Session Summary: The Science of Compassion - Your Humanity Will Matter More than Ever
Stephen W. Trzeciak, MD, MPH delivered the inaugural Thomas J. Nasca Lecture, which served as the final plenary of the 2025 Annual Educational Conference. Dr. Trzeciak is the Edward D. Viner Endowed Chief of Medicine at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University. Dr. Trzeciak’s talk focused on the science-backed importance of compassion in medicine, emphasizing that compassion is not an optional virtue, but rather a measurable, essential component of patient care.
More Than an Emotional Response
“I like to look at familiar things in unfamiliar ways.”
As Dr. Trzeciak started his lecture with some personal anecdotes about what led him to pursue his research on compassion as a science, he challenged the assumption that compassion is merely a sentimental or emotional reaction. Instead, he presented scientific evidence highlighting that compassion leads to better patient outcomes, stronger trust, and lower rates of burnout.
Beyond the medical field, Dr. Trzeciak pointed out that there is a broader, societal compassion crisis. Studies show that empathy among college students is declining, with 80 percent of students valuing achievements over kindness toward others. This lack of compassion, he said, extends into health care, where 74 percent of ICU care is devoid of compassion—a startling statistic that highlights the increasing depersonalization of medicine.
Technology has played a role in this shift, he said, as electronic health records have led physicians to spend more time looking at their computer screens than at patients’ eyes. He punctuated this point by sharing two images of a physician in the care setting that demonstrate the Then and Now, underscoring the modern compassion crisis in medicine. In the first, a painting by Sir Luke Fildes entitled “The Doctor,” a doctor making a home call sits close to an ill child laying across two dining room chairs as her father looks on from behind her; in the second, a more recent crayon drawing published in JAMA, shows the child patient on a table in the office, being entertained by their parent while the physician, across the room with their back to the family, types into a computer.
“Friends, this,” Dr. Trzeciak said. “This is the most pressing issue of our time.”
Human connection in medicine, however, he stressed, remains critical. Research shows that when patients feel cared for, they not only experience greater emotional well-being but also have better clinical outcomes.
“There is something about health care experiences that stays with people,” he said, giving the audience the sense that the opportunity to correct this crisis in medicine also lies within medicine itself.
Compassion: The Cornerstone of Medicine and Human Connection
Dr. Trzeciak referenced Harvard's Study of Adult Development, which found that "good health at 80 is not based on any mile marker at 50, but instead on the quality of your relationships."
In a medical setting, compassion should not only extend to patients, but also to colleagues, he said. Strong workplace relationships reduce burnout, foster collaboration, and create a sense of belonging. However, a common challenge is “parochial empathy”—the tendency to care deeply for “my people” while neglecting others.
Dr. Trzeciak urged the audience to shift their mindset and embrace a broader sense of compassion for everyone they serve.
One of the most compelling insights from the lecture was that even brief moments of compassion can have a profound impact. By physically timing himself doing so, Dr. Trzeciak presented that it takes just 40 seconds to have a compassionate interaction. Recalling the drawing of the doctor at the computer from JAMA, he said this actually proves that treating patients with compassion does not require any extra time of practitioners, rather it only asks that they lead with intention.
Compassion Benefits the Giver Too
Another key takeaway from Dr. Trzeciak's lecture was that compassion is not just beneficial for patients. While there is a common misconception that too much compassion leads to burnout, Dr. Trzeciak suggests the opposite: compassion and connection are demonstrably linked to lower rates of burnout.
“The key to resilience,” he said, “is relationships.” Physicians who maintain emotional boundaries while still offering meaningful support experience less burnout and greater professional fulfillment. As Dr. Trzeciak shared, even a small act of compassion—like holding a patient’s hand in a moment of fear—can lift the fog of burnout and restore a sense of purpose.
Dr. Trzeciak concluded with a few very simple yet powerful messages:
- Compassion is not just a moral virtue, but scientifically proven to enhance patient outcomes, reduce burnout, and strengthen relationships.
- Health care practitioners do not need more time be compassionate—they need a shift in mindset.
- The key to sustainable, effective medicine is human connection.
He acknowledged the growing influence and rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI), and the common hesitation in medicine that it could lead to less human interaction. He challenged that notion, stating that since AI can provide much of the information physicians historically had to learn, memorize, and research, it actually provides a unique opportunity for physicians to connect more.
“When the answers are right there for you,” he said, “it’s your humanity that will matter more than ever.”