Well-being and attention in medical scientists

INTERVENTION: Mindfulness Coaching Participants will be randomized using a simple randomization method into the intervention or a waitlist control group. The intervention is a digital approach (delivered on Zoom) with group mindfulness sessions led by two psychological health faculty members as coaches. For these sessions, participants will be divided into sub‐groups by career stage: pre‐clinical medical scientist training program (MSTP) students, MSTP graduate students, or clinician/junior faculty. The coaches will lead three sessions (each 1.5 hours) spread over one academic quarter for each sub‐group. The group meetings will be held virtually to maximize accessibility and comfort for the participants and will be scheduled per the participants’ mutually preferred times. In each session, the coaches will conduct mindfulness exercises and lead an interactive discussion on health, well‐being, resilience, leadership training, and self‐compassion. Participants will be asked to turn on their videos for the duration of the sessions and to share personal opinions and life experiences. In these sessions, the primary goal for the coaches will be to listen attentively and promote well‐being. They will also aim to validate and acknowledge challenges that participants face as physician‐scientists in training or as early career faculty. Different mindfulness tools and perspectives will be suggested and discussed by the facilitators and by the participants themselves to address work‐life challenges. The participants will be encouraged to share their sources of support (e.g., exploring sources of strength, stress management techniques, and spending time with loved ones). Focused mindfulness practice will be offered and taught at each session. The participants will CONDITION: Well‐being ; Not Applicable PRIMARY OUTCOME: ; 1. Subjective well‐being measured using a combination of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well‐Being Scale (SWEMWBS), Self‐Compassion Scale (SCS), and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) at baseline and post‐intervention; 2. Objective cognition measured using the BrainE neurocognitive platform at baseline and post‐intervention; ; SECONDARY OUTCOME: Neuroplasticity underlying cognition measured using electroencephalography (EEG) recordings synchronized to the BrainE neurocognitive platform assessments at baseline and post‐intervention INCLUSION CRITERIA: Physician Scientists affiliated with the UC San Diego Medical Scientist Training Program