Psychologists have long understood the profound impact mindfulness practices such as meditation, diaphragmatic breathing, self-kindness exercises, and mind-body activities can have on an individual’s overall well-being. The public’s fascination with the mind-body connection and mindfulness training has surged in recent years. However, researchers are now striving to gather more concrete data to assess the correlation between mindfulness, stress, and health. Jeffrey Greeson, Ph.D., an esteemed associate professor of psychology and the director of the Mindfulness, Stress and Health Lab at Rowan University, is at the forefront of this research. He asserts that their lab aims to merge psychology and medicine by acknowledging that mental health and physical health are interconnected aspects of overall well-being. “We all have a stake in understanding how stress affects our health,” Greeson explains. The lab operates as an interdisciplinary collaboration within Rowan University’s College of Science & Mathematics. In a groundbreaking study, Greeson, alongside co-principal investigator Ludmil Mitrev, MD, an associate professor of anesthesiology at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU), explored the connection between physician empathy and surgical outcomes. The research revealed significant results in patients who rated their anesthesiologist as compassionate based on a five-item survey. Patients who perceived a higher level of compassion from their healthcare providers reported lower anxiety levels before surgery and experienced less pain and opioid use following their procedures. Greeson, also the co-director of research for CMSRU’s Center for Humanism, will further examine the effectiveness of a physician support program at Cooper University Hospital modeled after one established at the Mayo Clinic. The program, COMPASS (Colleagues Meeting to Promote and Sustain Satisfaction), aims to alleviate high stress and burnout rates among healthcare workers by fostering connection and compassion during monthly communal meals. Greeson’s lab recently received a grant from the New Jersey Health Foundation to investigate the potential benefits of incorporating mindfulness practices into dialysis treatment for patients with late-stage kidney disease. This initiative is just one of many ways Greeson is striving to quantify the effects of infusing mindfulness into healthcare delivery. “The core idea everyone grasps is ‘stress affects our health,’ whether you’re a student, an employee, a medical patient, or a healthcare provider,” Greeson states. “The question we’re attempting to answer is, ‘What’s the connection between being mindful and being healthy?'” The researchers at Rowan University are deeply committed to their work and are blazing new trails in their quest to understand the relationship between mindfulness, stress, and health. Their journey is a testament to their intention to improve overall well-being through mindful self-care practices.

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