Meet Our Team
Our team combines diverse expertise to advance the science of health worker well-being.
* indicates founding members.
K. Elliott Higgins III, MD*
Job Title: Assistant Clinical Professor and Director of Health & Well-Being
Institution: University of California Los Angeles
Department: Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Location: Los Angeles, CA
About: Dr. Higgins is Director of Health and Well-Being for UCLA’s Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, a Physician Health Officer for UCLA Health, and a practicing anesthesiologist with subspecialty expertise in regional anesthesia and acute pain medicine. His research focuses on measuring and understanding healthcare professional well-being through a systems lens. As founding leader of the Well-Being Influencers Survey for Healthcare (WISH) research consortium, he led the development of WISH, a validated tool designed to assess perceptions of organizational conditions that shape well-being rather than individual states like burnout. He also co-chairs the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ well-being research working group and serves as both a member and Change Maker Coach for the National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience.
Maxwell Mansolf, PhD*
Job Title: Assistant Professor of Team Science
Institution: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Department: Medical Social Sciences
Location: Chicago, IL
About: My research blends statistical innovation with collaborations in support of psychological, medical, and epidemiological research. I conducted all analyses to validate the Well-Being Influencers Survey for Healthcare (WISH) and designed the website you're looking at right now. My background is in psychometrics and missing data, including both methodological development and application in psychology and health research. My quantitative strengths and program of research are in psychometrics, mega-analysis, machine learning, missing data and measurement error, and data harmonization. As a team scientist, I routinely provide expertise on psychometrics and missing data to other researchers.
Theodora Wingert, MD*
Job Title: Associate Clinical Professor, Director of Perioperative Informatics Research
Institution: University of California Los Angeles
Department: Anesthesiology and Perioperative Informatics
Location: Los Angeles, CA
About: I am a practicing Pediatric Anesthesiologist and Clinical Informaticist at UCLA. My research focuses on leveraging large complex data sources and advanced analytics like machine learning to understand and improve perioperative outcomes. One of my aims is to bring data-driven approaches to how we address healthcare professional well-being and burnout. It is essential that we have objective metrics to identify risk factors, regularly track baseline well-being metrics, and rigorously evaluate the impact of interventions. I serve on the American Society of Anesthesiologists Committee on Physician Well-Being, the Society of Pediatric Anesthesiology Well-Being Committee, and Well-Being Research Working Groups for both societies.
Christine Park, MD*
Job Title: Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology; Professor of Clinical Medicine; Director, Simulation and Integrative Learning Institute
Institution: University of Illinois College of Medicine
Department: Department of Medical Education; Department of Anesthesiology
Location: Chicago, IL
About: Dr. Christine Park is the Director of the Simulation and Integrative Learning (SAIL) Institute at the University of Illinois College of Medicine and a Professor of Anesthesiology and Medical Education. A certified professional coach, she works with clients to optimize career pathways and transitions. She also serves as Senior Medical Advisor to Elevate Healthcare. Dr. Park is a global thought leader in simulation-based education and is a past president of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. Her vision is to strengthen professional education and cultures through innovations bold and subtle, encouraging curiosity and creative engagement, and building global networks.
Elizabeth Duggan, MD, MA*
Job Title: Associate Professor of Anesthesiology; Vice Chair of Professional Development and Faculty Engagement for the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Institution: University of Alabama at Birmingham
Department: Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Location: Birmingham, AL
About: Dr. Duggan holds a master’s degree in industrial and organizational psychology. She draws on this knowledge and experience to address workplace psychological health, to design positive workplace environments, effectively align human motivation with career growth, augment career meaning and connection, and to build employee trust and commitment. She is passionate about organizational justice, physician engagement, leadership training, fair and objective selection practices, and optimal team dynamics. Currently she also holds an appointment as an adjunct professor at the University of Georgia in the Department of Psychology, teaching organizational methods in the Executive Master’s Program.
Jose Hernandez Carcamo*
Job Title: Program Manager of Health & Well-Being
Institution: University of California Los Angeles
Department: Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Location: Los Angeles, CA
About: Jose is the Health and Well-Being Program Manager for UCLA’s Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine. In this role, he collaborates closely with leadership to design and implement evidence-based practices that promote a culture of well-being. He also manages data collection and logistics for research projects. Jose holds a Master’s in Nutrition and Health Promotion from the University of Chile and is certified as an Exercise Physiologist through ACSM. His broader interests and expertise include physical activity, nutrition, and systems-based approaches to well-being.
Amy Vinson, MD, FAAP
Job Title: Assistant Professor and Departmental Chief Wellness Officer
Institution: Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Department: Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine
Location: Boston, MA
About: Amy Vinson is a Pediatrician and Pediatric Anesthesiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School. She has a long-standing interest in well-being, burnout, peer support, and substance use disorder in anesthesiologists and has lectured widely on these subjects. She is the immediate past Chair of the ASA’s Committee on Physician Well-being (2019–2024), a member of the National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-being and Resilience, and the Chief Wellness Officer for her department. Her research on burnout in anesthesiologists has twice been published in Anesthesiology, along with numerous other publications on physician well-being. She describes herself as a “well-being pragmatist,” focusing on systemic and organizational factors influencing well-being and burnout. In her free time, she enjoys family, fitness, playing music, and home improvement.
Jina Sinskey, MD
Job Title: Associate Clinical Professor, Vice Chair of Well-being
Institution: University of California San Francisco
Department: Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care
Location: San Francisco, CA
About: Dr. Sinskey is the Vice Chair of Well-Being for the Department of Anesthesia at UCSF and Chair of the American Society of Anesthesiologists Committee on Physician Well-Being. Prior to pursuing a career in medicine, she worked as a management consultant at the Monitor Group (now Monitor Deloitte). Her approach to clinician well-being integrates her background in management consulting and quality improvement. She developed the Quality of Life Improvement (QOLI) framework, a systems-based strategy aimed at reducing clinician burnout and promoting well-being. This approach incorporates principles of change management, human-centered design, continuous process improvement, and implementation science.
Rebecca Margolis, DO, FAOCA
Job Title: Clinical Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Director of Well-Being
Institution: Children’s Hospital Los Angeles; USC/Keck School of Medicine
Department: Department of Anesthesia; Critical Care Medicine
Location: Los Angeles, CA
About: Dr. Rebecca Margolis is a Pediatric Anesthesiologist at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the Inaugural Director of Well-Being for the CHLA Department of Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine. She is Vice Chair of the ASA’s Committee on Physician Well-Being and Founder of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia’s Well-Being Committee. Her research focuses on building sustainable support systems for healthcare providers, including leading the PEBBLES Project, a grant-funded study on how small inefficiencies impact team performance and well-being. She played a key role in launching a free, modular well-being curriculum through the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia and advocates for destigmatizing mental healthcare in medicine. Dr. Margolis contributes to national advocacy efforts, serves on committees such as CHARM (Collaborative for Healing and Renewal in Medicine), and has authored numerous publications and book chapters on clinician well-being.