Plenary information
Day 1: Monday 15 September
Plenary 1: ROE: Return on Empathy
Dr Jonathan LaPook
We all agree the world is aching for more empathy. But does empathy translate to the bottom line? And if so, can it be taught, learned, and scaled within a large institution?
Dr. Jon LaPook takes us on the inspiring journey of The Empathy Project, from its birth in 2014 to its pivotal role today fostering a culture of empathy at NYU Langone Health.
Plenary 2: Cutting Through the Myth: Surgeons lack empathy!
Prof Gozie Offiah
Surgeons are highly trained professionals recognised for their expertise in precision and procedural skills. This session challenges the long-standing myth that surgeons lack empathy, exploring how compassion and technical knowledge are not mutually exclusive but, in fact, essential partners in patient care. We will examine the evolving role of empathy in surgical practice, its impact on patient outcomes, and how modern surgical training integrates emotional intelligence alongside technical proficiency.
We will also explore how early exposure to patient-centred communication, emotional intelligence, and ethical decision-making in medical school lays the foundation for compassionate surgical practice. Additionally, we will discuss how postgraduate training increasingly integrates empathy through mentorship, simulation-based learning, and structured feedback, shaping technically proficient surgeons who are emotionally attuned to patient needs. By highlighting real-world examples and emerging research, this session will demonstrate that empathy is teachable and essential for improving patient outcomes, fostering trust, and enhancing surgeon well-being, a crucial component of surgical excellence.
Educational outcomes:
Identify how empathy and technical expertise complement each other in improving patient care and surgical outcomes
Apply practical strategies to foster empathy in Surgical Training
Gain insight into how undergraduate and postgraduate medical education incorporates patient-centred communication, ethical decision-making, and mentorship to develop emotionally attuned surgeons
Day 2: Tuesday 16 September
Plenary 3: The patient doctor
Dr Ben Bravery
Originally a zoologist and science communicator, Ben Bravery worked for the Australian and Chinese governments before being diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer at the age of 28. After undergoing 18 months of cancer treatment, Ben decided on a career change. He became a doctor in 2018 and is now undertaking speciality training in psychiatry.
In this session, Ben will reflect on similarities between being a patient and then a doctor and how health systems sometimes seem designed to dehumanise the very people they set out to help and employ.
This learning session will explore the vital role of empathy and perspective-taking in healthcare, emphasising how understanding patients' unique experiences can enhance care outcomes. Participants will gain insights into the principles of human-centred care, focusing on treating individuals while respecting their values and needs.
Additionally, the session will highlight the value of lived experience, fostering a deeper appreciation for shared humanity in the healthcare environment, ultimately leading to more compassionate and effective patient care.
Educational outcomes:
The importance of empathy and perspective-taking in healthcare
Human-centred care
The value of lived experience and shared humanity
Plenary 4: Meaningful engagement of people with lived experience requires empathic health system response: perspectives from low- and middle-income countries
Dr Monika Arora
Empathy is emerging as a cornerstone of quality healthcare in India, forming the foundation of effective physician-patient relationships. Systemic barriers in India’s healthcare landscape — marked by resource constraints, high patient loads, and an inadequate workforce — pose challenges to operationalising empathic care. Limited consultation time, compounded by a low doctor-to-population and poor nurse-to-population ratios, often leaves healthcare providers struggling to engage meaningfully with patients. This lack of engagement diminishes their ability to address the emotional and psychological dimensions of care which result in poor clinical outcomes. Moreover, healthcare providers frequently experience compassion fatigue, further impeding empathic interactions.
While high-income countries have developed robust guidelines and training models for empathy-based care, India faces challenges in translating empathy from theory to practice. To bridge this gap, systemic solutions are necessary, including increasing workforce numbers, improving time management strategies, strengthening health systems through digital innovations to increase patient-doctor interaction time, and implementing structured training programs that incorporate empathy principles into healthcare workflows.
In this context, the establishment of the Centre for Empathic Healthcare in India, in collaboration with the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare, University of Leicester, represents a critical step forward. The Centre will aim to establish an equitable healthcare system where empathy is the foundation of care delivery, empowering healthcare professionals, researchers, and communities to collaboratively improve health outcomes and promote well-being for all, particularly those with lived experiences from hard-to-reach and marginalised communities. In addition, the Centre will work on transforming lived experience care through pioneering medical education and training that places empathy at its core, fostering empathy-driven approaches in healthcare, research, and meaningful community engagement.
Educational outcomes:
Equip healthcare professionals, researchers, and community members, including people with lived experience, with skills and evidence-based resources to integrate empathy into clinical practice, research, and community engagement, fostering equitable and inclusive healthcare systems
Develop, co-create, and disseminate innovative training modules, courses, and resources focused on empathy-driven medical education and healthcare delivery, empowering professionals to adopt person-centered approaches that prioritise the needs of marginalised and hard-to-reach populations
Promote and undertake high-quality research in empathic healthcare, leveraging collaborations within the international network and disseminating findings to drive evidence-based improvements in healthcare delivery, medical training, and community engagement nationally and globally