Sonia Ramamoorthy, MD, is the director of physician wellness at UC San Diego Health. Photo credit: Kyle Dykes, UC San Diego Health.
Sonia Ramamoorthy, MD, noticed a troubling theme bubbling up among clinicians she admired and respected during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: burnout.
Physician burnout in the United States peaked at 63% in 2021 during the pandemic, according to the American Medical Association (AMA). The national physician burnout rate ebbed to 45% in 2023 due to strides made to address fatigue at the system level, yet, despite improvements, physician burnout levels remain notably higher than other U.S. professions.
"I saw exceptional physicians stretched by administrative load, staffing gaps and fragmented workflows, and noticed the quiet stigma around asking for help," said Ramamoorthy, chief of the division of colon and rectal surgery and director of physician wellness at UC San Diego Health. "Because physician wellness and quality patient care are intertwined, centering on physician wellness initiatives is paramount."
The academic health system's physician wellness efforts launched in 2021 under the leadership of Patty Maysent, CEO of UC San Diego Health, Linda Brubaker, MD, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and the physician wellness program's initial director, Christopher Kane, MD, CEO of the UC San Diego Health Physician Group and senior assistant vice chancellor of clinical affairs for UC San Diego Health Sciences, and Zea Borok, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine. Ramamoorthy assumed the interim role as director in 2024 and was appointed to the permanent position in 2025.
The physician wellness strategy at UC San Diego Health centers on systemic change versus individual adaptability. After listening closely to physician teams and reviewing nationwide research, Ramamoorthy said it became clear that physician wellness isn't an individual resilience problem — it is an institutional responsibility facing all health care providers. Through streamlining administrative tasks, improving communication across the system, providing professional development and career-building opportunities and simplifying access to physician wellness care, the aim is for burnout to take a back seat.
"Our efforts directly access known drivers of burnout — inefficient workflows, communication challenges, administrative burden and stigma," she said. "That ultimately leads to better patient care and physicians feeling joy about the important work they do."
This laser focus on physician wellness efforts has earned UC San Diego Health national recognition from the AMA's Joy in Medicine™ program for 2025-26 with a bronze designation for demonstrating a strong commitment to reducing physician burnout and fostering professional contentment among clinicians.
Ramamoorthy said UC San Diego Health's prestigious "Joy in Medicine" recognition is national validation that the academic health system's efforts are aligned with best practices across six key domains: assessment, commitment, efficiency of practice environment, leadership, teamwork, and support.
"It's confirmation that our health system is building the right foundations to reduce system-level drivers of burnout and support professional fulfillment," she said.
UC San Diego Health is leading the way in physician wellness, according to Maysent, demonstrating measurable progress and concrete practices to strengthen physician wellness and patient satisfaction.
"We know we're getting traction when physicians say, 'Thank you for fixing this. Now go fix that,'" Maysent said. "Dr. Ramamoorthy continues to build upon these successes, using data-driven approaches to identify issues and create solutions that reduce burnout and increase opportunities for joy in care delivery."
In this Q&A, Ramamoorthy highlights what makes physician wellness efforts at UC San Diego Health exemplary:
Physician wellness and exceptional patient care go hand-in-hand. Why is addressing physician burnout crucial?
It all boils down to delivering high-quality care to our patients, and to do that, you need to have a healthy workforce. You need to have providers who are happy doing the job, feel professionally satisfied and are intellectually stimulated every day, yet also feel safe sharing their struggles.
The COVID-19 pandemic certainly accelerated the issue of burnout, and we still have a high volume of patients coming in, community hospitals shutting down and a sicker, aging population — all these things have come together as a perfect storm and physicians have caught the brunt of it. I worry about retaining and recruiting good people, keeping providers in their professions and trying to engage more young people to go into the field of medicine. Medicine can look like a very daunting profession — that's why addressing wellness and burnout head-on is essential.
What has fueled your dedication to developing physician wellness initiatives?
I didn't set out to "do wellness," it found me at the bedside, in the operating room and in the physician lounge. I saw the quiet stigma among colleagues about asking for help. That's what drew me in — working with physicians, staff and administrative colleagues to help people do their best work, sustain the joy of practicing medicine and still have a life.
This role is the amalgamation of all the things I care about — patient care, my colleagues and our tripartite mission of care, education and research and leading a balanced life. This work hits on operational issues, mental health issues, leadership development issues and it allows us to proactively address the stress and burnout many physicians face.
Why do you think there has been a 'quiet stigma' around physicians asking for help and what advice do you have for providers who are feeling overwhelmed/burned out?
I think it's about making the conversation about physician wellness more visible, and for leaders to share their own journeys. That's how we see that all providers have career obstacles and mental health obstacles that they may need to work through.
As a provider, it can feel like caregiver fatigue, when you are a person who is taking care of everyone. It can seem like you are not allowed to be sick, and when you are, you don't want other people to know about it. We were brought up professionally to take care of everybody else, and I think we must change that dialogue. We have made a lot of changes at UC San Diego Health to encourage physicians to seek help early and be proactive about taking care of themselves.
Mental health for a lot of people has carried a stigma, but I love that this next generation is changing our language around it. Just as taking care of your physical health is important, taking care of your mental health is also significant. It's part of overall health and thinking clearly.
What are some key areas UC San Diego Health is focusing on to foster physician wellness?
I think our health system has been very responsive and innovative in bringing technology to the forefront. When we recognize something that is contributing to burnout, we are working together to solve it.
The WE CARE Physician Peer Support Program offers mental health resources and peer support, so there are colleagues both within and outside a physician's department that they can talk with confidentially. The Healer Education Assessment and Referral (HEAR) Program gives physicians access to mental health counselors who can actively engage with them when issues arise. The Headspace app is available to providers to explore mindfulness and video-based tools. We are also focusing on fostering belonging among our colleagues and recognizing them when they deserve the spotlight.
Looking ahead, what is your vision for the future of the physician wellness program?
To advance from bronze to silver or gold status from the AMA's "Joy in Medicine" program, we'll deepen measurement and improvement across the six domains listed above — especially efficiency of practice in the electronic health record and managing inbox load, leader development and teamwork. We will also be expanding stigma-free access to mental-health care, peer support and civility/communication training across departments. We'll continue to lessen administrative burden, partner with AMA and National Academy of Medicine efforts and use data to drive investments that return time and meaning to clinical work.
All the extraordinary teamwork we saw that happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, that made UC San Diego Health a north star in terms of the way we responded. It showed what we are capable of for physician wellness as well. I believe we have all the ingredients we need to amplify physician wellness and share those best practices with the country.
What brings you joy in medicine, personally?
The moments when our care — and our system — truly helps someone. A patient turning a corner. A clinic that runs smoothly because we improved a process together. A trainee or colleague thriving because they feel seen and supported. The sense of pride when our UC San Diego Health research impacts humanity.
My colleagues bring me joy. They are smart, fun, thoughtful and we have a great culture at UC San Diego Health. I'm so impressed when I learn about the way they problem solve, what new things they are tackling and how they come to the table to help solve problems together.
