Compassion Institute

08/19/2026

"We know that in healthcare, by definition, we're dealing with people who are suffering... When people feel like they've received compassionate care, in many, many ways, there are better outcomes."

We were beyond excited for this episode of the REIMAGINE podcast to be released. CI's Health Content Lead, Dr. Shireen Mansouri, sat with Dr. Gabe Schnickel to discuss compassion in healthcare, cultivating compassion as you might train a muscle, and how compassion can impact the transplant medicine space.

Thanks to UCSD's REIMAGINE Center, as always, for the great conversation. Take a listen here: https://surgery.ucsd.edu/centers/reimagine/podcast.html -15---compassion-as-a-practice-shireen-mans

08/10/2026

"There are more than 100,000 Americans on the organ transplant waitlist and approximately 13 people die each day while waiting for an organ to become available. While scientific advances continue to improve transplant outcomes, many patients lack the tools, guidance and caregiving support needed to secure a living donor and meet required prerequisites.

To address this gap, the REIMAGINE Center partnered with the Design Lab at UC San Diego to host a 72-hour Design-a-thon to generate and prototype ideas for the nationwide organ shortage. Importantly, the designs needed to be human-centered with a focus on compassion. The multiday event brought together transplant surgeons, patients, caregivers, donors, ethicists, policy experts, community leaders and students from across UC San Diego and beyond."

Lovely read on UCSD's REIMAGINE Center recent compassion-based programming. Congrats to these compassion leaders: https://today.ucsd.edu/area-story/uc-san-diego-reimagine-center-focuses-on-compassion-to-improve-the-organ-transplant-system

07/24/2026

CI's Health Program Manager, Jonathan, shared a bit last month about how compassion might be a useful way to support LGBTQ+ advocates and activists in their important work. Read his thoughts here: compassioninstitute.com/blog/compassion-as-a-tool-for-lgbtq-advocacy/

07/22/2026

Research suggests that compassion is a regenerative experience. Tapping into compassion often helps us continue to act compassionately. If that's the case, how do we explain the real phenomenon of people experiencing what feels like "compassion fatigue"?

Join Compassion Institute Founding Faculty Dr. Erika Rosenberg and Senior Teacher Dr. Shireen Mansouri, for a conversation about how we can reframe and better understand compassion fatigue. By grasping the differences between empathy and compassion, we can better identify ways to counteract the effects of empathic distress.

Debunking the Myth of Compassion Fatigue will be geared toward a general audience. Attendees will leave the webinar equipped with mindfulness tools and reflective questions that will help strengthen your abilities to tap into compassion more often and with greater ease.

Register for the webinar here: compassioninstitute.com/debunking-the-myth-of-compassion-fatigue/

07/15/2026

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup comes to an end, we reflect on our favorite moments- players coming together to offer respect, support, and solidarity across team lines.

The feelings that stays with us year after year, tournament after tournament are the moments of interconnectedness, reminding us that our lives aren't so different from the lives of every other living being on this planet.

We see players from different nations coming together to offer respect, support, and solidarity across team lines- even as they compete for a spot to advance.

Though our languages, circumstances, and experiences might be different, we are all connected on a fundamental level. One way to truly feel this interconnectedness is to remember:

"Just like me, this person wants to love, contribute, and be appreciated. Just like me, this person wishes to be happy and free from suffering."

Interconnectedness is a core component of compassion training. It is what allows two players at the height of their careers to exchange jerseys, help each other up after a hard-fought play, and offer a post-game handshake.

Congratulations to all the players and fans for a successful 2026 World Cup ⚽

07/13/2026

CI is committed to equipping frontline healthcare professionals with the skills and knowledge to take care of themselves and our most vulnerable neighbors.

To that end, we’ve launched our Community Health scholarship, which gives folks the opportunity to take our Compassion Cultivation in Health Care (CCHC) course this spring – free of charge.

We encourage frontline health professionals to apply, including:

🩺 Physicians (MD, DO, ND, DC & others) and Physician Assistants
🏥 Nurses & Nurse Practitioners
🤝 Psychologists and Therapists
📋 Social Workers
❤️ Addiction Recovery Professionals
⚠️ Emergency Medical Personnel
📢 Health Equity Advocates and Peer Health Educators
⚕️ Occupational Therapists or Recreational Therapists
🩹 Physical Therapists
🍽️ Dietitians or Nutritionists
😷 Public Health Professionals

We’re prioritizing applicants working in community health settings, including FQHCs, free clinics, and other health venues serving priority populations. For more info and to apply, visit here: https://forms.gle/qGvFkURF5RPUuVyS7

Applications are due September 1, 2026.

07/08/2026

Registration is now open for our fall session of Cultivating Compassion in Health Care (CCHC)! This course is intended as a space for frontline healthcare workers (physicians, nurses, physical therapists, behavioral health pros, therapists, etc.) to learn how to make compassion a sustainable practice for one's self and one's patients.

This course will be eligible for CMEs.

For more info or to register, visit https://compassioninstitute.com/class/compassion-cultivation-in-health-care-public-03-09-18-26-11-06-26/

07/06/2026

The data is in: 95% of Compassion Institute alumni would recommend our training to others.

We surveyed over 200 alumni from 15 Compassion Institute courses that took place in 2024 and 2025 and the results are in: compassion training works.

Read more about how compassion training helps students increase their ability to connect with others, stay present during important moments, and find joy in daily life: https://compassioninstitute.com/blog/2025-compassion-institute-report/

The data is in: 95% of Compassion Institute alumni would recommend our training to others. Our community chimed in. We surveyed over 200 alumni from 15 Compassion Institute courses that took place in 2024 and 2025 and the results are in: compassion training works. Survey results came from students i...

06/23/2026

It's Pride Month and CI wishes you and yours a happy and safe celebration.

In 1987, when Issan Dorsey founded the Maitri Compassionate Care (formerly the Maitri Hospice), there was little that medicine could do at that time for people living with HIV/AIDS. Dorsey and his collaborators still chose to bear witness to suffering, and to "journey with" people as they lived out the rest of their lives in dignity.

We salute all of the LGBTQ+ teachers who have taught us much about what it means to live a compassionate life, and who remind us that all people are interconnected.

https://www.lionsroar.com/the-lone-mountain-path-the-example-of-issan-dorsey/

06/19/2026

"True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.”

Dr. King's speech, "Beyond Vietnam -- A Time to Break Silence," delivered in April 1967 at Riverside Church in NYC, helps illustrate that compassion is a strong and active force. Compassion helps to transform the person, and eventually transforms the collective.

CI proudly observes Juneteenth and we proudly center equity, compassion, and interconnectedness in all of our work.