Our approach is to effect positive organizational change and contribute to the academic pursuit of understanding drivers of wellness.

Annual Pulse Survey

UAB Medicine’s annual Pulse Survey launched in 2020, as a way to take the “pulse” of employee wellness. The anonymous survey is available to all UAB Medicine/Heersink School of Medicine employees, faculty, advanced practice providers, nurses, and trainees. While the essence of the survey remains consistent, which is to measure distress and engagement, it also measures timely topics such as: covid-related factors, work design, non-work stressors, and trust. Additionally, the survey is designed to give employees a voice in shaping their work environment by communicating suggestions for improvement and expectations of leadership.

The survey is reviewed by the IRB and only aggregate data is shared with leaders. Results from Pulse Surveys have informed leadership on how to make and communicate institutional decisions and what the keys drivers of distress are for UAB Medicine employees.

2020 Pulse Executive Summaries

2021 Pulse Executive Summaries 

2022 Pulse Survey

Current Studies

Job Crafting to Decrease Burnout and Improve Wellbeing

Dr. Katherine Meese, Principle Investigator

This study is based on the concept of empowering leadership, which has been shown to increase engagement and wellness among team members. The first cohort will be comprised of scientists and physician-scientists who lead scientific teams and will commence summer 2022. Participants in the study will be asked to participate in a six-week online program.

If the study proves to be successful, the concept and tool will be made available to all levels of leadership.

The Physician Experience with the Rationalization of Healthcare Delivery

Dr. David A. Rogers, Principle Investigator

The study is an evaluation of the work-life of physicians and the impacts of changes in delivery for efficiency and standardization. The study will commence summer 2022 and will require a purposive sampling of participants to participant in a virtual 2-hour focus group.

Current Grants

Workforce Engagement for Compassionate Advocacy, Resiliency, and Empowerment (WE CARE): Awarded $2.3M, over three years, from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to support nurse well-being and peer support. In partnership with School of Nursing, University Hospital, and the Chief Nursing Officer, a robust peer-support program dedicated to nurses will be developed. Additionally, a nurse wellness manager will be hired to oversee this program and implementation of strategic initiatives for nurse well-being.

Doris Duke Grant: UAB Medicine was awarded a $500,000 Doris Duke grant to support early career scientists affected by caregiving responsibilities during the pandemic. The grant application was informed by data collected form the pulse survey, and the Office of Wellness team is assisting with program evaluation.

Published Manuscripts

Colón-López A*, Meese KA, Montgomery AP, Patrician PA, Rogers DA, Burkholder GA. (2022). Unique stressors in a global pandemic: a mixed methods study about unique causes of distress among healthcare team members during COVID-19. J Hosp Manag Health Policy. doi: 10.21037/jhmhp-21-69 

Meese, K.A., Dobbins, C., Colon-Lopez, A.* Van Pelt, F., Rogers, D.A., Flood, K. (2022). Accountable Care Team Membership and Distress: Is Accountable Care Team membership associated with lower distress during a crisis?  Journal of Health Management and Policy

Meese, K. A., Hall, A. G., Feldman, S. S., Colón-López, A*., Rogers, D. A., & Singh, J. A. (2022). Physician, Nurse, and Advanced Practice Provider Perspectives on the Rapid Transition to Inpatient and Outpatient Telemedicine. Telemedicine Reports, 3(1), 7-14

Rogers DA. A Guide for Improving Wellness in Surgical Education. American College of Surgeons Resources in Surgical Education website. January 2022. Sullivan MD and Phitayakorn R. (Editors)

Torres-Landa S, Moreno K, Brasel KJ, Rogers DA, Identification of Leadership Behaviors that Impact General Surgery Junior Residents’ Well-being: A Needs Assessment in a Single Academic Center. Journal of Surgical Education, 2021, ISSN 1931-7204

Meese, K.A., Colon Lopez, A.*, Dill, R., Naik, G.*, Cendoma, P.*, Rogers, D.A. (2021). Perceptions of Inequitable Compensation Reductions among Healthcare Workers During Covid-19. Journal of Healthcare Finance. Vol 48, No. 2.

Meese, K.A., Sherrer, D.M. (2021) CULTURE OF SAFETY: The Multidisciplinary Anesthesia Professional Relationship. Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation Newsletter

Meese, K.A., Colon Lopez, A.*, Singh, J.A., Burkholder, G., Rogers, D.A. (2021) Healthcare is a Team Sport: Stress, Resilience and Correlates of Well-Being among Clinical and Non-Clinical Health System Employees during a Crisis. Journal of Healthcare Management

Meese KA, Boitet LM, Sweeney KL, Nassetta L, Mugavero M, Hidalgo B, Reamey R, Rogers DA. (2023). Still exhausted: The role of residual caregiving fatigue on women in medicine and science across the pipeline. Journal of Medical Internet Research. doi: 10.2196/47629

Boitet LM*, Meese KA, Colón-López A, Sweeney KL*, Rogers DA. (2023). Perceptions of Safety Versus Actual Exposure Across the Entire Healthcare Team During COVID-19. Journal of Healthcare Risk Management. doi: 10.1002/jhrm.21542

Boitet LM*, Meese KA, Colón-López A, Schwiebert LM, Rogers DA. (2023). An Investigation of Organizational Correlates of Distress in Non-Clinician Biomedical Researchers in the United States. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare. 2023;16:333-343 https://doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S399517

Meese, K. A., Colón-López*, A., Montgomery, A. P., Boitet, L. M.*, Rogers, D. A., & Patrician, P. A. (2022). Rules of engagement: The role of mistreatment from patients in the nurse, physician and advanced practice provider experience. Patient Experience Journal, 9(2), 36-45. **2023 Patient Experience Journal Awards, Best Article – Emerging Scholar.

Meese, K. A., Boitet, L. M., Sweeney, K. L., Nassetta, L., Mugavero, M., Hidalgo, B., Reamey, R., & Rogers, D. A. (2023). Still Exhausted: The Role of Residual Caregiving Fatigue on Women in Medicine and Science Across the Pipeline. Journal of medical Internet research, 25, e47629. https://doi.org/10.2196/47629

Boitet, L. M., Meese, K. A., Hays, M. M., Gorman, C. A., Sweeney, K. L., & Rogers, D. A. (2023). Burnout, moral distress, and compassion fatigue as correlates of post-traumatic stress symptoms in clinical and non-clinical healthcare workers. Journal of Healthcare Management, 68(6), 427-451. doi: 10.1097/JHM-D-23-00098

Published Book Chapters

Meese, K.A., Rogers, D.A. (2022). “Humans Working with Humans to Heal Humans.” Leadership in Healthcare, 4th Edition. Editor: Carson Dye. Health Administration Press. (In press) 

Meese, K.A., Dye, C. (2021). “Measuring Engagement.” Enhanced Physician Engagement: Volume 2 – Tools and Applications. Editor: Carson Dye. Health Administration Press. 

Meese, K.A., Garman, A., (2021). “Moving Beyond Burnout towards Physician Flourishing.” Enhanced Physician Engagement: Volume 1 - Motivating and Leading at a Higher Level. Editor: Carson Dye. Health Administration Press.  

Meese, K.A., Allgood, A., Colon-Lopez, A.*, Rogers, DA.  Well-being as a Condition of Preparedness.  Healthcare Analytics: Health System Emergency Preparedness for COVID-19. Editor: Ed Rafalski.  (2021). 

Meese, K.A. & Patterson, A. (Under Development-2023). Managing the Healthcare Workforce. "Fundamentals of Healthcare Management: Theory and Practice." Editors: Kevin Broom & Soumitra Bhuyan. Springer Publishing.

Dye, C., Garman, A., Meese, K.A. (2023). “Competency 10: Energizing Staff.” Exceptional Leadership: 16 Critical Competencies for Healthcare Executives, 3rd Edition by Carson Dye & Andy Garman. Health Administration Press.

Meese, K.A., Rogers, D.A. (2022). “Humans Working with Humans to Heal Humans.” Leadership in Healthcare, 4th Edition. Editor: Carson Dye. Health Administration Press.