The Physician Wellness Network (PWN) is an initiative established in 2022 by the Physician Health Program (PHP) to bring together organizations focused on physician wellness, reduce silos, and enhance the well-being of physicians, residents, and medical students.
As part of this work, the PWN is offering all physicians the opportunity to hear from physician health experts through the Physician Wellness Network (PWN) Rounds lecture-style webinars.
The Spring session focuses on the impact of shame on individuals and health care organizations and offers strategies for building shame competence in health care settings. Registration is open for the free virtual event on May 20, 2026, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
The event features Dr Will Bynum, a physician and an expert on the effects of shame on health care workers. He co-founded the Shame Lab, a research and training organization that helps health care professionals develop "shame competence"—the ability to recognize and manage shame—through evidence-based workshops and consulting, with the goal of reducing burnout and building more psychologically safe workplaces.
Shame in medical culture
Shame is a powerful emotion that can influence medical culture, shaping how physicians receive feedback, learn in the workplace, and build professional relationships. Dr Bynum says physicians can feel ashamed “anytime we fail to reach a standard or ideal, which is a highly commonplace experience in the standards-driven profession of medicine.” Common shame triggers include medical errors, lapses in knowledge, public exposure, bullying or mistreatment, and struggling with mental illness.
The emotional effects of shame
Dr Bynum describes how shame is embedded in the structures that govern our organizations and shape our culture, whether through formal policies, cultural norms, or physical spaces. It can manifest in many ways, including emotional distress, disengagement, isolation, defensiveness, self-harm, and overcompensation through perfectionism and overachievement. For Dr Bynum, a painful personal experience following a medical error during residency sparked a period of soul-searching and reflection on the role shame played in the world around him.
“The stigmatized and taboo nature of shame keeps it unspoken. By failing to acknowledge and engage with what is otherwise a fundamental and normal human emotion, we dehumanize ourselves and others.” —Dr Will Bynum
Building shame competence skills
Dr Bynum co-developed a shame competence framework that outlines steps to help health care professionals navigate shame. It comprises five pillars: acknowledging shame, recognizing shame, avoiding shaming others, responding to shame, and transforming organizations. During the webinar, he will explore shame in health care, share practical tools, and help attendees build crucial skills for well-being and emotional resilience.
Join the Physician Wellness Network
If you would like to learn more about the PWN and how your physician-led organization can join as a member, visit the “Engagement Opportunities” section of PHP's Community Engagement and Wellness Resources page for the PWN's terms of reference, registration information, and more.
