by Neel Godbole, Sugy Choi, Kwanbo Shim, Yuning Liu, Jason Hu, Jennifer Wong, PhiYen Nguyen, Sze Wan Celine Chan, Lan Doan, Nelson Lin, Vanessa Salcedo, Stella S. Yi Introduction In recent years, there has been growing concern over the wellbeing and mental health of medical students in the United States, driven by the academic, personal, and professional challenges inherent in medical school.
Recent data indicates that medical students experience higher rates of psychological stress, anxiety, and depression compared to the general population, with the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating these challenges. Medical student suicide, linked to burnout and depression, highlights the urgent need for effective wellbeing support.
Despite the documented barriers to mental wellbeing, such as self-imposed pressures, imposter syndrome, stigma around help-seeking, and financial difficulties, medical student wellbeing programs remain understudied at the structural and design level. Methods This is a multi‑phase qualitative study (sequential-exploratory) that combines a web-based environmental scan and content analysis with key informant interviews and focus groups, using methodological triangulation to develop a framework for evaluating wellbeing programs.
PLOS ONE (Medicine) published a clinical update in Research Highlights on 18 Jun 2026.
The item focuses on A study protocol for mixed-methods evaluation of the structure, design, and availability of medical student wellbeing programs.
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