The Kern Institute Community & Institutional Engagement Pillar diligently works throughout the year to research and recruit world leaders in medical education to present Kern Grand Rounds at the Medical College of Wisconsin. The team proudly presents a monthly guest lecturer during the academic year whose area of expertise falls within the Triple Aim of Medical Education: Character, Caring, and Competence.

Does compassion really matter? Recent reports indicate that health care is currently in the midst of a compassion crisis. But the pivotal question is this: Does compassion really matter? Of course health care providers have a moral imperative to treat patients with compassion, and compassion is a cornerstone of the “art” of medicine. But is compassion just in the art of medicine, or are there also evidence-based effects of compassion belonging in the science of medicine? And, what is the evidence? In this talk, Dr. Trzeciak will tell the story of his two-year journey through the data in the biomedical literature to test the hypothesis that compassion matters – for patients, for patient care, and for those who care for patients. Compelling research shows that compassion has measurable beneficial effects on patients across a wide variety of conditions, and moves patients to take better care of themselves. Numerous studies show that compassion for patients is also associated with better quality of care and lower costs of care. Science supports that compassion is beneficial for the giver, too. Research shows that more caring in health care can promote resilience and resistance to burnout among health care providers. Participants in this educational activity will learn that compassion matters – in not just meaningful ways, but also measurable ways.