Research

Research Transforming the Practice of Healthcare

The power of NYZC’s contemplative training

As a steward of innovation NYZC conducts research in contemplative care and contemplative medicine. Award-winning, peer-reviewed research measuring the impact of our contemplative approach on provider's well-being and those for whom they care is advancing the practice of healthcare.

1 training

per

Month

In-Person and Online

2, four day residential retreats, 1 optional

July 27, 2024

June 29, 2025

CONTEMPLATIVE MEDICINE RESEARCH

Award-winning, Peer-Reviewed Research Shows Our Evidence-based Contemplative Medicine Fellowship Reduces Burnout and Cultivates Well-Being and Joy in the Medical Profession

Published in 2023, this was the first study on the effectiveness of contemplative practices in healthcare settings across broad specialties. Employing a mixed-methods quantitative and qualitative analysis, the research captured a comprehensive understanding of participants' experiences NYZC’s 12-month Contemplative Medicine Fellowship. The research used the validated Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) as the study tool to evaluate efficacy of the training.

Benefits for Physicians, APRNs, and Physician Assistants

Research demonstrated that integrating contemplative medicine into medicine could have profound implications for the well-being of healthcare professionals. Highlights of the results include:

Statistically significant improvement in all three dimensions of leading measure for burnout:some text
- decreased emotional exhaustion
- decreased depersonalization
- increased personal accomplishment
Fellows reported a sense of resiliency and joy, despite difficult and ongoing working circumstances
Development of community, connection, and support for sustaining the practice of compassionate medicine

Academic Excellence Award

In 2024, our research on the Contemplative Medicine Fellowship won CommonSpirit Health’s Academic Excellence Award in the Medical Humanities category. One of a handful of annual Physician Enterprise Awards, the Academic Excellence Award recognizes leading research advancing the practice of medicine. Selection criteria focuses on the potential for the publication to have a direct, relevant, and high-impact effect on clinical care delivery.

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ACCESS THE RESEARCH Learn More About the Fellowship

Behind the Numbers

Fellowship Research Participant Qualitative Survey Responses

“The most useful part of the training was the fostering and creation of community, which I know will always be a part of my life. I feel so fortunate to have professional colleagues that share my values. I don’t know how I have ever worked in Medicine without this Fellowship.”

“The Fellowship has given me space to really deeply think about my life through the framework of the training and has led to a dramatic reorganization of my professional life with robust implications for my personal life.”

“The knowledge that there are doctors who feel like me has given me the confidence to practice medicine from my heart. Where it should always come from.”

“Being in community with others and meeting people on an intimate level across the globe that otherwise I would not have encountered. I will carry that experience forever.”

The most helpful aspect were the monthly sessions with various break up groups. I felt that my time was valued and I could make my voice heard during these times.”

“What is most meaningful for me is knowing that there are clinicians like me wishing to heal the wounds of medical training and wanting to have the tools to create a more meaningful personal and professional life.”

CONTEMPLATIVE CARE RESEARCH

A first of its kind, community-based care research effort found that our approach to contemplative care yielded pivotal benefits for caregivers and recipients of care

In 2018, the LTSS Center at UMass Boston was commissioned to conduct third-party research to measure the impact of our contemplative approach to care for both staff and residents at a geriatric residential facility in Upper Manhattan. “This type of research is valuable to caregivers because it demonstrates that participation in the program leads to demonstrable positive results.” ~ Natasha Bryant, Managing Director of the Washington, DC, Office of the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston

Benefits for Nurses & Staff

Staff who participated in the research included certified nursing assistants, nurses, dietitians, therapeutic recreational therapists, social workers, and environmental services professionals.

Benefits to staff included:

Positive perceptions of the supervisor.
Feeling part of the team.
Enhanced relationship with co-workers.
New capacity to resolve issues among co-workers.
A greater sense of meaning for the work staff was doing, a stronger sense of community, and the perception that staff can make a difference.
Higher level of resilience.

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Benefits for Patients

Researchers interviewed all residents of the intervention and control floors to assess whether the contemplative care intervention improved resident quality of care. These surveys and MDS data suggested several positive changes in 4 quality indicators for residents of the intervention floors:

Greater odds of pain-management improvement.
Lower odds of worsening behavior.
Greater odds of having lower pain levels affecting a resident’s ability to function.
Greater odds of having a lower pain-intensity score.

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Read the Full Report TRAIN IN CONTEMPLATIVE CARE