More than 100 Emory physicians gathered on Thursday, Sept. 19, to raise awareness of a topic that is critically important, yet rarely discussed: physician suicide.
September 17 is National Physician Suicide Awareness Day. Nationally, it is estimated that 300-400 physicians die by suicide each year and more than half of physicians know a physician who either considered, attempted or died by suicide in their career. The COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on the staggering rates of physician burnout and depression across the United States, but the issue persists.
“Prioritizing the well-being of the health care workforce has never been more important, and the WHSC Office of Well-Being (EmWELL) is dedicated to being a national leader in this area,” says Chad Ritenour, MD, chief medical officer at Emory University Hospital and co-chief well-being officer. “We are happy to support candid conversations like this one that reduce the stigma of discussing mental health and the human challenges we all face.”
The event, which was organized by EmWELL through its physician’s workgroup in partnership with the Physician Division of Emory Healthcare, featured a panel of speakers sharing their personal stories and discussing the need for more open dialogue and support for change.
Speakers included Stef Simmons, MD, chief medical officer at the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation; Paul Earley, MD medical director of the Georgia Professional Health Program (GA PHP); and Dhaval Desai, MD, co-lead of the EmWELL physicians workgroup at Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital, director of hospital medicine at Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital and assistant professor of hospital medicine at Emory School of Medicine. CNN correspondent Nick Valencia facilitated the discussion, incorporating anecdotes from other health care related stories he covered, as well as aspects of his personal story.
Reflecting on the event, Desai says,
