Gabriele Spokas Presents at American Conference on Physician Health

We are proud to announce that Gabriele Spokas, a graduate student at the University of North Carolina and valued member of the OTO-COATI Lab, recently presented her research titled “Cut, Stitch, Pump: Supporting Surgeons’ Wellness with Lactation Time” at the American Conference on Physician Health (ACPH) held in Boston, MA from September 11–13, 2025.

This prestigious conference, jointly sponsored by the American Medical Association, Mayo Clinic, and Stanford Medicine, is dedicated to advancing professional satisfaction and reducing physician burnout. The 2025 theme, “Inspire, innovate, implement: Systemic solutions to strengthen physician well-being,” emphasizes sustainable improvements within health care environments.

Gabriele’s presentation, developed in collaboration with Lalita Sabat, Elise Graham, Dr. Gintas Krisciunas, Dr. Claire Lawlor, and Dr. Heather Edwards, addressed an important but often overlooked aspect of surgeon wellness — supporting lactation time to enhance well-being and work-life integration for surgical professionals.

You can read more about Gabriele’s experience and reflections on presenting at ACPH in her LinkedIn post.

Please join us in congratulating Gabriele and the team for their impactful contribution to advancing physician health.