals with compassionate care, and continually refining systems based on patient feedback. Through a comprehensive systems approach, healthcare institutions can advance both patient outcomes and satisfaction, ensuring care that is efficient, empathetic, and equitable.

Luke Brown - Rethinking Care: Using Technology to Increase Patient-Centered Interviewing and Compassionomics to Rectify the Rural Medicine Crisis

Modern-day approaches to rural medicine in the United States desperately need closer scrutiny and revision. The U.S. contains thousands of rural communities, some more isolated than others. These communities deal with limited medical resources, a shortage of healthcare professionals to serve in these areas, isolation from urban centers and hospitals, and a difference in culture from a more urban environment. This cultural difference is a barrier against a patient fully trusting their physician. This paper sought to examine rural medical center difficulties and explore the current technologies and practices employed to alleviate the strain on these communities. Some technological advancements in medicine give physicians and other healthcare professionals a chance to administer take-home kits or meet with patients through telehealth apps.
There are also training programs around the country with the sole goal of training a generation of physicians with rural communities as their ideal place of practice. However, research also indicates that these communities still struggle, health professionals in these areas experience higher burnout rates, and patients are often less satisfied with patient care. The best approach is to synthesize the two current strategies. By combining specific rural health training and providing access to technology for more communities, the tide can begin to turn for the patients in need. On top of the specified rural medical training, there needs to be an emphasis on establishing better physician-patient communication, taking more time to gain rapport and trust, and other aspects of compassionate care. This paper synthesizes a comprehensive PubMed-facilitated search of literature regarding rural medicine. By implementing these practices in rural specified training programs, a new wave of doctors and other health professionals can quickly support those in need in rural America.

Hayley Brownd - Analyzing and Providing Patient-Centered Primary Vision Care in Patients with Mental Disorders and Developmental Disabilities

Introduction: Optometrists play an important role in healthcare because vision is fundamental in many parts of life. While many think that optometry just consists of the eyes, there are actually many factors that affect visual health. Some factors include different diagnoses that are commonly seen in optometry patients, such as depression, anxiety, Down Syndrome, and Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide insight and suggestions on how to improve eye care visits by utilizing accommodations for patients of different common diagnoses.
Methods: Many different studies were found and reviewed using Pubmed as well as other credible sources such as optometry journals, and national websites. Search words that were used were “Down Syndrome,” “Autism,” “eye care,” “visual acuity/vision/visual health,” “depression,” “anxiety,” and “patient-centered care.” Papers were considered relevant if they discussed associations between any of the diagnoses and eye care or visual acuity, and 20 reports were used.
Findings: The reports suggested that eye health and these diagnoses are associated with each other, and some reports discussed the difficulty of treating patients with these diagnoses. However, there were very few studies performed on the interactions between patients with these diagnoses and eye care. The studies that did focus on creating more equitable care focused on more medical school-based settings, such as in general practitioners, ER doctors, or gynecologists.
Conclusion and significance: Optometrists should do what they can to provide better eye exams for their patients by following a patient-centered care approach. Suggestions were made based on patient-centered care and listening to the needs of the patient. Compassionate exams, setting agendas, training, and planning ahead are important to ensuring quality eye care is given. Everyone deserves equitable eye care, and it is important to know where gaps in research as well as gaps in standard procedure are located, which this paper helped identify. More research is required on the interactions between vision and these comorbidities as well as eye care.

Leah Brucal - (completed in 2024)

Margaret Buck - Enhancing Compassionate Care for Conversations About Alcohol Addiction: Recognition, Recovery, and Relapse

In the United States, we live in a society of normalcy when it comes to alcohol
consumption, leading those at serious risk for health complications to underestimate their problem. In the healthcare setting, this creates a complex dynamic between healthcare worker and patient when the patient may be ambivalent to or untrusting of the opinion that they have an alcohol addiction. Although a regular occurrence, healthcare workers still report feeling uncomfortable and unprepared when trying to confront their patients about their drinking habits.
For the relationship between the patient and healthcare worker around the vulnerable topic to improve, it requires a better understanding of what the patient is undergoing, from the recognition of the addiction to recovery as well as relapses. Patients experience a great deal of stigma both before and after the cessation of alcohol, so developing and maintaining a non-judgmental and compassionate environment is a requirement to allow the patients to open up.
This report utilized PUBMED-facilitated resources on strategies such as Motivational Interviewing, Motivational Enhancement Therapy, SOCRATES 8A Therapy, and Early Warning Signs Relapse Prevention Training to develop a resource of valuable tools for healthcare workers to understand better how to work with a patient. Maintaining a collaborative environment with the patient and having a mindset of acceptance allows space and motivation to begin to change.

Andrew Burkhart - The Effect of Compassionate Care and the Biopsychosocial Model on the Management of Mental Health Conditions in Orthopaedic Trauma Patients

When people think of orthopaedic trauma surgery, many recognize the physical burden of the injury, failing to consider the accompanying psychological trauma. With a rapidly worsening mental health crisis in the United States, especially since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, this issue has become increasingly prominent. This research paper outlines the prevalence and types of mental health conditions that affect many orthopaedic trauma patients, exploring how compassionate caring practices and the biopsychosocial model can help manage both the physical and psychological recovery of the patient. It emphasizes the bidirectional relationship between pain and depression as well as the effect of the opioid epidemic and addiction on the mental health of patients. Further, the prominence and impact of post-traumatic stress disorder in orthopaedic trauma patients are highlighted. Additionally, the effect of orthopaedic trauma injuries on socioeconomic status and subsequent mental health deterioration are discussed. This paper later explores the biopsychosocial model of care in orthopedic trauma surgery, including techniques such as cognitive-behavioral-based physical therapy and a multidisciplinary approach to mental health treatment in patients. From here, compassionate caring techniques necessary for the implementation of the biopsychosocial model are discussed, including burnout mitigation, effective communication techniques, and promotion of patient autonomy. Ultimately, this paper aims to highlight the mental health crisis in orthopedic trauma surgery and the necessity of the biopsychosocial model and compassionate caring techniques in treating both the physical and physiological conditions of the patient.

Diana Rebeca Candescu - Integrating Spiritual Care into Neurological Practice: A Holistic Approach to Patient Care

As modern medicine advances, there is increasing recognition of the importance of addressing the psychological and spiritual needs of patients besides the physical needs. Neurological conditions, in particular, can significantly impact a patient’s sense of identity, cognition, and existential meaning, making spiritual care an important yet often overlooked component of holistic treatment. This paper argues that spiritual care should be systematically integrated into the neurological care to enhance patient well-being and overall clinical outcomes. Through a review of existing literature, ethical considerations, and a practical framework such as FICA, this study highlights the benefits of spiritual care in neurological settings, including improved coping mechanisms, emotional resilience, and enhanced patient-physician relationship. This paper also explores the challenges of incorporating spiritual care, the need for proper training, ethical concerns regarding professional boundaries, and the diverse religious and spiritual beliefs of patients. By advocating for the adoption of structured spiritual care protocols, this study underscores the necessity of interdisciplinary collaboration among physicians, chaplains, and mental health professionals to provide holistic care for each patient. The findings suggest that integrating spiritual care into neurological practice is not merely a complementary approach but a fundamental aspect of patient-centered, compassionate medicine that enhances both quality of care and patient satisfaction.

Kevin Cardenas - Surpassing Healthcare Inequities: The Impact of Compassionate Care in Medicine

When it comes to healthcare disparities, there are many subjects to touch upon; however, some are more apparent than others. This paper will focus on the aspects behind healthcare disparities such as implicit bias, while also tying in how the science of compassionate care can be tied in to make a difference. The role of compassionate care in medicine, implicit bias and racial disparities, and real-world cases of inequality will be examined in order to fully understand the implications of change in healthcare. This paper represents a comprehensive scholarly facilitated search of the literature regarding the aforementioned topic. In addition, it includes anecdotes that highlight my reasons for why I decided to follow this route of research. It was seen that with compassionate care being used as a method of training physicians and policy makers, change arose in healthcare disparities.

Pablo Casanova - Puerto Rican Health Care: A System Unfit for Balanced Compassionate Caring

This paper examines the systemic issues within Puerto Rico’s healthcare infrastructure through the lens of the Balanced Compassionate Caring Model. This framework emphasizes physicians' need to maintain emotional equilibrium to enhance both the patient’s satisfaction and their own. In this model, we find the Zone of Balanced Compassionate Caring, which describes how optimum involvement or engagement with a patient has positive effects on the patient and the clinician, and it is where doctors strive to be. The paper follows the argument stating that Puerto Rico’s healthcare system is ill-equipped to support physicians staying in the zone due to the confluence of socio-political, economic, and infrastructural challenges and what factors force them out of the Zone of Balanced Compassionate Caring. Significant factors such as delayed physician payments, understaffing, student loan debt, inadequate residency opportunities, and a deteriorating electrical grid contribute to widespread physician burnout, a shift away from compassionate caring, and the migration of many medical professionals from the island. Despite these hardships, some physicians remain in Puerto Rico due to deep cultural ties, familial commitments, and a strong sense of responsibility to their communities. Their testimonies underscore the emotional bonds that motivate service in the face of existing adversity. The paper highlights recent attempts to address the crisis, including tax incentives and increased residency slots. However, most of these measures have proven insufficient given the scale of the problem. Ultimately, the paper calls for comprehensive reforms that prioritize physician support and well-being, infrastructure development, equitable healthcare funding, and the prioritizing of medical students and residents. These changes are essential for enabling a healthcare environment where balanced compassionate caring can flourish, ensuring physician well-being and improved patient outcomes on the island.
Background: Puerto Rico first became part of the United States after the Americans’ victory in the Spanish-American War in 1898, which led them to acquire former Spanish territories such as Cuba, Guam, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico. Decades later, during World War 1, Puerto Ricans were made American citizens after they participated in the United States Army during the War. In the late 40’s and early 50’s, Congress allowed Puerto Ricans to elect their governor. This led to the approval of the island’s new constitution, recognizing the territory as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. After what seemed to be an evolving relationship with the United States, today Puerto Rico still has the same political status. This, along with the island’s

Cecilia Cesa - Asian American and Pacific Islander Medical Professionals and Students’ Experiences
Informing and Reflecting Compassionate Care

Given the health disparities Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) populations experience, especially in underserved areas, AAPI physicians show immense value in their ability to meaningfully connect with patients and understand their perspectives, yet, notably low AAPI representation in the medical field is not necessarily reflective of these demographics’ medical needs. This paper seeks to investigate how Asian American and Pacific Islander medical trainees and physicians’ experiences inform their compassion and medical pursuits and practices.
Through literature reviews and interviews with individuals from Guam in various stages of their medical careers, I hope to gain insight into AAPI culture and how it influences AAPI approaches to care, medicine, and patients. Research and interview responses show that AAPI medical trainees and physicians are influenced by their upbringing and culture, finding inspiration and motivation to overcome challenges through a deeply ingrained desire to care for others and serve the community. These findings contribute to the growing argument for increased AAPI representation in medical professions and specialties in fostering more culturally competent, community-based medicine.

Mark Chahoud - The Role of Compassion in Sports Injury Rehabilitation

This paper explores the role of compassion in the rehabilitation of professional injured
athletes. While traditional injury recovery programs focus on the physical aspects of recovery,there is an equal importance of addressing the psychological and emotional challenges thatinjured athletes face. This paper argues that a rehabilitation approach focused on patient-centeredcare, emotional support, and patient autonomy enhance the mental health of injured athletes aswell as improving overall recovery outcomes. The paper describes the definition of compassionand its role in caring for injured athletes. Case studies of notable athletes demonstrate the power of compassion and its effects on injury recovery as well as the impact of an athlete’s autonomy in their medical care. Data from multiple sources illustrate that a successful injury rehabilitation plan stems from communication and an empathetic approach to caring.

Lucas Chalfoun - Tailoring Communication for Pediatric Care

Communication is a significant factor in patient outcomes and the physician-patient
relationship. The significance of communication is essential in pediatric care, where children and their families have distinct needs (developmental, emotional, and cognitive) that require specific attention and targeted communication approaches. This literature review synthesizes research across diverse pediatric contexts, including primary care, urgent care, neonatology, oncology, palliative care, anesthesia, and radiography, to explore how physician communication training, functional models, and techniques can be utilized to tailor communication for pediatric care.
Central to this review is the following research question: how can existing pediatric communication strategies and functional models be synthesized into a comprehensive framework to guide clinician training and improve patient and family outcomes in pediatric healthcare? By integrating findings from both qualitative and quantitative studies, this review aims to provide a comprehensive framework for understanding and implementing effective communication practices in pediatric healthcare to better patient experiences and outcomes. All 16 articles utilized in this review have been selected and analyzed via a four-stage methodology: predefined categorization, search strategy, selection criteria, and quality assessment. Key findings from the literature were compiled into three categories: pediatric communication strategies, pediatric communication functional models, and pediatric communication training. From these categorized key findings, specialty and field specific recommendations were made encouraging the incorporation of communication training programs, functional models, and techniques into standard practice. Four overarching themes were identified when analyzing pediatric communication as a whole: parental medical education, formal pediatric communication training, open and frequent communication, and tailoring communication to developmental, emotional, and cognitive needs. This review recommends that healthcare systems and physicians embody these core themes in any pediatric communication techniques or training programs they decide to implement due to their significant prevalence. Future research should focus on standardizing outcomes, interdisciplinary models, and cultural adaptations.

Anastasía Chibucos - Lessons from Ancient Greek Philosophy and its Relevance to Physician Practice: The Power of Accompaniment

This capstone project examines the concept of "accompaniment" in the physician-patient relationship through the lens of ancient Greek philosophy, medicine, and language. Drawing on Greek medical thought, which emphasizes holistic care that integrates the physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of the patient, the project explores how ancient frameworks can enrich contemporary medical practice. Key Greek terms such as therapeia (service or care) and physics nature or growth) are analyzed to reveal a more nuanced understanding of the physician’s role—one centered on presence, empathy, and mutual respect. Rather than viewing the physician solely as a provider of treatment, the project presents the physician as a companion on the patient's journey through illness and healing. By examining both historical traditions and contemporary applications, the project demonstrates how the integration of ancient Greek wisdom can foster more compassionate, holistic approaches to modern medical care.

Catherine Chung - Combatting Cancer with Compassionate Care:
The Benefits of and Strategies to Increase Use of Palliative Care in Oncology

Cancer, the second leading cause of death in the United States, engenders significant physical and emotional suffering for oncology patients due to the grueling nature of the disease and the harsh side effects of treatment. Furthermore, caregivers and support systems of oncology patients often suffer as they witness, attempt to care for loved ones, and are impacted by their proximity to this life-altering disease. The widespread, comprehensive, and distressing effects of cancer illuminate and establish the need for palliative care, a field of medicine designed to support patients with chronic or serious illnesses and address physical symptoms; logistical concerns; or the emotional burden associated with cancer. In specifically acknowledging and tending to the overall needs of cancer patients, as well as the caregivers of cancer patients, through a variety of mechanisms and strategies, including advanced care planning, palliative care presents great advantages for oncology patients and their support systems. Unfortunately, despite the myriad strengths of palliative care, it has yet to be widely implemented for oncology patients, or individuals suffering from other serious illnesses. However, the vast benefits of palliative care justify adherence to a variety of suggested strategies to increase the accessibility, ease of implementation, and utilization of this essential field of medicine. Ultimately, the nature and significant benefits of palliative care emphasize how this field of medicine embodies and complements compassionate care in medicine, which underscores the essentiality of sincerely desiring to help another and then actively working to relieve suffering. This paper represents a comprehensive literature search of relevant articles from PubMed and other reputable organizations, such as the American Cancer Society, to address the utility of palliative care for oncology patients and strategies to implement it.

Emma Cimino - The Power of Compassion: Transforming Patient-Clinician Relationships in Fertility Treatment Amidst Mistrust and Stigma

Fertility treatment is an extremely nuanced and complex field of medicine in which there is tremendous need for improvement of the patient-clinician relationship. Fertility is a widespread issue, with instances of fertility experienced everywhere around the world as a result of a multitude of factors. With such a stigmatized health issue comes great emotional stress for couples struggling from infertility issues, both interpersonally and in broader relationships with others and society. Furthermore, many issues present within the patient-clinician relationship including issues stemming from the high cost of treatment, differences in experiences both physically and emotionally, differences in perceived outcomes and expectations, and mistrust of professionals due to past instances of malpractice within infertility treatment. There is promise in establishing better patient-clinician relationships by improving communication between both parties. Research has shown the benefits of patient-centered care and shared decision-making in improving the patient-clinician relationship as well as achieving better quality of life and well-being for the patient. In addition, clinician utilization of certain techniques rooted in compassion science may be useful in preserving compassion and preventing burnout. This paper represents an extensive PUBMED facilitated literature review on the aforementioned topic.

Brennan Clare - Providing Care Rooted in Compassion-Based Science to Women Fighting Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is an extremely prevalent disease, affecting millions of women worldwide. Although the disease is treated with a combination of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgical procedures, patients often experience many negative side-effects, such as anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphia, that can be mitigated by a number of methods and resources. A physician who treats patients with compassion science will have a tool box filled with options that support mental health, cosmetic appearance, body image issues, and fear of cancer recurrence. This tool box offers an opportunity for women to explore cognitive therapies, alternate cosmetic options, and be fully informed of the resources available to them. A compassionate physician will ensure that their tool box is fully stocked, up to date, and clearly available to their patients. Breast cancer patients will benefit from compassion, holistic care, and a variety of resources to choose.

Kassidy Cole - Compassionate Care Beyond the Patient: The Parent-Physician Relationship in Pediatric Oncology

The patient-physician relationship is a crucial component of the healthcare experience and has been shown to improve patient outcomes. In pediatrics, this relationship is extended to involve the parent, making the parent-physician relationship equally as important as the patient-physician relationship. The triadic nature of this bond brings forth unique challenges, especially in a field like pediatric oncology, where the emotions of both parents and physicians may be more elevated. Thus, understanding the challenges faced by parents and physicians, as well as possible solutions to improving this relationship, is paramount in the field. This paper explores the current literature using keywords related to the focus of the paper in order to analyze difficulties from both perspectives and across demographics, to understand the challenges impairing the parent-physician relationship, and to consider possible solutions to strengthen the parent-physician relationship in pediatric oncology. Key findings indicate that parents’ and physicians’ opinions of the relationship may not be well aligned; many relationships that were reported as challenging by one party were not by the other. This misalignment may be due to the differing burdens experienced, a lack of transparent communication, or a lack of emotional intelligence to sense the emotions of others. Relationships may benefit from the improvement of the clinician compassion mindset through interventions focused on emotional intelligence and communication tools. This comprehensive understanding of challenges faced by both parents and physicians, as well as interventions to improve the family experience, provides a framework for strengthening the parent-physician relationship in pediatric oncology with the use of Compassionate Care in Medicine.

Ellie Costello - Pediatric Patient and Caregiver Health Literacy: Its Effects on Healthcare and Emerging Solutions within the United States

In the 2023 Healthy People Goals set by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the goal was set to increase personal and organizational health literacy as a public health issue. Striking surveys have shown that a large proportion of parents and caregivers have low levels of health literacy. Low levels of health literacy within themselves and their caregivers greatly affect pediatric health and their levels of trust of the medical field as a whole.
Lack of health literacy presents a particular challenge for families with low socioeconomic status, low educational attainment, and low levels of English proficiency. Emerging solutions such as pictographic explanations, teaching physicians to properly engage pediatric patients based on their development stage, and offering warning signs for when a health literacy intervention might be necessary show promise as ways to buffer the negative effects seen due to lacking health literacy. Increasing health literacy has the potential to help alleviate some of the pressures of the cycle of poverty, save health systems millions of dollars each year, and decrease risk factors for the development of chronic, life threatening illnesses later in life. Health literacy is a healthcare right and needs to be considered in order for compassionate care to occur in the pediatric field of medicine.

Erin Coyne - The Impact of Compassion in Oncology: How Patient Relationships and Cancer Care Team Dynamics Influence Patient Outcomes, Mental Health, and Physician Mindset

As a devastating disease, cancer is often marked by physical suffering, emotional turmoil, and a profound impact on the lives of patients and their families. Providing care for cancer patients involves navigating a unique set of challenges that require careful attention and empathy. It is often associated with a high mortality rate, prolonged and intense treatments, a wide range of therapeutic options, and significant involvement of the patient’s family. Given these complexities, integrating compassion science into oncology care is essential – not only to enhance the patient experience but also to support the well-being of the healthcare professionals team. Effective communication among the multidisciplinary care team – including surgical, medical, and radiation oncologists – is vital to address the patient’s needs comprehensively and provide optimal care. This paper examines the role of compassion in oncology, exploring its impact on both patients and physicians. Specifically, it focuses on how compassion in communication influences treatment decision-making, helps physicians maintain emotional resilience, and shapes patients’ perceptions of their care experience.

Marah Dokmak - (completed in 2024)

Lena Dougherty - Improving Healthcare Experience for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Women: A Quantitative Study

Deaf and hard-of-hearing women encounter systemic disparities in healthcare that significantly affect their access, experiences, and outcomes. This study investigates the unique challenges raced by Deaf and hard-of-hearing women when navigating the healthcare system. It explores how the presence or absence of compassionate care mediates these experiences. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the research combines quantitative survey data with qualitative narrative responses to assess the relationship between provider communication strategies, perceived empathy, and patient satisfaction. Findings reveal that communication barriers, such as the lack of qualified interpreters or reliance on ineffective modes of communication, negatively impact trust and care quality. Conversely, providers who actively demonstrate understanding, use appropriate accommodations, and engage in culturally competent practices foster a sense of validation and empowerment in Deaf and hard-of-hearing women. These results underscore the critical need for increased provider training in Deaf cultural competence and compassionate care principles. Ultimately, this paper advocates for systemic reforms to create more equitable healthcare experiences for Deaf and hard-of-hearing women.

Brendan Dwyer - Compassionate Care and Communication for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Families

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a condition that can cause children to have many difficulties in social, sensory, and behavioral areas. Because of this, patients with ASD can be less receptive to and willing to engage in traditional interactions in the clinical setting and beyond. This poses a challenge for all people involved in the healthcare of the child, including their parents and clinicians of all sorts. The diagnostic process can be difficult for clinicians, parents, and patients alike due to knowledge gaps related to ASD, biases and preconceived notions on the subject, and the overlapping nature of presenting symptoms. There is ultimately a need for a paradigm-shift that focuses on patient-centered care and development, rooted in compassion and empowering the patient. Utilizing principles of Compassion Science such as Polyvagal Theory, clinicians and parent-caregivers alike can create an environment that allows for the patient to feel safe, comfortable, empowered, and willing to trust. Patients will be more receptive to interaction, therapy, and learning when they receive communication and queues from their surroundings that they are free of danger. This paper represents a comprehensive PUBMED-facilitated literature search regarding compassionate care and communication methods that can be employed when caring for children with autism spectrum disorders, as well as background information on ASD and the relationship dynamics between clinician, parent, and patient. This can be applied toward a future goal of a more team-oriented and patient-centered approach to ASD care rooted in compassion and transparency.

Stephanie Estrada - End-of-Life Care Disparities: Barriers to Hospice and Palliative Care in Latino and Rural Communities

End-of-life (EOL) care is essential for ensuring that individuals receive dignified and
compassionate treatment in their final stages of life. However, significant disparities in access to hospice and palliative care persist among Latino and rural communities due to systemic barriers such as language discordance, cultural misunderstandings, and limited healthcare access. This paper explores the root causes of these disparities and proposes solutions to improve care equity. The research involved a comprehensive literature review and analysis of existing data on hospice enrollment, advance care planning (ACP), and palliative care utilization within Latino and rural populations. Findings highlight that Latino patients face language barriers, healthcare mistrust, and cultural reluctance to discuss EOL care, while rural communities struggle with geographic isolation, workforce shortages, and limited healthcare infrastructure. The study identifies that culturally tailored outreach programs, bilingual healthcare services, and policy reforms are key to addressing these gaps. Community-led initiatives, such as training Latino promotores and implementing telehealth programs in rural areas, have shown promising outcomes in increasing ACP engagement and hospice enrollment. Enhancing healthcare provider cultural competency and expanding interpreter services are also critical. The findings underscore the need for healthcare systems to adopt a culturally sensitive, community-based approach to end-of-life care. By addressing these structural barriers, healthcare providers can improve access to hospice and palliative care, ensuring equitable and compassionate treatment for underserved populations.

Thomas Etchart - Compassionate Care in the Optimization of Surgical Patient Education

Patient Education plays a major role in determining the success or failure of surgical procedures. Patients should be told what to expect from the surgery, instructed clearly what they need to do during the recovery process, and given the opportunity to have their questions answered. Patient satisfaction was found to be significantly increased following patient education improvements. Additionally, improvements in the personalization of patient education was found to reduce the amount of pain reported, the frequency of requests for more pain medication, and patient recovery time. Healthcare outcomes were improved in individuals who felt that all their questions were answered by their surgical team. Patient education was found to be the most common part of a physician visit to be skipped when time is tight, even though it has such a large impact on the patient experience and surgical outcome. Barriers to patient education such as language or anesthesia should be overcome by using as simple of language as possible, translation technologies, and completing the postoperative education prior to the surgery to avoid anesthetic amnesia. Compassionate caring is essential to the personalization of the patient visit and relation to the patient which makes patient education more effective. The clinician compassion mental state helps with grasping the needs of the patient and better serving these needs through their patient education. Surgeons are in a position to greatly improve the lives of their patients, and optimal patient education is a powerful tool to maximize patient satisfaction and provide better healthcare outcomes.

Benjamin Ferguson - Compassionate Care Competencies as Buffering Forces against Stress and Burnout throughout the Dental Career

Although the dental field has been praised for its high levels of job satisfaction and ability to maintain a work-life balance not readily seen in the medical profession, it is not immune to the prevalent and complex issue of burnout. This paper examines the dental field at each of its distinct chapters, student, associate, owner, transitioning professional, and highlights the common problems driving professionals toward burnout. The argument for the implementation of compassionate care competencies including top-down empathy, balanced motivations, and the maintenance of job satisfaction as forces to oppose these common stressors is then made. Finally, it defends the possible outcomes of these competencies and their role in promoting a sustainable dental career. By implementing compassionate competency into each chapter of dentistry, the field can shift to provide better quality care while safeguarding the mental health of its clinicians. Because of this, the implementation of compassion competencies into dentistry is not just an option, but an immediate necessity.

Erik Finch-Soto - Compassion and the Growing Rural Health Disparity

In recent years, the United States has been battling the ongoing physician shortage epidemic impacting health systems across the country. This shortage has forced many hospitals and clinics to increase workloads on medical professionals, increasing stress and harming workplace culture. Though this issue impacts urban and suburban hospitals, rural communities especially feel its negative impacts. Rural and remote health systems have, for a long time, suffered from a physician shortage, with a majority of these communities not having access to adequate care. As the national shortage looms, these regions must find alternative ways to treat their patients. This paper is a comprehensive analysis of PUBMED-facilitated research with the intent to understand these issues in rural America and identify potential solutions to these dilemmas. Rural communities have unique health complications originating from a lack of accessibility and resources. Recent studies have found that rural communities have focused on training nurses and physician assistants to fill the roles of physicians to remedy this situation in hopes of curbing the shortage’s impact.
As medical systems are forced to apply more pressure on their medical professionals, worries regarding burnout and compassion fatigue increase. Recent studies have found that compassion fatigue has reached an all-time high, causing physicians to retire early or to switch professions. Burnout is associated with neurological and social impacts, limiting the ability to convey compassion towards others. Compassion not only has the physician prioritize patient needs but has been found to increase patient well-being and medical recovery. This lack of compassion leads to increased errors in treatment and an absence of patient trust. In rural communities, a lack of compassion deters patients from seeing preventive care measures. Publications have found that meditation, workplace culture shifts, and therapy have improved mental health in the workplace and increased compassion in physician-patient interactions.

Madeleine Frech - Harnessing the Power of the Brain-Gut Connection: An Investigation into How Neurogastroenterology Can Provide Insight for Providing Compassionate Care to Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Affecting an estimated 2.4-2.8 million Americans, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) represents an autoimmune inflammatory condition that causes chronic inflammation in the intestine and interrupts the typical functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Beginning with a review of epidemiological data, pathogenesis findings, clinical presentations/complications, and the psychosocial burdens of the disease, this paper will start by introducing the complexity of IBD in both its typical manifestations of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Then, this paper will present emerging scientific research in the field of neurogastroenterology, with evidence of the mind-gut connection underpinning many of the comorbidities experienced by patients with IBD. Finally, the paper culminates in a discussion about the inadequacies of the antiquated biomedical reductionist model of medicine for those suffering from IBD, introducing behavioral strategies grounded in biopsychosocial considerations and intervention options informed by Polyvagal theory to better provide compassionate care to this patient population.

Lily Freda - Living Beyond the Diagnosis: A Compassionate Care Toolkit for Children with Neuromuscular Disorders and Their Families

Neuromuscular disorders (NMDs) are severe conditions that impact muscle function, mobility, and the overall quality of life for affected patients. Children with NMDs and their families face physical, emotional, and financial challenges that are intensified by the difficulties of navigating a fragmented healthcare system that supplies the various types of support these patients need. This research aims to explore how compassion science can alleviate these burdens by integrating holistic, patient- and family-centered interventions. Through an intense literature review, this research examines the physical and psychological toll of NMDs to illuminate shortcomings in the current approach to addressing NMDs. Findings suggest that children with NMDs endure higher levels of anxiety, social isolation, and lack of independence. Caregivers have been found to report burnout and substantial concerns about financial strain. The children with NMDs and the families together encounter barriers to achieving coordinated healthcare. This project proposes an integrative compassionate care toolkit designed to empower children with NMDs, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. The toolkit primarily aims to offer strategies for emotional resilience, guidelines for family-centered communication, resources for adaptive play, and support for navigating healthcare. It weaves evidence-based compassionate care methods throughout, with narrative therapy, peer mentorship programs, and mindfulness-based stress reduction forming the foundation to support both children and their families.

Julie Garrison - Compassionate Care in the NICU

Neonatology continues to be an evolving specialty in medicine due to the complex and
unique nature of this field of medicine. Despite the advancements in medical interventions, there continues to be a gap in the implementation of compassionate care in the treatment and care of the infant. Compassionate Care in the NICU involves a complex set of measures and requires a holistic approach to the complexity and uniqueness of this area of medicine. This first involves the consideration of the physician-neonate relationship. Although there are communication barriers, it is still critical to consider the emotional state of the neonate when forming a treatment plan. This can directly impact the overall efficacy of the treatment while also reducing the stress placed on the neonate. Additionally, one of the major defining factors of neonatology is the role of the parent in the healthcare team. Research has shown that infants tend to synchronize with the emotional state of their parents, specifically their mother. Therefore, when a parent is stressed about the situation of their child, it will be directly translated to the emotional state of the neonate. It is critical to consider the parent as a member of the healthcare team in which they can directly play a role in their child’s response to the treatment plan. However, this also entails the consideration of the parent as needing consoling and support during this time, in which it is critical for the healthcare team to implement compassion while conversing with parents during their time in the NICU. In order for the healthcare team to properly implement compassion into the treatment of the child, it is critical to also consider the mental state of members of the healthcare team and understand ways to further reduce burnout in order to alleviate the stressors involved in working in the NICU. Therefore, the major aim of this capstone is to address the implementation of compassionate care in the NICU and the impact that it can have on the outcome of the neonate’s treatment.

Olivia Gauthier - Overcoming Barriers to Effective and Compassionate Communication in the Dental Visit in Order to Build Trust and Alleviate Dental Anxiety

Effective and compassionate communication is critical to the development of a solid dentist-patient relationship. The strength of this relationship determines the level of confidence a patient will have in their dentist, the reputation of the dental practice, patient adherence to treatment plans, and even clinical outcomes. A strong relationship between the dentist and patient founded in mutual trust and respect can only be built through the use of effective and compassionate communication. This will result in a better overall patient experience, will minimize clinical errors, and prevent medical malpractice litigation. Different dental specialists and dentists that serve different patient populations each face unique challenges to successful communication—meanwhile, there are some logistical barriers that are common to almost all dental professionals. Some of these logistical challenges include physical positioning and a social power imbalance which cause the patient to feel inherently vulnerable and uneasy in the dental visit.

Dental specialists that mainly operate under general anesthesia face their own logistical obstacles to forming a solid relationship with patients. Managing a patient population of mainly young children or elderly adults, or communicating across cultural differences and between different health care providers all bring forth their own challenges. There are also more extreme cases of dental anxiety and phobia which can lead to more severe long-term negative health implications. In order to address the aforementioned topics, a complete literature review was conducted. It was found that the most effective strategies for communicating and building trust with different patient populations include using reassuring and empathetic language in pre-procedural conversation, explanatory behavior, giving the patient a sense of control, nonverbal cues, use of a translator, cognitive behavioral therapies, distraction, and even sedation through the use of drugs or physical relaxation.

Josephine Gery - Language Concordance and Cultural Awareness in Women’s Healthcare, and How it Leads to More Compassionate Medical Care

The English-Spanish language barrier has become a significant issue in medicine in the United States. The Spanish-speaking and immigrant population is rapidly increasing, and communication difficulties between patients and doctors can lead to worse-quality and less compassionate care, especially for some of the most vulnerable patients in the country. This Capstone specifically examines language barriers in women’s health, including the problem, why it is important, and potential solutions. There are several issues within women’s health that are challenging both physically and mentally for patients, such as pregnancy issues, post-partum depression, prenatal care, and cultural differences related to women’s roles. Language concordance can allow doctors to understand their patients, provide better care, and establish trust. There are several potential solutions for language barrier issues in women’s health and medicine in general. Some of these solutions include training bilingual physicians in medical school and residency, providing interpreters and cultural liaisons in clinical settings, and introducing new policy to increase funding for language services.

Luke Getson - Compassion Across the Spectrum: Understanding Needs from Diagnosis to Adulthood

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a common neurodevelopmental condition characterized by challenges in communication, behavior, and social interaction. While recent research has advanced both treatment strategies and understanding of ASD, significant complications remain for healthcare providers, individuals with ASD, and their families—beginning at diagnosis and continuing through childhood and adulthood. These challenges underscore the need for compassionate care, particularly at critical stages of the lifespan. However, both qualitative and quantitative studies reveal that such care is often lacking. This paper examines the role of compassionate care in the diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing support of individuals with ASD, highlighting the emotional distress, systemic barriers, and unmet needs that arise from insufficient provider training, stigma, and misunderstanding. It advocates for a care model grounded in empathy, effective communication, and individualized support, and explores practical strategies to implement this approach in clinical settings.

Keegan Gilbert - Caring Amid Chaos: A Practical Approach to Fostering Patient-Centered Care and Compassion Science in Emergency Medicine

Compassionate care is a vital component of effective healthcare delivery and is backed by compassion science, an emerging field that has immense implications for the future of healthcare. However, the implementation of such compassionate caring models is a difficult task, especially in fields like emergency medicine. Emergency departments (EDs) are high-pressure and high-stakes environments characterized by overcrowding and limited physician-patient interaction which makes the integration of compassion extremely challenging and can impede the use of typical caring strategies backed by compassion science. This effect is further exacerbated by an emerging primary healthcare crisis whose burden is being felt by emergency departments nationwide. This capstone project explores the multifaceted role of compassionate care within the ED—emphasizing the benefits it provides for patient experience and healthcare outcomes—delving into the crucial foundations of such care. It examines the current state of emergency medicine, identifying both the systemic and situational obstacles that serve as barriers in the ED to the implementation of such a healthcare model. This project aims to utilize this analysis of these challenges to propose practical strategies that can be utilized to alleviate some of the pressures placed on emergency medicine—through the reduction of inefficiencies and overcrowding—so as to allow for more meaningful physician-patient interactions. These strategies include the implementation of a nuanced triage structure and the utilization of artificial intelligence models for emergency medical records (EMRs), diagnosis, and patient screening. By leveraging these strategies to reduce inefficiency and overcrowding, physicians are afforded the opportunity to dedicate more meaningful time to their patients, increasing the opportunities for the integration of compassionate science. All in all, this project emphasizes the importance of compassion and aims to reinstall this value in EDs.

Maguire Goodrich - Compassion In Pediatric Endocrinology: Promoting Independence and Lifelong Health In Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes

This analysis focuses specifically on how the compassion science approach to care can be used to improve outcomes for children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is one of the most common pediatric diseases as it affects 1 in 400 individuals under the age of 20. This disease is characterized by the body’s inability to regulate blood glucose levels, leading to various side effects if not properly controlled via strict daily regimens such as blood glucose testing and insulin injection administration. During childhood and adolescence, patients are very receptive to their environment and the influences in their lives, therefore making it the perfect time to foster life-long healthy habits and instill diabetic independence in this group of patients. Often, pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes experience various barriers to accessible care and treatment adherence including psychosocial, communication-based, and socioeconomic factors, all of which may contribute to poorer prognoses and various short-term and long-term side effects. The compassion-science approach combines patient-centered care, familial involvement, motivational interviewing, psychosocial focus, and provider empathy in order to foster a clinical environment that mitigates these barriers and improves patient outcomes. When used in the field of pediatric endocrinology, specifically with patients with type 1 diabetes, the compassion science model reduces provider burnout, improves patient-provider relationships, and increases patient independence, therefore leading to better outcomes for both the provider and the patient.

Calvin Grass - The Evolution and Impact of Healthcare Consolidation: Trends, Challenges, and Compassionate Perspectives

Healthcare consolidation refers to the merging or acquisition of hospitals, systems, physician practices, and other entities to form larger organizations. This process significantly impacts the U.S. healthcare system, influencing patients, providers, and organizations. This paper examines the historical expansion of healthcare consolidation, current and future trends, and its implications for stakeholders. Through historical analysis, governmental testimony, and a review of literature and policy, this study provides a compassionate perspective on consolidation while exploring potential solutions to its negative effects. These solutions include policy changes, antitrust enforcement, and self-regulation practices. By applying the principles of compassionate care, this paper evaluates strategies and recommends future directions, such as stronger regulations on corporate practices and a model centered on compassion. This framework aims to help professionals, executives, and policymakers reverse and prevent harmful consolidation, promoting a more equitable, effective, and compassionate healthcare system.

Mark Greene - How Patient-Centered Care Can Improve Health Outcomes in Children with Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) is an autoimmune condition affecting nearly 1 in every 400 children. With both short and long term complications and no current cure, the outcomes of having T1DM are undoubtedly grim. Yet beyond the life-altering medical implications, little attention is given to the mental and emotional turmoil that can arise within children after receiving their diagnosis. Paying greater attention to the disease outside of its medical aspect is grossly lacking, and through research surrounding patient-centered care and Compassion-Science Paradigms, overall patient outcomes can be improved. Examining research on Diabetes care more broadly, compassionate care in practice, and a living research model that is Camp Sweeney, researchers find that incorporating proposed care plans can effectively and dramatically improve glycemic results and promote more effective diabetes management.

Matthew Haerens - Compassion in Oncology: Burnout, Compassion Fatigue, and Depersonalization

Compassionate care is essential to high-quality oncology practice and necessary for enhancing both patient outcomes and experiences. However, oncologists face significant challenges in maintaining a compassionate mindset due to frequent exposure to difficult diagnoses and terminal illnesses, which places them at high risk for burnout, compassion fatigue, and moral distress. As of 2023, over half of U.S. oncologists report experiencing burnout, driven by organizational pressures, long work hours, and the toll of patient suffering (Lee, 2024). These factors often lead to compassion fatigue and depersonalization, where emotional withdrawal compromises the quality of care and provider-patient relationships (Laor-Maayany et al., 2020).
This paper explores the barriers to compassionate care in oncology, focusing on burnout and compassion fatigue, and advocates for comprehensive interventions—such as peer support programs, compassion training, and policy changes—that prioritize compassionate care. By fostering emotional resilience through training, oncology professionals can better cope with emotional strain, enhancing patient care and improving their overall well-being and job satisfaction (Saab et al., 2019).

Anna Hamilton (class of 2026)- Compassion in Healthcare for People Experiencing Homelessness

This research paper focuses on the importance of compassionate care in providing healthcare
services to the unhoused population and best practices for providing this compassionate care and
increasing the trust that this population has in the healthcare system. The purpose of this research
is to further the understanding of the complexities of providing healthcare services for people
experiencing homelessness and ultimately improve the healthcare outcomes for this population
which is affected by chronic physical and mental health problems at a disproportionate rate. The
research presented in this paper was conducted through a comprehensive literature review
regarding issues of homelessness, social determinants of health, and healthcare practices which
have successfully improved the general health status of the homeless population. It was found
that there are a variety of socioeconomic issues that contribute to the issue of homelessness and
lack of access to healthcare is an issue that significantly contributes to the cycle of homelessness.
There are both social and structural barriers which inhibit access to healthcare for people
experiencing homelessness. Some of those social barriers include negative physician interactions
and the perceived lack of care that their providers have for their issues. Implementation of street
medicine programs have had a positive impact on bridging the gap between the homeless
population and the healthcare system, fostering greater trust of the healthcare system and
reducing the amount times that unhoused people have to seek emergency care for previously
untreated conditions. This has profound implications for the way that we view healthcare for the
homeless population and asks that we look at the way that we provide care in a nuanced and
creative way. Street medicine programs also offer a great training platform for student doctors to
become more well versed in providing trauma informed care and care to those with very
complicated histories.
Compassion in Healthcare for People Experiencing Homelessness
An individual’s primary needs are food, water, clothing and shelter. Despite the necessity
of these entities, an all too large portion of the population goes without shelter. In the United
States, the lifetime instance of “literal homelessness” in 1994 was 7.4%, an astonishing 13.5
million people, and this number has only gone up in recent years (Link, 1994). And while I will
not attempt to provide a comprehensive solution to the multifaceted problem that is
homelessness in the United States, I will attempt to provide an analysis of the accessibility of
healthcare for those who are chronically unhoused and potential strategies for alleviating barriers
to accessing the care that is needed by many within this population. Individuals experiencing
homelessness have mortality rates six times that of their comparison groups and were also almost

Ethan Harned - The Critical Role of Children’s Palliative Care in Public Health: An Analysis of Pediatric Palliative Care Programming in Bloemfontein, South Africa

Introduction: In South Africa, there are an estimated 300,000 children between 10 and 19 years of age living with HIV, with 220,000 being between 15 and 19. While other age groups have seen decreases in their HIV mortality rates since 2010, the mortality rate for adolescents aged 15–19 years has increased by 19%. Adolescents in South Africa are at risk of contracting HIV or defaulting from antiretroviral treatments (ARTs) due to a variety of social determinants.
Purpose: This paper applies data from an existing study to examine how Sunflower Children’s Hospice’s public health programming is an example of compassionate public health using existing public health metrics and applying them to qualitative data.
Methods: Using a qualitative methods approach, 33 Key Informant Interviews and two focus groups were conducted with policymakers, researchers, representatives of non-governmental organizations, health providers, and caregivers of adolescents living with HIV (ALWH). Ethics approval was granted by the Institutional Review Board at the University of Notre Dame. Data was evaluated against the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion and the Compassion Science Paradigm.
Findings: It was found that Sunflower Children’s Hospice’s programming met all five outputs laid out in the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. Furthermore, qualitative data revealed that the process of designing these programs followed the Compassion Science Paradigm.
Conclusions: The data from this research illustrates the critical role palliative care services play in establishing compassionate public health programming. It also highlights that there is a gap in knowledge on the design process for compassionate public health programs. Using qualitative data, this paper suggests that the compassion science paradigm can be applied to public health program design.

Thomas Hedman - "How We Are Treated Matters”: The Ways in Which Healthcare Workers' Use of Compassion and Empathy Improves the Quality of Life of Patients with Acquired Neuromuscular Disorders

Neuromuscular disorders are those that affect the communication between the nervous system and the muscles that they enable to move (U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2023). Different manifestations appear throughout different stages of the lifetime, but the problem is widespread, as “neuromuscular diseases affect ... around 14,000,000 people globally” (University College London, 2022, par. 1). For many patients with acquired neuromuscular disorders such as spinal cord injuries, strokes, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that may have a low likelihood of improvement with treatment, the course of treatment may shift from curative to a more palliative approach. Faced with grim disease prognoses and a variety of symptoms encompassing both physical and psychosocial domains, the quality of life of patients has been shown to decline.
However, a compassionate care-based framework is extremely useful to restore patient well-being. Compassionate care is not simply wishing the best medical outcomes for a patient, but rather “a healthcare approach that combines emotional support with medical treatment. It focuses on addressing the whole person and considers their physical, emotional, social, and mental well-being” (Ruwa, 2024, par. 5). Through interventions that rely on compassion and empathy, healthcare workers can improve the quality of life of patients with acquired neuromuscular disorders, specifically spinal cord injuries, strokes, and ALS. These strategies include multidisciplinary care, motivational interviewing, and considering the psychosocial ramifications of the condition on the patient and their family. These tangible actions from medical professionals have been shown to improve patient satisfaction, happiness, and re-establish a sense of agency and control over how they want to live the rest of their lives. Furthermore, compassionate care is an approach that can be extended to all facets of the healthcare system and has the potential to benefit a wide population of patients and clinicians alike.

Haley Hinkel - Compassion in Pediatric End-of-Life Care: Supporting Families, Honoring Patients, and Sustaining Physicians

About 45,000 infants, children, and adolescents die every year in the United States. Some pediatric deaths may occur in mere minutes to days after initial cause whereas others may not occur until months to years after diagnosis or initial injury. In these more long-term cases, the projection of disease can be vastly different due to medical complexity. Because of this, quality end-of-life care should be available to children and their families to allow for a “good death” experience. However, physicians receive inadequate training around end-of-life care for pediatric patients. Additionally, providing care to dying children can have a great emotional, physical, and mental toll on physicians. This negative impact on physician well-being can diminish the quality of care and support they provide. This paper uses compassion science along with studies of healthcare professionals who care for dying children and the experiences of their families to analyze ways in which compassion can improve the experiences of patients, families, and healthcare providers. Ultimately, the paper establishes that effective communication and advanced care planning improves the experiences for patients and families while compassion reset and recovery, mindfulness, balanced caring, and reflecting on positive experiences can combat physician burnout, promote job satisfaction, and improve the quality of care they provide. Pediatric end-of-life care is a very vulnerable area of focus in the medical profession for all involved, therefore, it is important to consider ways to provide good death experiences and sustain physicians to preserve their ability to care for and support these patients and their families.

Jack Hoch - Compassion Science Analysis of Doing Research with People with Neurological Disorders

Compassion in the field of clinical research is an understudied concept. However, based on the extensive research showing that compassion in the medical field has several tangible benefits to patients’ physical, mental, and emotional well-being, it is very likely that there are comparable benefits to being compassionate in research. This paper performs an analysis of how compassion science impacts various aspects of clinical research, including recruitment, informed consent, and decision-making during the later parts of the trials. Specifically, clinical research involving participants with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias was analyzed due to the influence that a deteriorated cognitive capacity has on the entire research process. The desire to recruit and care for cognitively impaired individuals in a research setting, the initiative to act on that desire and improve their research experience, and the implementation of the fundamental ethical principles of medical research, leads to apparent increases in the willingness to participate in research, understanding of the research process, and the quality of the results achieved from the research. More research on how compassion influences research participants is necessary.

Ethan Horvath - Longitudinal study of sectarian and non-sectarian violence exposures on psychological
distress and security in the community amid socio-political violence

Northern Ireland has been marked by political conflict, characterized by sectarian violence and segregation. Following the Troubles, lasting from the 1960s to 1998, Northern Ireland has become a post-conflict society burdened by socio-political violence. While political violence and armed conflict put all people at risk for adverse psychosocial development outcomes, child development is especially susceptible to negative outcomes (Cummings et al., 2017). Given the prevalence of socio-political conflict and violence globally and the growing literature focused on development amid these contexts, policymakers and researchers are increasingly focusing on settings marked with socio-political violence and the differences that occur in development (Masten, 2014).
This project explores whether sectarian violence exposures, which occur between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, have differing outcomes in child development when compared to general violence exposures in the same setting. As part of a larger longitudinal study, 590 children responded to surveys over a three-year period. A structural equation model was tested to explore the relationship between sectarian and non-sectarian violence on psychological distress and security in the community, with the role of gender explored as a moderator. It was hypothesized that violence exposure would be mediated by perceived social support and strong identities as Catholic or Protestant. Additionally, the relationship between psychological distress and intergenerational transmission of beliefs is tested cross-sectionally. This study found that higher levels of sectarian antisocial behavior exposure were associated with higher levels of anxiety, depression, and emotional insecurity in the community. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions in areas with socio-political violence. Furthermore, this study uses the conflict in Northern Ireland to generate insight into other settings experiencing ongoing conflicts.

Elizabeth Horwitz - An Analysis of the Demographic and Occupational Factors on Physician Burnout During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Mexico

The COVID-19 pandemic had significant effects on the health and livelihood of individuals globally. The pandemic was particularly severe in Mexico, with exceptionally elevated case numbers and mortality rates. Due to extreme demands imposed on healthcare systems, healthcare workers especially were affected physically, mentally, and emotionally during this time. Serving at the frontline in close contact with infected patients, physicians faced a high risk of contracting the virus. The pandemic also took a significant toll on physicians mentally, due to unmanageable workloads and stress levels, in addition to emotionally as a result of experiencing profound suffering of patients. This contributed to a significant increase in physician burnout amidst the pandemic, which has concerning effects for patient care. Existing knowledge has suggested that stress levels, mental or emotional health, sleep, and hours worked are contributing factors that put physicians at risk of burnout. Additionally, previous literature has analyzed the impact of certain factors such as age, social support, and organizational practices on rates of burnout. This study was conducted to determine factors that correlate with either a reduction or an increase in burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico specifically. Performed in 2020, doctors of varying demographic and occupational factors from Puebla, Mexico were electronically surveyed to assess their symptoms indicative of burnout, such as stress level and ability to cope. Results showed that older physicians, those with a social support system, and those employed at public hospitals tended to report a relative decrease in the prevalence of burnout symptoms. However, residency or type of medical school attended did not have an overall clear relationship in terms of affecting burnout either positively or negatively. This research reveals the complex nature of the pandemic, highlights methods to reduce burnout going forward, and prompts further investigation into the factors that improve burnout risks.

Sam Kaczor - The Mechanisms of Building Positive Culture in Sports: How Positive Sports Culture in Former-Athlete Physicians can Improve Clinical Outcomes and Patient Relationships

This paper researched the mechanisms by which positive culture in sports is built and the ways in which former-athlete physicians can utilize this positive culture to improve clinical relationships and outcomes in their later careers. The purpose of this research was to better understand the ways in which positive culture comes to fruition in the context of athletics and how it can be translated into the clinical setting. This was done by looking at publications on leadership, teamwork, and communication in sports and the ways that beneficially produce them. It was found that each of these aspects in sports tended to come to fruition organically, aided by positive examples and effort from senior leadership to show a sense of caring. Each was grown through interpersonal relationships that stemmed from a genuine connection between individuals. These ideas were then connected to clinical practice and the ways in which former-athlete physicians can translate positive sports culture into positive clinical culture. In these findings, former-athlete physicians have both the opportunity and ability to directly impact clinical relationships and outcomes using their experiences with positive culture in athletics. This is significant because, with the significant number of individuals in the United States alone with a background in sports, this opens up opportunities for immeasurable benefits to clinical practice. Knowing the ways in which positive culture is built in sports and its ability to be translated into healthcare, the door opens for former-athlete physicians to more effectively treat patients by building a similar culture in the clinical setting.

Megan Kahrs - Compassionate Care in Medical Decision-Making: Ethical and Emotional Challenges When Patients Seek Experimental or Unapproved Treatments

Compassionate care is a central yet complex component of the medical decision-making process, especially in cases where patients ask to be given access to off-label or investigational treatment as a last resort. While laws such as the Right to Try Act and the FDA's Expanded Access program are designed to expand the range of treatment opportunities for terminally ill patients, they also raise ethical, medical, and regulatory issues. These dilemmas task physicians with the need to balance patient autonomy, medical uncertainty, and professional responsibility amidst unclear ethical or institutional guidelines. This essay offers a comprehensive review of literature from PubMed and other respected sources, examining how compassionate care shapes clinical responses to patient requests for experimental treatment. It explores the ethical principles underlying such decisions, the psychological and emotional motivations driving patients toward unapproved therapies, and the structural barriers that may limit access. The argument highlights the tension between offering hope and upholding ethical medical practice, referencing good communication and shared decision-making as means of resolving such tensions. Through a comparison of historic and modern-day cases, this paper illustrates how compassionate use policies have evolved and what the implications are for healthcare today. The findings underscore the need for better guidance, more ethical oversight, and institutional support to allow clinicians to reconcile compassion and medical integrity. Lastly, the reinforcement of compassionate care models can facilitate more equitable and ethically just systems of access to experimental therapy and preserve patient well-being and physician resilience.

Zuzanna Kawula - Addressing Gaps in Maternal Postpartum Care: A Compassionate Science Approach

Postpartum maternal care continues to be a majorly overlooked yet critical component of our healthcare system. While maternal and newborn health is well-supported during the course of pregnancy, postpartum care often shifts its focus to primarily attending to the new life at hand: the infant. This leaves mothers underserved in the care and attention that they receive when struggling through various postpartum milestones, such as recovering from delivery, managing the “baby blues”, and adjusting to their new life as a mother. This capstone explores the gaps in postpartum care through the lens of the science of compassion. Gaps discussed include maternal mental health, recovery post-vaginal birth, and breastfeeding support. Additionally, factors that significantly affect these gaps, including racial and socioeconomic disparities, as well as the effectiveness of the mother’s support system, will be discussed as furthering postpartum navigation of these challenges.
This capstone examines the necessity of individualized, patient-centered postpartum care. Through extensive research and review conducted of possible solutions to the identified gaps, evidence-based models emphasize the importance of shared decision-making, social support, patience, trust, and compassionate understanding when aiming to support mothers postpartum. By advocating for increased access to antenatal education, ongoing midwifery support, and mother-led support groups, this project aims to promote improved postpartum care frameworks that prioritize maternal health and overall well-being.

Moira Kennedy - Rethinking Depression as a Metabolic Dysregulation: Moving Beyond the Disease Model

The prevailing model for treating mental health disorders, such as depression, often frames these conditions as diseases primarily treated through pharmacological interventions like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). However, emerging perspectives suggest a shift towards understanding these disorders as metabolic dysregulations rather than static disease states. This thesis will present a comprehensive review of the literature examining the metabolic pathways underlying depressive symptoms and critique the standard SSRI treatment model. Drawing on the frameworks provided by Peter Sterling’s "What is Health?: Allostasis and the Evolution of Human Design," Moshe Bar’s "Mindwandering," and A.D. Craig’s "How Do You Feel?," this work will explore alternative theories and therapies that consider the dynamic nature of mental health. The review will first analyze the limitations of the disease model, particularly its emphasis on neurotransmitter imbalances, and then introduce allostasis—a concept describing how the body achieves stability through change—as a more fitting paradigm. Subsequent sections will delve into the role of neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction in depression, highlighting emerging treatments such as lifestyle interventions and metabolic therapies. The evidence gathered will challenge the reductionist approach of current practices and propose a more integrative framework for understanding mental health, emphasizing the need for personalized, holistic treatment plans that address the underlying metabolic processes contributing to mental disorders.

Jeongwoo Kim - Culturally Competent Care: Overcoming Barriers to Compassionate Medicine

The United States is a ‘salad bowl,’ with countless people from different linguistic, religious, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds scattered throughout the country. Such widespread diversity has the potential to hinder the delivery of compassionate care to patients of different backgrounds due to a lack of cultural competency. In this paper, the necessity of cultural competency, common barriers against cultural competency, and avenues to overcome such barriers are discussed. An extensive level of literature review revealed the three largest barriers against cultural competency: Linguistic barriers, Religious barriers, and Cultural & Ethnic barriers. Through the use of published studies and anecdotal evidence, the paper identifies potential ways to overcome these barriers. In addition, the potential to improve cultural competency on the institutional level was also considered to ultimately reach complete compassionate care. It was concluded that many of the solutions could also be applied to culturally concordant situations in the healthcare setting. Therefore, it was found that the most important avenue toward cultural competency is the physician’s willingness and ability to connect with the patient at the most fundamental level of simply being human. This paper thereby provides a general guideline through which cultural competency could be achieved both on an individual and an institutional level in healthcare.

Katie Krause - Weight Bias and Stigma in Healthcare

Obesity is an extremely prevalent condition, affecting millions of individuals worldwide. Despite its commonality, there are substantial negative associations with obesity that manifest as weight bias and weight stigma, detering the quality of care patients with obesity receive. This paper examines the systemic and patient care experiences of weight bias, beginning in the overarching healthcare industry and extending into direct patient-provider interactions. The discussion highlights how weight bias among healthcare professionals affects the doctor-patient relationship, contributing to misdiagnoses, dismissal of patient concerns, and reduced quality of care. The consequences of weight stigma extend beyond immediate healthcare experiences, as they discourage individuals from seeking medical attention, cause worsening of chronic conditions due exacerbated cortisol levels, and contribute to maladaptive coping mechanisms, such as increasing caloric intake and depressive symptoms. Given the severe consequences of weight bias, this paper advocates for systemic policy changes, educational interventions, and the adoption of a patient-centered, compassionate approach to care. By fostering greater awareness, reducing discriminatory practices, and reshaping societal attitudes toward obesity, healthcare professionals and institutions can work toward a more inclusive and equitable system that prioritizes the well-being of all patients.

Ian Kyle - The Role of Compassion in the Alzheimer’s Disease Patient-Physician Relationship

A trusting and empathetic relationship is key to providing compassionate care, but dementia and diseases like Alzheimer’s can cause a breakdown in these relationships. Both clinicians and caregivers experience symptoms of burnout related to caring for patients with Alzheimer’s disease, and when burnout occurs, compassionate care is not achieved. Potential compassion-focused models exist as a possible replacement for the current standard of care for Alzheimer’s.
The first is the Care Ecosystem model, which focuses on collaborative care amongst a care team to lessen the burden for each individual caregiver. The second is the Integrative Memory Care Program, which utilizes a specialized senior living facility to bring all necessary aspects of dementia care together into one location. Third is the Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer’s Caregiver Health (REACH) program, which emphasizes the need for specific resources to provide caregivers with knowledge to manage the challenges of dementia care. Finally, the Biopsychosocial-Ecological model seeks to address dementia care holistically, including the biological, psychological, social, and ecological factors of the disease. To create the optimal model of care for Alzheimer’s disease, the most significant pieces of each model should be synthesized. This means building a model of care that is collaborative, multidisciplinary, utilizes educating the caregiver through REACH interventions, and takes into account the familial relationship between the caregiver and patient, while using a specialized for dementia senior living facility once the symptoms get beyond management in a home setting. This optimal model of care would ensure compassionate care for the patient despite the Alzheimer’s disease, causing challenges to relationships. This would best reduce patient distress, reduce caregiver burden and depression, and increase caregiver adjustment.

Spencer Leatherberry - The Impact of a Compassionate Mindset on Health and Longevity

Compassion science is a growing and compelling field of research due to the numerous benefits of compassion on one’s health and well-being. In a PubMed-guided literature review, I examined the impact of a compassionate mental state through the lens of psychological, physiological, and immunological health, to explore the interplay between compassion and longevity. Cultivating a compassionate mental state has been shown to lower one’s inflammation response, decrease feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as enhance positive affect and feelings of affiliation. A compassionate mental state positively impacts one’s overall health and well-being, enhancing both quality and duration of life. These findings suggest that compassion is implicated not only in present health but also potentially in the prevention of many age-related, and life-threatening, diseases. Furthermore, a compassionate mental state may serve as an effective tool for preventing or managing symptoms for those predisposed to, or suffering from, chronic illness, pain, or other ailments. Compassion training may also enhance resilience and fulfillment in those navigating highly stressful or emotionally demanding roles.

Reagan Long - Compassionate Care for Undocumented Immigrants

The Capstone Project for the Minor in Compassionate Care in Medicine at the University of Notre Dame offers students the opportunity to examine the science of compassion by exploring its application within a specific health-related subject. This project focuses on the systemic barriers faced by undocumented immigrants in the United States and the challenges of delivering compassionate care to this marginalized group. Undocumented immigrants are ineligible for federally funded coverage, which perpetuates health disparities and forces these individuals to rely on safety-net providers, such as community health centers and emergency departments. This paper delves into the vulnerabilities of undocumented immigrants, including lack of access to care, food insecurity, poverty, discrimination, and fear of deportation, all of which are disparities that affect their quality of life. It examines how healthcare professionals can ensure the dignity and security of their patients in order to establish respect and trust and deliver compassionate care. Strategies to address these disparities include expanding community health clinics, providing training for healthcare professionals in culturally responsive care, and supporting policies that address the specific needs of undocumented groups. By addressing these challenges, it is possible to close health equity gaps and address the unmet needs of undocumented immigrants and their families. This project highlights the critical importance of integrating compassion into healthcare practices to create a more inclusive and equitable healthcare system for all.

Hannah Lu - Meeting the Soul’s Needs: Spiritual Care in the Face of Pediatric Mortality

Clinicians in pediatric hospice care provide critical support for children with a terminal prognosis of less than six months. Providers in these settings face significant emotional burdens that contribute to burnout. Integrating spiritual care provides a structured framework for sustaining a compassionate presence, preventing emotional detachment and clinician burnout. This capstone explores how spiritual care in pediatric hospice settings is essential not only in protecting the clinician from burnout and emotional withdrawal, but also for the dying children, their parents, and their siblings. Despite increasing acknowledgement of the need for spiritual care, many healthcare institutions struggle to integrate it into practice effectively. This paper reviews current literature on the spiritual needs of dying pediatric patients and family members as well as the practical integration of spirituality in pediatric hospice care. Results show that effective spiritual care does not require a chaplain but involves clinicians actively listening and accompanying families on their journey to explore their own spiritual beliefs as death becomes more imminent.

Abigail Lynch - Addressing Gaps in Care for Gynecological Cancer Survivors: The Need for Compassionate Care among Medical Providers

This capstone paper explores the unique needs of gynecological cancer survivors, which are often neglected in current healthcare systems. Compassionate care is the driving force behind optimal medical care. In an increasingly fragmented healthcare system which often prioritizes efficiency at the expense of individual patients' wellbeing, compassionate care in medicine is more critical now than ever before. Specifically, patients faced with cancer diagnosis require holistic care which treats the entire patient and not only their cancer. Faced with new psychological, spiritual, and physical challenges, cancer patients rely on healthcare professionals to guide them through a period of intense suffering and vulnerability. These needs include increased risk for cancer recurrence and psychological conditions, sexual and reproductive health concerns, socioeconomic struggles following cancer treatment, and an incredibly difficult transition back into one’s career and everyday life. Given the complex and life-altering nature of gynecological cancers, clinicians must adopt a compassionate caring mindset in order to properly treat patients. This paper proposes implementations for patient-centered care in treating gynecological cancer survivors at the personal, educational, and systemic level. Compassionate care is not a luxury, but rather a necessity in treating and supporting women through the life-altering diagnosis of gynecological cancer.

Nalani Malackowski - Understanding a Patient that Enters the Silent World: Caring for Patients with Dementia, when Verbal Communication is Lost, Compassion is NOT

There is no one perfect solution, and not one concrete answer to providing care to a patient with dementia. That is why it is incredibly difficult for healthcare providers to give compassionate care to those that are diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease like dementia. This Capstone Project will provide tools and experiences for a clinician to learn how to become better at caring for these residents. One huge barrier is that oftentimes these patients are nonverbal and must communicate in different ways than they are used to. They lose their capacity and now family members are heavily involved in their care. The ability to build trust with families allows care to feel more natural and in the best interest of the patient. Building trust with the patient is also critical to ensure they feel safe as they transition to a very new lifestyle.
In conclusion, when a patient is diagnosed with this disease, the daily care they require should not become a task on the to-do list; rather the patient should be provided with consistent compassionate care to ensure their safety which will ease the stress of the healthcare provider.

Brendan Marczyk - Mind and Bone: The Psychological Factors Affecting Orthopedic Surgery and Its Effect on Recovery Outcomes

This review explores the importance of psychological elements in orthopedic surgery outcomes and recovery. In spite of major developments in surgical methods and physical rehabilitation plans, numerous patients have subpar recovery patterns and chronic pain after orthopedic surgery. Accumulating evidence has shown that preoperative depression and anxiety, pain catastrophizing, and psychological distress after operation all play key roles in setting the rate of recovery, self-report of pain, functional outcome, and satisfaction with the treatment. This review organizes current findings regarding the nexus of orthopedic recovery and mental health, analyzes the potential of psychological treatment in optimizing results from surgery, and urges implementation of an integral model of orthopedic intervention incorporating both body and mind processes in healing. The project shows that when we include mental health support in orthopedic surgery, it can really improve how patients feel and recover. By adopting a more comprehensive approach to care, patients can make healthier recoveries.

Hannah Matsumoto - A Compassionate Pediatrician's Role in Reconciling Parent-Patient Differences

Compassion in pediatrics all too often becomes muddled when parents become involved. Pediatricians face the unique challenge of balancing a child's interests and wishes with those of their guardians. Therefore, pediatrics presents unparalleled challenges in navigating the parent-patient-pediatrician relationship. This thesis explores how a pediatrician can advocate for what is best for the child while respecting parental guidance. By exploring topics that often create tensions within this dynamic, one can begin to understand the precarious situation in which pediatricians typically find themselves. The answer to navigating this cloud of uncertainty in making the best decision lies in engaging a compassionate mindset. By leveraging their compassion and empathy, pediatricians can create a treatment plan that incorporates the input of all three parties involved in the triadic relationship. This paper examines the physician's options in the event of disagreements between one of the three parties and provides guidance on how to navigate this decision-making process. Everyone within the triad often wants what is best for the patient. This paper explores both compassionate decision-making and empathic communication skills. Child and adolescent healthcare has an impact that extends throughout their lifetime, and the importance of pediatricians' role during this impressionable era cannot be overstated.

Caroline McCaffrey - Caring for Parkinson’s Disease Patients: The Effects of Compassionate Care on Patients, Caregivers, and Physicians

Parkinson’s disease is the second most common movement disorder in the world, affecting approximately one percent of the global population over the age of sixty (Alexander, 2004). Just in the United States, it is estimated that one million people have Parkinson’s with ninety thousand individuals getting diagnosed annually (Seshadri et al., 2024). Despite the disease's prevalence and lack of a cure, a variety of treatment options are offered to patients, ranging from medications to therapies to surgical interventions, in an effort to aid them in preserving their lifestyles. Parkinson’s patients’ qualities of life are further maintained by their physicians, as they guide them throughout their Parkinson’s diagnosis and treatment; however, it has become increasingly apparent that physicians do not always treat their patients with compassion, nor do they always clearly communicate with patients and their caregivers. This paper provides an overview of the current treatments offered to Parkinson’s patients, aims to identify the gaps in physician-patient and physician-caregiver communication, and offers strategies that utilize compassionate approaches to mend these gaps, including patient-centered care, the SPIKES protocol, and shared decision making. Additionally, this paper demonstrates how compassion not only improves the lives of Parkinson’s patients and their caregivers by helping maintain quality of life and decreasing anxiety, but also how it betters the lives of the practicing physicians caring for these patients by protecting them from burnout. This paper represents a comprehensive PUBMED facilitated search of the literature regarding the aforementioned topic.

Emily McDougall - Caring Through The Cycles: Use of Compassion Science to Improve Self-Compassion and Coping Skills of Bipolar Patients and Their Support Systems

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a mood disorder that affects patients and families due to the intense emotional load of the condition’s aggressive cycle of manic and depressive episodes. BD patients experience stigma and low self-compassion, along with lower quality of life and increased risk of suicide. Compassion science has demonstrated broader applications to mental health conditions, but is especially useful for the treatment of BD. Tools such as Shared Decision Making, motivational interviewing, and compassion-focused therapy have been proven to benefit BD patients and improve their outcomes by increasing rapport between the patient and provider and increasing patient autonomy. The focus on autonomy and self-compassion is especially key for tumultuous conditions like BD that by their nature make patients feel out of control.
Compassion science extends to help reduce stigma and burnout faced by the families, loved ones, and caregivers of BD patients. The use of the compassion caring (C2) mental state and finding fellowship in shared experiences can help the support systems of BD patients protect themselves from burnout of the intense emotional, financial, and mental load of supporting their BD loved one, which will improve the outcomes of BD patients and create a new cycle of care for these systems. Overall, the use of tools grounded in compassion science directly addresses the important issues of BD, and shows how these technologies improve patient outcomes through the development of compassionate relationships between patients and caregivers.

Nicholas Meara - Compassionate Care in Global Health and Public Policy

The science of compassion is a relatively new field that is beginning to gain traction and popularity. Organizations like the Hillebrand Center for Compassionate Care in Medicine at the University of Notre Dame are pioneering the way forward for the science of compassion (Hillebrand Center for Compassionate Care in Medicine // University of Notre Dame, 2024).
With the expanding attention of this important field, compassion has the ability to be used in many different areas and subsets. Compassion is a principle consisting of four elements including noticing suffering, internalizing suffering, being moved by suffering, and acting to alleviate suffering (Vachon, 2018). The elements of compassion, compassion at an organization level, compassion mobilization/activation, and the compassion paradigm are all important aspects of understanding the science of compassion when applying it to certain organizations or movements (Vachon, 2018). Compassion can also be applied at the patient level, hospital level, organization level, educational level, regional level, national level, and the global level (FACE about Compassion - the Task Force for Global Health, 2024). Therefore, compassion has positive impacts on global health and public policy worldwide. Ultimately, creating a compassionate framework is a useful tool to provide institutions and nations the ability to apply the science of compassion to global health, public policy, and more.

Samantha Meyer -Compassionate Care and the Decline of Rural Medicine

Access to healthcare centered on compassionate and holistic principles has grown in recognition due to its minimizing effect on burnout and positive impact on physician and patient well-being and longevity. While the emphasis on the mental and physical state of the patients and physicians serving urban hospitals has become increasingly relevant in modern healthcare initiatives, rural communities have lacked similar proposals. In recent years, several rural healthcare facilities throughout the United States have been forced to shut their doors, decreasing access to essential healthcare. Despite an overall positive outlook among patients on existing care provided through rural healthcare facilities, these recent closures have become increasingly common, exacerbating the burnout crisis among physicians and leading to the decline in attainable and affordable rural healthcare. While compassionate care can help prevent burnout in rural physicians equipped with the proper resources, it cannot singlehandedly solve the catastrophic closures and restrictions drowning rural healthcare systems nationwide. Instead, the financial and medical impacts of such closures may be directly combatted by the implications of telehealth, mobile health units, Rural Emergency Hospitals, and training incentives, which could expand the accessibility and scope of rural medicine such that compassionate care may make its much-needed rural appearance. This capstone will investigate the role of compassionate care in rural communities, the realistic benefits and challenges of rural healthcare, the barriers to compassionate care from both physician and patient perspectives, and the potential methods of expanding the accessibility of medical services and prioritizing physician health and prosperity in the coming years. Such research, involving the culmination of various current empirical studies and reviews, explores the current state of rural compassionate care while offering suggestions for overcoming potential obstacles to providing care.

Sean Miller - Compassion in Dementia Care: Strengthening Trust, Dignity, and Caregiver Training

This paper explores the integration of compassionate care into dementia care, highlighting an urgency to address the current gap in training and support. With the rising elderly population in the United States, shortages in geriatric specialists, and inconsistent caregiver education, it is clear that dementia care needs reform. Through an in-depth analysis of three existing training models, Montessori-based programs, the Tailored Activity Program (TAP), and technology-assisted interventions, alongside perspectives from physicians, family caregivers, and healthcare administrators, an overarching theme of individualization and human-centered compassionate care is discovered. While each model contributes something unique to dementia care, whether structured education for family caregivers or the use of assistive robots, there remains a need to refocus care around individuals with dementia. This becomes evident further through my personal reflection on working as a nursing assistant at Holy Cross House, where my early struggles and eventual growth led me to deeply understand the needs of dementia patients. Ultimately, the goal is to underscore a mixture of clinical competence and the empathy and trust involved in compassionate care. As I continue on my path toward medical school, I aim to bring with me insights to advocate for the elderly and promote purposeful change in the delivery of dementia care.

Demi Mills - Compassionate Care: Enhancing the Patient Experience and Outcomes in Fertility Care

Infertility rates have been on the rise for decades, impacting nearly 1 in 6 couples today due to countless environmental and lifestyle factors affecting both men and women. While infertility presents significant physical challenges, many couples also experience profound mental and emotional distress due to the stigma around infertility and societal pressure to start a family. Because of its complex and vulnerable nature, fertility care requires a specialized patient-centered approach supported by the compassionate care paradigm. This paradigm emphasizes care rooted in understanding, trust, and empathy to ensure the best outcome.
This paper analyzes the impact of specialized care on fertility treatment, focusing on the unique challenges faced by couples seeking reproductive assistance. Specifically, it examines the importance of open communication, empathy, and honesty while fostering hope in patient-physician interactions. With an understanding of the compassionate care paradigm, this paper investigates its benefits by drawing from qualitative research, personal testimonies, and scientific analysis.
These studies found a significant association between the principles of the compassionate care paradigm and overall patient satisfaction in fertility care. Additionally, greater patient satisfaction was linked to an overall increase in wellbeing and therapy outcomes–potentially due to decreased stress and improved adherence to the care plan. Conversely, a study examining the consequences of inadequate care found that it led to poor outcomes, with one study finding that psychological stress led to a higher patient dropout rate than an unfavorable diagnosis. Ultimately, this paper supports the notion that compassionate care is not only beneficial, but truly essential to providing adequate care. When physicians prioritize effective communication, understanding, and empathy into all aspects of their care, it equips them with the tools to tailor their approach to best benefit the patient while allowing them to feel the trust and support necessary to thrive.

Kayla Miskovsky - Healing the Healers: The Role of Compassion and Technology in Enhancing Physician Well-Being and Patient Care

Physician burnout in the emergency department (ED) is a critical issue driven by high patient volume, emotional exhaustion, and the increasing administrative burden of electronic health records (EHR). This paper explores the impact of burnout on both physicians and patient care and focuses on how physicians can leverage the science of compassionate care and recent technological advancements to mitigate its effects. The research aims to identify key contributors to burnout and evaluate strategies that physicians and healthcare systems can adopt to enhance provider well-being and improve the quality of care. A comprehensive literature review was conducted in which studies on burnout and its causes, emotional regulation techniques, real-time coping mechanisms, healthcare system models, and AI-driven EHR improvements were analyzed. Findings indicate that organizational-level improvements are necessary to address the widespread issue of physician burnout. Emotional exhaustion and the consequences of burnout not only negatively affect the physician but also patient outcomes. The science of compassionate care helps providers to interact with patients more effectively and improve their well-being, reducing burnout. System-wide structured emotional support programs and mindfulness techniques have been shown to reduce stress and improve resilience. Furthermore, AI integration within EHR systems can streamline documentation, decrease administrative workload placed on physicians, and enhance efficiency, which reduces a significant source of stress for ED physicians. Addressing physician burnout requires a multifaceted approach that combines systemic changes with individual coping strategies rooted in the science of compassion. Implementing AI-driven EHR optimizations and fostering a culture of empathy and support can improve physician satisfaction and, in turn, improve patient outcomes. This research highlights the necessity of balancing technological advancements with emotional well-being initiatives to ensure sustainable and high-quality healthcare in the ED.

Victor Nam - The Role of Compassionate Care in Combating PTSD in Healthcare Workers

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and workplace violence are escalating threats to the emotional and occupational well-being of healthcare workers. The role of scientifically structured compassion therapies in mitigating PTSD among healthcare personnel is very important. By focusing on the multidimensional model of compassion as defined by cognitive, affective, intentional, and motivational components, we can use this definition of compassion to figure out interventions. This paper looks to find practical interventions by looking at peer-reviewed studies, meta-analyses, and intervention trials assessing both traditional PTSD treatments (CBT, EMDR, pharmacotherapy) and emerging compassion-based therapies such as Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) and Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT). The findings reveal that while conventional therapies reduce PTSD symptoms, they often do not address deeper emotional injuries such as self-criticism and moral injury, which are common among healthcare workers with PTSD. Compassion-based therapies, in contrast, significantly enhance emotional resilience, self-compassion, and psychological well-being, which equips workers with sustainable tools for managing occupational trauma. Also successful institutional implementations such as resilience toolkits demonstrate the practical effectiveness of compassion science at a systemic level. This paper shows that integrating compassion training into healthcare environments is not a sentimental initiative but a scientific one and one that is needed to protect and sustain the healthcare workforce. Meaningfully investing in compassion science provides a pathway toward improved clinician mental health, greater workforce stability, and a more resilient healthcare system.

Cameron Neidhard - Cross-Cultural Communication and Compassionate Care

Physician-patient communication is a critical aspect of compassionate care. However, there is little discussion on the impact that a cross-cultural encounter can have on physician-patient communication. This paper investigates literature on physician-patient communication, cross-cultural confounding, and methods for physicians to develop competency in intercultural communication. With that, this paper examines literature on communication, cultural variations in nonverbal cues, and approaches for improving such interactions. Concepts discussed include case studies, polyvagal theory, communication lapses, and the intercultural interaction. The findings suggest that core principles of compassion may remain the same across cultures (empathy, willingness to respond, etc.). However, it is the expression of compassion that differs between various cultural backgrounds. Physicians who rely on general cultural handbooks may unintentionally reinforce stereotypes or find themselves in communication lapses. Meanwhile, physicians who engage in case-based learning, cultural humility, and simulation practice are more equipped to be flexible and respond accordingly to intercultural interactions. Additionally, these physicians are more well-versed in recovery strategies such as immediacy that can help restore trust when lapses occur. This paper highlights the importance of constant education and learning in the cross-cultural space, promoting flexibility over rigid approaches. Physicians can improve patient satisfaction and even outcomes by integrating these approaches into their medical training and practice, thus providing truly compassionate care.

Peter Nguyen - Compassion Focused Therapy: Developing Self-Compassion Against Self-criticism, Shame, and Maladaptive Coping in Medical Students, Medical Residents, and Physicians

This Capstone Project examines the potential efficacy and implementation of Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) in addressing high levels of shame, self-criticism, and stress among medical students, medical residents, and physicians. Given the prevalence of perfectionism and imposter phenomenon in medical training, CFT’s neurophysiological and evolutionary approach to cultivating self-compassion and a robust soothing-contentment system inhibits maladaptive self-appraisal from threat-protection and drive-incentive systems. While some short compassion workshops exist in medical training, CFT has not been explicitly implemented or researched in the academic curriculum for physicians. The effects of CFT on mental health outcomes in psychiatric populations have been investigated in a wide range of systematic reviews, experimental research, and observational research. These findings support the link between improved self-compassion from CFT intervention and improved patient outcomes through the development of a compassionate self-image. Given the reduction of high levels of shame and self-criticism from CFT treatment for psychiatric patients, potential application of CFT for medical trainees who suffer similar psychological distress is promising.
This project advocates for the systematic and institutional implementation of CFT and mindfulness-based resources that are accessible to physicians and other healthcare professionals. In response to suffering in patient care, fostering a culture of compassionate care through self-compassion interventions provides a promising route to improving patient health outcomes.

Rose Nguyen - Implementing Culturally Competent Programs in Primary Care and Preventative Practice Serving Vietnamese Americans

Vietnamese Americans face numerous challenges when seeking medical care, including cultural and linguistic barriers. These barriers stemmed from the experiences that Vietnamese Americans have faced after the migration waves from Vietnam after the Vietnam War. Through a comprehensive PUBMED facilitated search of the literature, this paper introduces the need for compassionate care to strengthen and care for Vietnamese Americans by looking at How Doctors Care and the already existing compassionate care toolkit. A compassionate care toolkit is advised to strengthen the connections between health workers and physicians with their Vietnamese American patients. The toolkit aims to improve health outcomes for Vietnamese Americans by combining culturally sensitive healthcare methods with language assistance and patient education programs, thereby building trust and promoting healthcare engagement. The toolkit is inspired by case studies at the Boat People SOS (BPSOS) initiative and the Patient Resource and Education Program (PREP). This research introduces a compassionate care toolkit to connect community health workers with community partners in primary care and preventive practices, serving Vietnamese Americans and improving their quality of care.

Meaghan O'Keefe - Addressing Medical Mistrust Among Women In Marginalized Communities

Medical mistrust in the United States is a growing phenomenon that disproportionately affects marginalized communities, particularly women with intersecting identities, such as women of color and women who are attracted to women. Deeply rooted in historical injustices, systemic biases, and lived experiences, medical mistrust contributes to disparities in healthcare utilization, patient satisfaction, and health outcomes. Research has documented the adverse effects of discriminatory medical practices on women, leading to significant health disparities in diagnosis, treatment, and overall healthcare experiences.
This study examines the complex factors contributing to medical mistrust among marginalized women, including historical and ongoing systemic inequalities that have led to skepticism toward the healthcare system. To address these issues, this paper suggests compassion-based interventions at the practitioner, medical, educational, and institutional levels. Some interventions are increased patient-centered care (PCC), implicit bias and cultural sensitivity training, and institutional policy changes aimed at fostering equitable healthcare experiences. This paper represents a comprehensive PUBMED-facilitated search of the literature related to this topic. While existing efforts to rebuild trust have shown promise, further research is needed to explore the unique healthcare challenges faced by women at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities. By understanding the roots of medical mistrust and implementing systemic, educational, and policy-driven reforms, the medical community can take critical steps toward rebuilding trust and improving the healthcare experience for all women in the United States.

Nick Parten - The Importance of Compassionate Caring for Children with Clubfoot Deformities Necessitating Pediatric Surgery

Clubfoot defect is a type of foot abnormality most frequently present at birth, where the baby’s foot is twisted out of shape or out of the normal position. This cascades into further problems with the bones, muscles, and tendons and can cause severe problems for children. These cases often require surgery in addition to splinting or casting. Although these surgeries are now very advanced and dependable, they still cause immense stress and emotional hardships for the children and their family members involved. Compassionate care is crucial to all surgeries, especially pediatric cases like clubfoot. Specifically, the compassion mindset, compassion fatigue, the physician-patient relationship, and the family-centered approach are the most relevant aspects of compassionate care. We are most interested and focused on the intersection of compassion and clubfoot. This research aims to identify the relationship between clubfoot and compassion, encompassing both areas in which we are proficient and in which further research is needed. The expected results are that the information found will support compassion with clubfoot patients. This research will likely show that although clubfoot surgery success rates are reasonable, overall patient satisfaction will be increased when compassion is incorporated and applied to the whole family. Extensive literature searches will be performed to gather many strong sources of evidence and information for the paper. These searches will also help guide my studies, depending on what further articles are found. Compassion is crucial in overall patient care, but it becomes even more important with children. For children with clubfoot who struggle to perform routine, daily activities such as walking, this surgery is quite literally life-changing. When their surrounding care team is supportive, the difference is clear.

Valeria Pérez Negrón- The Power of Compassion: Examining the Role of Compassionate Care in Cancer Treatment Adherence and Patient Outcomes

The effectiveness of medical treatment does not depend solely on clinical interventions but is also deeply related to the quality of doctor-patient relationships. Compassionate care, characterized by empathy, emotional support, and a patient-centered approach, plays an essential role in determining how well patients adhere to prescribed treatments, particularly in the context of something as life-changing as cancer care. Cancer treatment is often a physically and emotionally exhausting process that requires a sustained commitment to extremely difficult therapies. Research suggests that patients who experience higher levels of compassionate care exhibit greater trust in their providers, stronger motivation to continue treatment, and improved adherence to follow-up care. This research proposal aims to explore the impact of compassionate care precisely on patients’ motivation, trust, and willingness to adhere to treatment across the four key stages of the cancer journey: the initial diagnosis, the active treatment process, remission, and family involvement. By citing evidence from qualitative studies, systematic reviews, and clinical observations, this research will highlight the critical role of compassionate care in improving patient outcomes and fostering a supportive healthcare environment.

Brooke Pierpoint - The Clinical Applications of Empathy, Compassionate Care, and Polyvagal Theory in Orthopedic Surgery

Orthopedics is a highly technical specialty, focusing on the repair of bones, joints, and musculoskeletal injuries. The ability to reset fractures or replace joints is essential, but equally vital is the art of showing empathy, compassion, and understanding to create a foundation for optimal healing. Surgery, within the specialty of orthopedics, tends to show a noticeable gap in these qualities. Orthopedic surgeons face some of the highest rates of burnout among medical professionals. This capstone explores the transformative impact of integrating empathy, compassionate care, and the Polyvagal Theory into orthopedic surgical practice. Empathy and compassionate care have been shown to improve health outcomes, enhance diagnostic accuracy, and strengthen adherence to treatment plans. The Polyvagal Theory, with its emphasis on the autonomic nervous system’s role in emotional and physiological regulation, offers novel insights into fostering better communication with the surgical team, reducing surgical complications, improving patient outcomes, and optimizing patient recovery. By embracing these principles, orthopedic surgeons can contribute to shorter hospital stays, lower readmission rates, and fewer postoperative complications, ultimately transforming the patient experience and advancing the art of healing.

Isabella Potenziani - Motivational Interviewing in Maternal Health Bridging Compassionate Care and Patient-Centered Communication

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based communication strategy that has shown transformative potential in maternal healthcare, especially in obstetric settings. Groundedin empathy and collaboration, MI empowers expectant mothers to voice their values and makeinformed decisions, leading to improved clinical outcomes and enhanced emotional well-being. This paper explores the theoretical foundations of MI, its integration with compassionate care principles, and its demonstrated benefits in labor and delivery. A comprehensive literature review (expanded beyond prior analyses) highlights MI’s impact on reducing unnecessary interventions (such as elective cesareans), increasing patient engagement and autonomy, and alleviating prenatal anxiety and postpartum distress. Real-world case examples and a sample dialogue illustrate MI techniques in action, showing how providers can navigate sensitive conversations to support mothers. Ethical considerations, including equity of access and patient autonomy, are discussed alongside practical implications for training and institutional adoption. Connections to the science of compassion are explicitly drawn, showing that MI’s empathetic approach aligns with research linking compassionate care to better patient outcomes and provider well-being. Future directions emphasize sustained education, cultural competency, and policy support to integrate MI as a standard of care. In sum, MI emerges as a powerful tool that marries scientific rigor with heartfelt compassion, revolutionizing maternal care by making it more patient-centered, emotionally supportive, and clinically effective.

Erin Reilly - Optimizing Compassionate Care When Treating Wounded and Amputee Soldiers

This study explores the unique care needs of veterans within a medical setting and how compassionate care can play an impactful role. The paper will specifically discuss the common traits of this patient population, the mental and physical challenges faced by active and retired service members, and how physicians need to adjust how they interact with this population compared to civilians. This paper represents a comprehensive PUBMED and Google Scholar facilitated search of the literature regarding the aforementioned ideas. By connecting insights and evidence from various sources, this paper aims to dive deeper into how compassionate care approaches–such as meaningful patient-physician relationships, building trust, and putting the patient first–can improve surgical outcomes, quality of life, and holistic healing beyond the initial diagnosis.

Aidan Rezner - Personhood Maintenance: Age, Values, and Aesthetics at Life’s Threshold

This thesis investigates the role perceptions of ‘personhood’ play in affecting the application of compassionate care in hospice environments, focusing on both respite and obtunded patients. Through participant observation, field notes, and in-depth interviews with hospice care staff from different positional holdings, the study uses anthropological methods of ethnography to investigate caregivers' perspectives concerning the point at which a patient "loses" their personhood. Expanding on the framework, it then aims to understand how those perspectives shape emotional investment, care practices, and ethical considerations in the hospice setting by examining the sociological and neurobiological basis for reciprocation in all relationships, but especially in end-of-life caregiving where normative interactions of reciprocity are often not possible.

Caroline Rossini - Honoring Catholic Patients’ Faith in Compassionate End-of-Life Care

Jerone Santiago - Integrating Artificial Intelligence into Patient Care: Ethical Challenges and the Preservation of Compassion

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming an integral part of healthcare, offering promising tools to enhance diagnostic accuracy, streamline clinical workflows, and reduce provider burnout. However, the increasing adoption of AI technologies raises critical questions about the preservation of compassionate, human-centered care. Compassionate care is essential not only for positive patient outcomes but also for clinician well-being and the integrity of the therapeutic relationship. This paper represents a comprehensive PUBMED-facilitated search of the literature regarding the aforementioned topic. Materials and methods include a thematic review of studies examining the clinical applications of AI in predictive analytics, scribing, translation, imaging, and robotics, as well as ethical analyses focusing on patient privacy, liability, bias, and transparency. Findings suggest that AI can support compassion by alleviating administrative burdens, allowing clinicians more time to emotionally attune to patients, and by personalizing care through data-driven insights. Nonetheless, AI carries significant risks, including the depersonalization of patient interactions, overreliance on algorithmic outputs, and the erosion of human empathy and moral judgment when transparency and fairness are compromised. Conclusions underscore that to successfully integrate AI into healthcare without losing its humane core, systems must be thoughtfully designed, providers must be well-trained to use AI as a complement to their skills, not a replacement, and ethical oversight must prioritize equity, trust, and the centrality of human dignity in medical practice.

Sophia Santoso - Overcoming Barriers to Effective Healthcare Delivery for the Intellectually Disabled Population

Intellectual disabilities are significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior that may arise at birth or before the age of 22 (American Association of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities). These changes in intellectual functioning may manifest in challenges in learning, reasoning, and problem-solving, while changes in adaptive behavior are displayed through difficulty with social skills. Intellectually disabled individuals face unique biomedical, communication, and social challenges that pose barriers to effective healthcare delivery. This paper aims to 1) identify and describe the challenges faced by intellectually disabled individuals and 2) propose clinical and social approaches to overcome these obstacles, with the goal of advancing the health and quality of life of this population. The biomedical obstacles faced by individuals with IDs include a higher risk of chronic diseases, mental illnesses, and co-morbidities. The communication challenges include difficulty reporting symptoms, expressing emotions, and comprehending medical information. Heavy caregiver reliance also complicates the patient-provider relationship. The social barriers include inaccessible specialized healthcare services in rural areas, insufficient healthcare provider education, negative social stigmas surrounding intellectual disabilities, and physician and caregiver burnout. Further research is necessary to investigate other existing biomedical, communication, and social barriers and their effect on long-term health outcomes for this population. Nonetheless, these barriers to effective healthcare delivery can be mitigated by adopting specific clinical and social approaches. Clinical approaches to employ include routine preventative care practices, utilizing simplified terminology, appropriate tone of voice, restatements, and visual support during patient visits. Healthcare providers can additionally promote patient-centered care by adjusting the timing of medical visits based on the severity of the patient’s health condition and the presence or absence of a caregiver. Additionally, providers can develop a strong relationship with the caregivers, as these individuals maintain the patient’s physical and mental health on an everyday basis. This strong relationship allows providers and caregivers to work together to reach and devise appropriate treatment plans for the patient. In addition to these clinical approaches, the social approach involves the use of telehealth to improve access to healthcare services for rural residents. Additional social approaches involve embedding intellectual disabilities into teaching and healthcare professional curricula to improve the social and medical treatment of these individuals, respectively. The prevention of physician and caregiver burnout is also important in ensuring optimal healthcare delivery. Healthcare providers can enhance patient health outcomes as well as their own mental health by practicing compassionate care in medicine and maintaining an optimal level of emotional involvement. Caregivers can protect themselves from burnout by taking regular breaks, remaining intrinsically motivated, and approaching the role with optimism and confidence. Additional strategies for caregiver burnout prevention include working with other caregivers for one patient, surrounding oneself with sufficient social support, formation of support groups, and referring the patient to respite care in times of emotional exhaustion. Overall, these clinical and social approaches present reasonable ways of enhancing long-term health outcomes and quality of life for the intellectually disabled population. Further research is necessary to measure the efficacy of such approaches in improving the long-term health of the intellectually disabled.

John Scheller - Compassionate Care and Resilience in Pediatric Type 1 Diabetes Management: A Comprehensive Examination of Provider-Patient Relationships

Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) poses serious medical and psychosocial issues for children and adolescents, requiring more than conventional clinical care. This paper discusses the essential role of compassionate care in fostering resilience, self-efficacy, and optimal glycemic control in children and adolescents with T1D. It discusses the specific difficulties such patients face—e.g., complex daily regimens, heightened risk for psychological distress, and barriers to the adoption of advanced diabetes technologies—and shows how compassionate, trusting, patient-centered provider-patient relationships can significantly improve outcomes. The paper also covers the measurable impacts of compassionate care interventions, such as lower HbA1c levels, reduced frequency of severe hypoglycemia, and improved long-term health outcomes. Grounded in empirical research and direct observation in pediatric diabetes clinical settings, this paper argues that compassion is not a peripheral aspect of healthcare but a central driver of both clinical effectiveness and patient health. Ultimately, the integration of compassion science into pediatric diabetes care allows young patients to thrive despite their illness's lifelong challenges.

Olivia Schenck - Compassionate Caring in Neurological Medicine: The Implications of Neuroscience Education in Healthcare

Compassionate care in medicine is not confined to interventions that relieve suffering after a diagnosis is ascertained. Rather, efforts that both prevent the emergence and minimize the repercussions of distressing conditions are additional acts of compassion. Many neurological conditions that bear immense disability-adjusted life years are vastly preventable, with educational attainment and disease awareness correlating with patient outcomes. Although there is a lack of feasibility in advancing the education level of every individual as a healthcare professional, there exists both practical and economical avenues to promoting the accessibility of neuroscience research through resource development. Increased awareness of neurobiological processes is implicated in the prevention of medical conditions with malleable inceptions, detection of diseases with time-sensitive interventions, and expansion of the scope of medical professionals amidst an increasing shortage of physicians. Neuroscience education is further implicated in fostering neurodevelopment, navigating grief, and healing from trauma. Thus, by promoting an understanding of the brain through the advancement of neuroscience education, patient outcomes can be maximized from outside the walls of medical establishments. Within the compassionate care lens, this paper explores the power of advancing neuroscience research through resource development in preventing the inception and minimizing the severity of neurological conditions.

Katherine Shapiro - Optimizing the Quality of Life of Alzheimer’s Patients and Their Caregivers
Through Compassionate Care

With the aging population of the United States comes a rise in the prevalence of age-related cognitive disorders, including Alzheimer’s Disease. Alzheimer’s is a disease that causes progressive degeneration of the brain due to the buildup of amyloid plaques and tau protein tangles. The disease can make it challenging for individuals to communicate, remember people and things, and perform daily tasks. This can make it difficult for individuals with Alzheimer’s to communicate with healthcare providers and adhere to treatment plans. Most individuals with Alzheimer’s require some form of at-home care as well, which usually involves a family member that serves as their informal caregiver. Caregiving can be very taxing and may cause the caregiver to burn out. This research paper investigates the challenges that both Alzheimer’s patients and their informal caregivers face and how implementing compassionate care methods can help to improve their quality of life. In the healthcare setting, the subject of compassionate care has become more prominent as methods are developed using the science of compassion to help improve patient outcomes. By examining many research studies and papers, I was able to determine the best strategies to optimize the health of both the patient and informal caregiver through an evidence-based approach. I first address the challenges Alzheimer’s patients face and ways to mitigate these challenges and then discuss caregiver burnout and ways to avoid and reduce it. Using the compassionate care method has immense potential to help both of these groups.

Kameron Soomro - Cultural Competency in Healthcare: A Pathway to Compassionate Care and Improved Outcomes

Healthcare cultural competency refers to the ability of healthcare professionals to effectively understand, communicate with, and take care of patients from diverse cultures. As society is diversifying so quickly today, healthcare professionals must adapt to address the cultural needs of their patients in order to deliver equal and effective care. In this essay, it is explained how cultural competency training enhances empathic care, communicates more effectively, and builds patient trust and compliance. It describes how cultural competency models have developed over the years and how educational programs have been implemented in medical schools and healthcare organizations. Through descriptions of cultural beliefs and attitudes toward healthcare, prioritization of culturally specific interventions, and examination of best practices and organizational efforts, this essay demonstrates the significance of cultural competence in the reduction of healthcare disparities. Real-life examples are given to illustrate the tangible impact of culturally competent care, ranging from improved control of chronic diseases to increased vaccination of vulnerable populations. The utilization of interpreter services and integration of emerging technology such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence in educating health professionals are also addressed in the paper. Challenges to implementation, including institutional resistance and budget constraints, are also addressed, along with suggestions for policy change and future research. The need for immediate collective action by healthcare providers, community leaders, and policymakers to create lasting change is emphasized in the discussion. The study shows that long-term integration of cultural competency has a very positive effect on patient satisfaction, health outcomes, and organizational reputation. Lastly, cultural competency is not included as some utopian ideal but as an operational, ethical necessity for healthcare systems in the here and now that are attempting to deliver care to ever more diverse populations.

Hank Stechmann - Mind Over Matter: An Athlete's Journey to Recovery and Its Impact on Performance

This capstone paper examines the physical and psychological journey of athletes recovering from injuries. It focuses on emphasizing the essential role that mindset and compassionate support play in the rehabilitation process. It will explore the history of medicine in sports, the mental health challenges that athletes face, and how balanced interdisciplinary care, involving medical professionals as well as the athlete's social circle, is essential for a positive recovery outcome. Through the use of scholarly journals, peer-reviewed articles, literature reviews, and performance handbooks this paper will highlight both the physical and psychological strategies that athletes and their care team can utilize to optimize recovery, prevent injury, reduce anxiety, and enhance performance.

Grace Steffen - Compassionate Care in Pediatric Surgical Specialties

The purpose of this paper is to describe the importance of compassionate care in pediatric surgery. To care with compassion means to walk alongside those who suffer, and all healthcare workers must employ this mindset with each patient encounter. It is especially vital for pediatric surgeons to recognize the importance of compassionate care, given that they have the unique responsibility of treating multiple patients at once: the child patient and their parent/guardian.
This niche relationship that no other specialty maintains must be examined under the umbrella of the science of compassionate care. Research has shown that pediatric surgeons utilizing compassionate care can positively affect patients, their parents, and the pediatric surgeons themselves. The opposite is true, as well, as the lack of compassionate care can negatively impact all parties involved. While there is already training on compassionate care in the pediatric surgical space, there are still gaps that must be addressed by further research.

Luke Strawn - Angel at the Bedside: The Importance of Compassionate Care in Anesthesia

Compassionate care in medicine has begun to become widely recognized as a form of caring that can significantly improve patient outcomes across many specialties in medicine. Despite this, though, its significance in anesthesiology remains largely unexplored, potentially due to the limited amount of clinician-patient interaction that is characteristic of this field. As such, this paper investigates the multi-faceted role of compassionate care in anesthesiology, thereby challenging the assumption that brief clinician-patient interactions diminish the importance and/or relevance of compassionate care. By performing a comprehensive review on the current evidence base regarding the role of compassion in anesthesiology, this paper explores how compassionate care can influence patient experience, satisfaction, perception of pain, and amount of required anesthesia and/or analgesia. The paper also compares and analyzes how unique specialties within anesthesiology, namely anesthesiologists and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), implement compassionate care differently and what implication(s) these differing methods have on affecting patient experience(s). This paper finds that, despite time constraints that are typical of this field, compassionate care in anesthesiology has a significant impact on enhancing patient outcomes, reducing anxiety, and positively modulating immediate postoperative pain perception. While acknowledging that there are limitations to current literature and that research gaps do exist, this paper concludes that compassionate care is a fundamental component of effective anesthesiology, and that it has a positive, mutualistic benefit for patients and clinicians alike.

Paddy Sullivan - Compassionate Communication: An Application of the Compassionate Care Model to Communication Practices for Adult Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder

It is estimated that over five million individuals in the United States have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Data shows that this population is experiencing worse health outcomes and lower satisfaction with their healthcare relative to the general population. This paper addresses this disparity by analyzing communication barriers for autistic individuals within the entire healthcare system. It will use the contemporary compassionate care model of medicine to reflect on these problems and propose potential solutions. There will be a particular focus on the polyvagal theory and its role in the delivery of healthcare. Research suggests that those with ASD are more likely to physiologically deactivate their social engagement system, which suggests that solutions should prioritize creating safe environments as perceived by patients. Other proposals will focus on clinician education and effective communication strategies. Results of this discussion show a clear overlap between the improvement of healthcare for autistic patients and that of the general population as a whole. This paper is based on a comprehensive PubMed literature review and evaluation of the literature regarding the aforementioned topic.

Kyle Thompson - Learning to Mitigate the Feelings of Stress Within the Post-Pandemic Era of Dentistry

In 2021, the World Health Organization released a concerning report indicating a 25% increase in reported feelings of stress and anxiety across the world, much of which has been attributed to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021 the American Dental Association conducted a survey amongst dentists which indicated that 16% of their respondents had been clinically diagnosed with anxiety, an increase from a reported 6.6% in their 2015 survey. The concerning increase in the prevalence of anxiety amongst dentists can be connected to the variety of ways in which the pandemic negatively impacted the field of dentistry. Many dental practices temporarily closed due to lockdowns, and later reopened but were only able to serve a limited number of patients. These financial strains were coupled with the necessity for new types of expensive personal protection equipment, such as high-quality respirators, gowns, and air filtration systems. As the pandemic eased, dentists faced backlogs of appointments as they sought to serve many of the patients who were experiencing declining oral health due to missed treatments. Thus, with the many stressors facing our dental professionals, it is crucial to confront the emerging mental health crisis within the profession. In an effort to solve this issue, programs such as compassion-oriented training courses and concepts such as the “Balanced Compassionate Caring Model” have been developed to assist clinicians in alleviating the feelings of stress and burnout that many experience. Additionally, the importance of exercise has come to the forefront, with emerging research suggesting how daily exercise can improve the moods of individuals. The University of Strasbourg in France has even developed a back pain prevention program, a promising effort to teach dental students ways to mitigate the chronic pain that has plagued the physical health, mental health, as well as the careers of many dental professionals. Through the development of innovative psychophysical strategies, as well as fostering cooperation between local American Dental Association chapters and spreading public awareness, our society can do a better job supporting the dental professionals who have been
steadfast in their service to our communities.

Frances Ubogu - The Role of Compassionate Care in Combating the Disproportionately High Black Maternal Mortality Rate in the United States

In the United States’ healthcare system, there are several disparities that exist that prevent the administration of accessible and equitable healthcare to all its citizens. A pervasive example of one of these disparities is the disproportionately high Black maternal mortality rate seen in the United States. Research has shown that compared to other racial and ethnic groups, Black women experience significant disparities in both reproductive care and maternal mortality rates. In order to combat these inequities, compassionate care should be considered as a toolkit to guide healthcare providers and the actions they take as they provide treatment to their patients, especially those who are marginalized. Through this research paper, the disparities that exist surrounding Black women and their maternal care will be explored, and solutions rooted in compassionate care will be proposed. The methods that were used in the preparation of this research included data collection and analysis from a variety of sources, including articles and journals. The findings of this research highlighted the factors behind the disparities that are being explored, and showed the impacts that disproportionate maternal care has on Black women, their families and their communities; they also explored both solutions that are currently being implemented, and what further solutions can be put in place to effectively combat these disparities. Overall, this research paper contributes to the advocacy work that is currently being done to ensure equitable access to healthcare for this specific population.

Caroline Van Bell - Masking our Human Connection: The Impact of Mask-Wearing on Compassionate Caring in Medicine

Over five years since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, much data has been gathered regarding the impact of various responses in the healthcare setting to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus and protect clinicians and patients alike. One of the most widespread responses to minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus has been the implementation of mask-wearing in nearly all clinical settings. Many clinical settings have continued to mandate masks for both patients and clinicians, making it important to consider the long-term implications of mask- wearing on compassionate care. Masks have provided significant benefits in reducing the transmission COVID-19 virus, but a variety of complications are also associated with wearing masks. This paper will seek to understand the impact of mask-wearing on the clinician-patient relationship; specifically, the impact on empathy, strong communication, and trust. Additionally, this paper will consider the obstacles to compassionate care arising from mask-wearing and considerations that will be important moving forward. This paper aims to investigate the current body of knowledge on the topics of empathy, trust, and communication with mask-wearing, while also diving into how these topics impact particularly vulnerable patient populations. Potential solutions to challenges posed by mask-wearing will be explored, and future research areas will be suggested.

Nikhil Vijai - Pitfalls and Potential for Compassionate AI in Healthcare

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have become increasingly prevalent not only in research and industry but also in society as a whole. From machine learning algorithms that aim to learn from large amounts of data and make predictions and classifications to large learning models like ChatGPT that can hold entire conversations on their own, it is clear that the technology has reached a point where it could have huge impacts on the field of healthcare. This begs the question: would the integration of AI into medicine be good for healthcare? Would we see it increasing the quality of care for patients and reducing burnout in clinicians, or would it just serve to expedite medicine at the cost of quality? This paper aims to answer this question by examining the interplay between AI technologies and compassion science. Compassionate care has been shown to have numerous positive effects on patients and clinicians and can be considered an essential part of practicing modern medicine. Ideally, AI could be implemented into medicine in a way that supports rather than undermines compassionate care. A review of the literature shows that although AI currently contends with many limitations including accuracy and bias, it has immense potential to support a model of compassionate care. However, computers will not be able to outright replace humans in medicine any time soon, as overreliance on AI risks weakening the clinician compassion response and decreasing the quality of care.

McKenzie Williams - Patient-Centered Care in Special Care Dentistry

Special care dentistry is one of the newest approved specialties in dentistry. Although this specialization finally has the recognition it deserves, there are still plenty of barriers that patients requiring special care must overcome to receive proper dental care. Patients in special care dentistry are more at risk of developing poor oral health conditions and diseases due to these barriers and factors. Dentists in the field need to help these patients and design their offices and procedures in a way that minimizes these obstacles for patients. Implementing PCC in special care dentistry will help dentists and dental offices provide the best comprehensive care to their patients, resulting in better treatment care and overall experience. An extensive search was conducted using PubMed-mediated literature to gain information about PCC in special care dentistry.

The complexity of the gut microbiome is demonstrated by its involvement in numerous bodily processes, most notably that of digestion and immune system functioning. In an effort to explain research findings regarding the association between the gut microbiome and an individual’s emotional state, the vagus nerve (VN) has been proposed as a bidirectional pathway between the central nervous system (CNS) and intestinal microbiota. Given that the mere presence of this information highway suggests that an individual’s mental and emotional state is intimately connected with the gut microbiome, this review seeks to examine the relationship between the compassion mental state and the gut microbiome through the lens of Polyvagal Theory and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activation. Though research regarding compassion and gut microbiota is limited, studies investigating the relationship between meditation, mental resilience, and gastrointestinal health have established an association between these elements. This correlation provides a theoretical framework for the implication of the compassion mental state in processes related to gastrointestinal microbial homeostasis. Engaging with compassion-based interventions, through their activation of the myelinated VN and PNS, may concurrently support microbial symbiosis within the gastrointestinal tract. This paper represents a comprehensive PUBMED-facilitated literature search regarding the relationship between the gut microbiome, vagus nerve, and compassion mental state. I conclude with the proposition that the interrelatedness of compassion and the gut microbiome has particular relevance for medical professionals, as the mind-gut connection implies that harnessing the compassion mental state while caring for patients has the potential to not only improve patient outcomes but concurrently improve the health of the physician.

Katie Wilson - The Gut Microbiome and Compassion: Linking the Mind and Gut via the Vagus Nerve

The complexity of the gut microbiome is demonstrated by its involvement in numerous bodily processes, most notably that of digestion and immune system functioning. In an effort to explain research findings regarding the association between the gut microbiome and an individual’s emotional state, the vagus nerve (VN) has been proposed as a bidirectional pathway between the central nervous system (CNS) and intestinal microbiota. Given that the mere presence of this information highway suggests that an individual’s mental and emotional state is intimately connected with the gut microbiome, this review seeks to examine the relationship between the compassion mental state and the gut microbiome through the lens of Polyvagal Theory and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activation. Though research regarding compassion and gut microbiota is limited, studies investigating the relationship between meditation, mental resilience, and gastrointestinal health have established an association between these elements. This correlation provides a theoretical framework for the implication of the compassion mental state in processes related to gastrointestinal microbial homeostasis. Engaging with compassion-based interventions, through their activation of the myelinated VN and PNS, may concurrently support microbial symbiosis within the gastrointestinal tract. This paper represents a comprehensive PUBMED-facilitated literature search regarding the relationship between the gut microbiome, vagus nerve, and compassion mental state. I conclude with the proposition that the interrelatedness of compassion and the gut microbiome has particular relevance for medical professionals, as the mind-gut connection implies that harnessing the compassion mental state while caring for patients has the potential to not only improve patient
outcomes but concurrently improve the health of the physician.

Alexander Yusman - The Trauma Triangle: Addressing Trauma in Obstetric Care and Developing a Solution through Compassion Science

The current state of obstetric care is marked by trauma in both patients and providers. Traumatic events common in obstetrics, such as childbirth, result in primary traumatic stress to both the patient and provider, while each role causes the other secondary traumatic stress in an aggressive feedback system. This system, modeled as the “trauma triangle,” results in decreased quality of care, decreased patient satisfaction, provider burnout, and provider loss of empathy. Additionally, this issue comes at a time of crisis in the United States’ obstetric care system as there is a major deficit of providers, which is only being furthered by the early retirement of many due to severe traumatic stress and burnout.
The solution to this issue lies in the effective implementation of compassion science and institutional reform. Compassion science, a relatively new and growing discipline, provides effective, scientifically proven, and statistically significant methods for providers to better connect with patients, reduce patient trauma, provide better clinical outcomes, and protect themselves from traumatic stress while practicing medicine. Institutions surround and support, or let down, providers and patients, and the current system does little to support those providers that do practice with effective and measured compassion. Institutional reform is necessary to better support, educate, and protect providers so that they may best compassionately care for their patients. It is only the combination of these two solutions that can make significant change, disrupting the trauma triangle, as both components rely on each other and to ignore either would doom patients to suffer through the ever worsening trauma crisis that obstetric care faces.