Making Well-Being Work: DHIP’s New Wellness Role Supports Department of Medicine

“If I can do it with one hand on my phone while I’m holding a baby, I’ll consider it.” That was the message neonatal nurses gave Bryan Sexton, PhD, years ago when his team began exploring what well-being practices could look like in the busiest corners of healthcare. 

Their challenge reshaped the way Duke approaches wellness today. Brief, evidence-based tools that fit into real lives and real clinical pressures became the foundation of an entire model for supporting the workforce. 

Now, as the new Chief Wellness Officer for Duke Health Integrated Practice (DHIP), Sexton is bringing that same pragmatism and scientific rigor to a system-wide effort to strengthen well-being among physicians, APPs, nurses, clinical teams, and staff.  

The role is new, but its purpose responds to a long-recognized need across Duke Health: creating a coordinated structure to understand the day-to-day pressures people face and help departments access the resources already available to them. 

Sexton notes that Duke has built a rich library of well-being resources over many years, grounded in research and widely used across the country. Inside Duke Health, however, awareness varies in how widely these tools are known. Sexton sees this as an opportunity, not a gap. 

 “Sharing these resources more widely is a simple but powerful step,” he said. “We want people to know what’s here, explore it, and even get CMEs/CEUs for trying something.” 

A New Phase for Well-Being for Duke Health 

Sexton describes this first year as one focused on listening and connecting. Many departments and divisions, including Medicine, already have efforts underway. Others have tools that are well executed but not widely visible. His role is designed to help map these efforts, elevate what is working, identify gaps, and bring clarity amid significant uncertainty in healthcare. 

“It’s a hard year for everyone,” Sexton said. “Leaders are frustrated. Staff are frustrated. Faculty are frustrated. The uncertainty is unlike anything we’ve experienced before. Before we build new infrastructure, we need to understand the pain points and make sure people know how to access the supports that already exist.” 

One of the most impactful of those supports is Duke’s robust well-being content library, which pairs short, science-backed interventions with continuing education credits. Physicians, APPs, nurses, respiratory therapists, and many staff members can earn CME or CEU credit by completing brief, validated activities shown to improve well-being for up to twelve months. 

These interventions were initially designed to fit the realities of clinical work. Many take only a few minutes and can be completed on a phone. Topics range from gratitude and self-compassion to sleep hygiene, grief processing, teamwork, and navigating difficult professional relationships. Monthly sessions introduce new themes and come with an hour of credit, allowing faculty and staff to build skills steadily over time. 

Building Capacity Across the Department of Medicine 

Sexton emphasizes that effective well-being work cannot rely on one-size-fits-all solutions. From one division, work setting, or clinic to the next, needs vary widely. That means the system must grow a network of people who understand the science and can tailor it to their local settings. 

His vision is to develop “well-being fellows” across departments and divisions. Participants who complete a structured series of continuing education content receive a designation that reflects their contribution to the health of the community. These individuals can help leaders interpret data, select the right interventions for their groups, and communicate about well-being in ways that resonate rather than fatigue. 

“There is no single strategy that works everywhere,” Sexton said. “We need people in each environment who understand the tools and know how to adapt them. Many hands make the work lighter.” 

How DOM Faculty and Staff Can Engage 

For members of the Department of Medicine, engagement can start with a simple step: explore the bite-sized well-being resources available to all Duke Health employees. The library of short interventions and monthly sessions is open to faculty, APPs, nurses, and staff across the department. 

“Try these tools,” Sexton said. “If they help you, share them. If they don’t, try something else and share that. What we need most right now is people willing to be a light in the darkness.” 

In the months ahead, DOM leaders will continue working with Sexton to determine how this new role can best support the department’s teams, culture, and evolving needs. For now, his priority is connection—making sure people know what exists, where to find it, and how these resources can support both individual well-being and community resilience. 

To explore Duke Health’s library of evidence-based well-being resources, visit: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4Sp9zl8Gj6AnxSS.