Shifting the Lens: Dr. Elliott Higgins on Measuring System-Level Influencers of Well-Being in Health Care
Release Date: 11/18/2025
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info_outlineIn this episode, Dr. Stuart Slavin speaks with Dr. Elliott Higgins, director of Health and Well-Being for UCLA’s Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine. Together they explore the development of the Well-Being Influencers Survey for Health Care (WISH)—a validated, non-proprietary tool that measures the organizational conditions shaping clinician well-being. Dr. Higgins discusses how WISH shifts the focus from individual burnout to systemic factors such as transparency, fairness, and psychological safety, offering leaders actionable insights to drive meaningful change. The conversation highlights how data-driven, collaborative research can reframe accountability, empower departments to tailor interventions, and move the national dialogue from burnout awareness toward system-level solutions that enhance both workforce and patient care.
Podcast Chapters
(00:00) – Intro & Guest Background
(01:06) – Elliott’s Path to Medicine & Well-Being
(02:28) – Introducing the WISH Survey
(05:35) – Local Influencers & One Size Doesn’t Fit All
(06:31) – Multicenter and Multispecialty WISH Studies
(11:07) – Early Findings: Organizational Justice & Transparency
(12:28) – Psychological Safety in Anesthesiology
(13:38) – Future Directions: Validation & Qualitative Work
(16:03) – Using WISH Iteratively to Drive Change
(17:55) – Accessing WISH
(19:11) – Multicenter Collaboration & Team Effort
(19:28) – Framing Thought: Shifting Accountability to Systems
(21:22) – Closing Remarks & Resources