THE HEART OF MEDICINE 2026
An International Gathering of Compassionate Leaders in Medicine
Dr. Dominic O. Vachon
Director of the Ruth M Hillebrand Centre for Compassionate Care in Medicine in the College of Science, University of Notre Dame, Psychologist, Author
Indiana, USA
About Dr. Dominic
Dominic O. Vachon M.Div., Ph.D. is the Director of the Ruth M. Hillebrand Center for Compassionate Care in Medicine and Professor of the Practice in the College of Science at the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana. Dr. Vachon is a practicing medical psychologist and consultant who specializes in integrating the science of compassion into healthcare organizations as well as medical school/residency and preprofessional training programs. He is author of How Doctors Care: The Science of Compassionate and Balanced Caring in Medicine and co-author of The Power & Pain of Nursing: Self-Care Practices to Protect & Replenish Compassion. Dr. Vachon is a Certified Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) Teacher with the Compassion Institute. He is also an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine-South Bend.
For over 10 years, he was on the faculty of the St. Joseph Family Medicine Residency Program as the Director of Behavioral Medicine and Caring Science Training.
Dr. Vachon does research on the internal mental and emotional process of the clinician compassion mental state in patient care; clinician communication skills; mental performance in the high stress clinical specialties of Emergency Medicine, Intensive Care and Surgery; the influence of spiritualities of caring and philosophies of life on sustaining compassion in clinical practice; and innovations in medical training applying the science of compassion.
Dr. Vachon has devoted the last 30 years of his professional career to supporting and training physicians, nurses, residents, medical students, premedical students, and other clinicians in patient communication skills as well as dealing with burnout and the recovery of compassionate care in the inner lives of clinicians. He works with healthcare organizations to integrate the science of compassion into all aspects of patient care operations that improve patient care as well as clinician well-being. At the University of Notre Dame, Dr. Vachon pioneered an innovative pre-medical training program and academic minor in Compassionate Care in Medicine for the last 14 years. This is the first preprofessional program integrating the science of compassion into premedical training as well as piloting similar programs in medical school and residency programs. A recent impact study has been found that this program made a significant unique contribution to medical training and practice over and above medical school and residency.
Watch conversations between our faculty!
Where you can find Dr. Dominic
compasionatecare.nd.edu
linkedin.com/in/dominic-vachon-7597b633
Check out the rest of our faculty!
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Coaching for Doctors is based on Gunaikurnai country. We pay our respects and honour the traditional custodians of Country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their ancestors, Elders past and present and to their emerging leaders. And recognise that this land was never ceded.
Our Country | Gunaikurnai Land and Waters
The Heart of Medicine Gathering and Retreat will take place on Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Country
