Stop the Stigma EM Month Calendar of Events

2025 Events

Permission to Feel: Normalizing the Return-to-Work Struggle

This session explored the emotional realities of re-entering an academic environment to normalize these experiences, and addressed the underlying sense of tension and disheartenment that can emerge. Featuring a candid conversation among leaders and learners in academic emergency medicine, the discussion highlighted practical strategies and guided reflection to help participants identify personal goals for reintegration, understand their own and colleagues' perspectives, clearly communicate their needs, choose effective avenues for support, and assess their progress toward feeling settled again.

Before You Break: The Role of Peer Support in Academic Emergency Medicine

This session examined the role of peer support in helping colleagues through complex realities. We explored what is working well, where gaps persist, and how timely and authentic connection can counteract isolation and normalize the need for help. Drawing on real-world experiences, the conversation highlighted strategies for creating a culture where clinicians can speak openly about their struggles, receive meaningful support, and find ways to sustain themselves during ongoing uncertainty.

Navigating Medical Boards, Physician Licensing, and Wellness: How to Advise Students and Residents

This session clarified the current landscape of medical board questions, distinguished between required disclosures and protected information, and provided practical strategies for advisors, mentors, and educators. Participants gained tools to guide sensitive conversations, reduce stigma, and emphasize that prioritizing self-care protects, rather than threatens, long-term licensure and well-being.

The Case Is Over, But I'm Not Okay: Breaking the Silence on Litigation Stress in Medicine

This conversation brought together leaders and learners who have experienced or supported colleagues through litigation stress to normalize these reactions, share strategies for recovery, and address the culture of silence that often surrounds these events. Participants learned to identify the signs of litigation-related distress, communicate effectively with support networks, and develop a personal recovery plan that fosters both professional growth and psychological well-being.