Wellness

Our Published Work

Our wellness scholarship translates frontline wellness needs into peer-reviewed publications, funded projects, abstracts, presentations, curricula and practical models that can inform emergency medicine and academic medicine more broadly.

Featured scholarship areas

Scholarship that grew from wellness infrastructure

The department’s wellness scholarship developed from the same infrastructure that supports frontline clinicians and learners: the Wellness Taskforce, Wellness Survey Team, S.T.A.R. Program, Litigation Peer Support Program, workplace safety initiatives and resident wellness curriculum.

COVID-19 wellness survey research

Longitudinal measurement of provider wellness, burnout, resilience and needs during the pandemic.

Peer support and litigation stress

Program development, evaluation and dissemination of support models for physicians and teams.

Resident wellness and STAR

Resident-led peer support, dashboards, referral resources and scalable GME wellness strategies.

Workplace safety

Research examining workplace violence, safety and the emergency department work environment.

Shift wellness and satisfaction

Rapid assessment and measurement of factors influencing emergency medicine worker shift experience.

Policy and curriculum

Bereavement scheduling, wellness electives, opt-out counseling and longitudinal wellness curriculum.

Selected Journal Articles

COVID-19 WELLNESS

Longitudinal prospective study of emergency medicine provider wellness
Kelker H, Yoder K, Musey P, Harris M, Johnson O, Henderson B, Vyas P, Sarmiento E, Adams Z, Welch J. BMC Emergency Medicine. 2021.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12873-021-00425-3

PEER SUPPORT

Peer support groups for emergency medicine physicians during COVID-19
Nault Connors J, Thornsberry T, Hayden J, Kroenke K, Monahan P, Draucker C, Wasmuth S, Kelker H, Whitehead A, Welch JL. JACEP Open. 2023.
https://doi.org/10.1002/emp2.12897

LITIGATION SUPPORT

Group-based peer support for physicians involved in malpractice lawsuits
Doehring MC, Strachan CC, Haut L, Crevier K, Heniff M, Crittendon M, Connors JN, Welch JL. Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine. 2023.
https://doi.org/10.5811/cpcem.1377

WORKPLACE VIOLENCE

Workplace violence in a large urban emergency department
Doehring MC, Palmer M, Satorius A, Vaughn T, Mulat B, Beckman A, Reed K, Spech Dos Santos T, Hunter BR. JAMA Network Open. 2024.
https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.43160

RESIDENT WELLNESS

Bereavement scheduling policy for emergency medicine residents
Kelly TD, de Venecia BT, Pang PS, Turner JS, Reed KD, Pettit KE. AEM Education and Training. 2024.
https://doi.org/10.1002/aet2.11009

STAR/ PEER SUPPORT

Resident-led peer support in emergency medicine
Reed KD, Serpe AE, Weston AP, Folk DD, Kelker HP, Humbert AJ, Pettit KE, Welch JL. Behavioral Sciences. 2025.
https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15070943

PEER LEADER TRAINING

Framework for peer leader training
Reed KD, Weston AP, Serpe AE, Folk DD, Destrampe JM, Kelker HP, Humbert AJ, Pettit KE, Welch JL. Behavioral Sciences. 2025.
https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15121744

TRAINING TOOLKIT

Training toolkit for a medical litigation peer support program
Doehring MC, Welch JL, Crevier K, Heniff M, Haut L, Crittendon M, Strachan CC. MedEdPublish. 2026.
https://mededpublish.org/articles/16-21

Published abstracts and poster dissemination

PUBLISHED ABSTRACT

Longitudinal Emergency Medicine Provider Wellness and Burnout Across Ten Hospitals During the Pandemic Surge
Midwest Regional SAEM 2020 accepted abstract.

PUBLISHED ABSTRACT

COVID-19 is Adversely Impacting Frontline Emergency Medicine Resident and Fellow Wellness Measures
Midwest Regional SAEM 2020 accepted abstract.

PUBLISHED ABSTRACT

Facilitated Peer Support Model Offers Promising Mental Health Intervention for Emergency Physicians
Annals of Emergency Medicine COVID special edition abstract.

National presentations

NATIONAL PRESENTATION

Implementing the S.T.A.R. Program Institution-Wide
Innovation oral presentation at SAEM 2026 National Conference.

NATIONAL PRESENTATION

Litigation Peer Support presentations
Includes SAEM, UNM Mentoring Institute, UC Risk Management Summit, and Women Physician Wellness venues.

Grant-supported work

GRANT-SUPPORTED INITIATIVE

STAR Program: Implementing Resident-Led Peer Support Groups Institution-Wide
IU Health Foundation Values Fund for Education, 2025-2027.

GRANT-SUPPORTED INITIATIVE

Educational Curricular Model for a Litigation Peer Support Program
IU Health Foundation Values Fund for Education, 2024-2026.

GRANT-SUPPORTED INITIATIVE

A Novel Wellness and Mental Health Curriculum for Emergency Medicine Residents
Rolly McGrath Chair Fellowship, 2021-2023.

GRANT-SUPPORTED INITIATIVE

Addressing Mental Health Needs of Health Care Workers through Peer Support Groups During the COVID-19 Crisis
NIH/NCATS Indiana CTSI COVID-19 Pilot Research Grant, 2020-2021.

Wellness becomes scholarship when frontline needs are measured, studied, shared and translated into sustainable support.

Paul Musey, MD