By Julie Lynn Kantor, MD, FAAP
Every day, physicians encourage their patients to prioritize healthy habits: exercise regularly, eat nutritious foods, manage stress, and seek help when needed. Yet, as a profession, we too often neglect our own advice.
The consequences are impossible to ignore.
Physician burnout has reached alarming levels, with studies estimating that nearly 82 percent of physicians experience burnout. Research from the American Medical Association found that 45.2 percent of physicians experienced at least one manifestation of burnout in 2023. Even more sobering, physicians face disproportionately higher risks of depression, substance use disorders, cardiovascular disease, and suicide than the general population. In the United States, it is estimated that one physician dies by suicide every day.
These statistics represent talented professionals whose ability to care for others is compromised because they have not had the opportunity or support to care for themselves.
As President of the Miami-Dade County Medical Association (MDCMA), I believe physician wellness is not a personal responsibility alone but a healthcare imperative. A resilient physician workforce is essential to maintaining safe, compassionate, and high-quality patient care. Organizations that invest in physician well-being are investing directly in better outcomes for patients, stronger healthcare teams, and healthier communities.
That is why advancing physician wellness is one of the defining priorities of my presidency. Over the coming months, MDCMA will launch a series of educational programs and resources focused on the three pillars of physician wellness: physical, mental, and financial health. Our goal is to provide practical strategies, foster meaningful peer connections, and remind physicians that seeking support is a sign of strength, not weakness.
This initiative builds upon the strong foundation established by physician leaders who have made wellness a priority for our medical community. I am especially grateful to Dr. Juan Diego Oms, whose passion for physician well-being and leadership has helped shape this important initiative. His work reminds us that wellness begins with self-care and grows through developing emotional intelligence, self-awareness, resiliency, and a sense of purpose. I also want to recognize Dr. Patricia Ares-Romero, one of my predecessors as MDCMA President, whose vision brought the LifeBridge Physician Wellness Program to our association, providing members with confidential mental health support and wellness resources. Through LifeBridge, MDCMA members have access to four complimentary, confidential sessions each year with a licensed psychologist, giving physicians a safe, judgment-free space to address stress, burnout, anxiety, personal challenges, or other concerns before they become overwhelming. In addition, Dr. Patricia Junquera continues to advance physician wellness through her leadership of the MINDS Program at Florida International University and the upcoming MINDS Symposium, helping physicians better understand and address the challenges of stress, burnout, and mental health. Together, these efforts reflect MDCMA’s growing commitment to creating a culture where physician well-being is supported, valued, and recognized as essential to exceptional patient care.
Wellness and leadership are inseparable. Physicians who care for their own well-being are better equipped to lead healthcare teams, mentor future physicians, communicate effectively, and navigate the increasing complexity of modern medicine. Self-care should not be seen as self-indulgence but as a professional responsibility that enables us to serve our patients with excellence.
Medicine has always been a calling built on service. But service should never require self-sacrifice to the point of exhaustion. We should continue to redefine what it means to be a successful physician by recognizing that caring for ourselves is an essential part of caring for others.
If we truly want a healthier healthcare system, we must begin by caring for the caregivers.
Dr. Julie Lynn Kantor is President, Miami-Dade County Medical Association.
