The context of concern for faculty health

Love is a central theme in the profession of medicine. It is an undeniable drive that leads individuals onward to serve others, whether through clinical care or laboratory science. Naming that force for what it is and claiming it again as one's own turns the corner away from discouragement toward renewal of the promise to that primal altruism which first sparked the notion of joining an honored tradition of service. So began a three-day working conference on faculty health and well-being in academic medical centers, the first to focus entirely on that subject. Henry Strobel spoke these words at the opening dinner. They both set the theme and recalled the reason for the gathering: faculty burnout and demoralization. The causes are multiple. Sometimes faculty work under onerous conditions-too much to do in too short a time, not enough resources, not en support staff, and so on. Other times-out of what they regard as dedication and passion-faculty work past needing rest, past needing family, and past needing renewal. Either way, the result is finally a separation from the very inspiration that sparked the notion of joining an honored tradition of service.