One of the greatest challenges to human flourishing is our limited understanding of what flourishing means and how humans are able to flourish in the midst of adversity and suffering. Our work aims to understand how compassion alleviates suffering and promotes flourishing in healthcare settings.

The Challenge

In 2020, Templeton World Charity Foundation announced a bold, new commitment to support research on human flourishing. The Focus Area for Compassion and Ethics (FACE) at The Task Force for Global Health was one of 11 inaugural awardees, working alongside colleagues at Harvard University Human Flourishing Program, World Health Organization, University of Calgary Compassion Research Lab, Leapfrog to Value, and Emory University.

Our Approach

We took a three-part approach:

1) clarifying the conceptual, philosophical, spiritual, and scientific dimensions of human flourishing in relation to suffering, particularly in the context of healthcare

2) identifying the most robust scientific research methods, tools, and metrics to test our main hypothesis

3) engaging with potential collaborators in health systems in different countries and diverse cultures to understand the nature of flourishing and suffering in those settings, as well as to lay the groundwork for on-site research.

Flourishing Related Work

Flourishing in Adversity:
The Crucial Role of Compassion
in Healthcare Settings

Article By David Addiss, MD, MPH

November 30, 2021
Compassion Toolbox

Available now!
Understanding Flourishing:
Developing a Global
Community of Practice

Report coming soon!

Webinar 3:
Human Flourishing and Adversity

Speakers: Dr. David Addiss, FACE,
Dr. Deborah Carr, Boston University,
Dr. Shigehiro Oishi, University of Virginia


October 11, 2021
Compassionate Care: Learning from exemplars in global health to promote human flourishing

Coming Soon!

Look out for these upcoming releases!

Understanding Flourishing: Developing a Global Community of Practice Report
Compassionate Care:
Learning from exemplars in global health to promote human flourishing (Scrollytelling Part 1)

Our Partners

Collaborators

David AddissMD, MPH, Director, FACE

Heather Buesseler, MPH, Consultant

Patricia Richmond, MPH, Program Administrator

Matthew Lee, PhD, Director of Empirical Research, Human Flourishing Program

Katelyn Noel Gregg Long, PhD, John & Daria Barry Post-Doctoral Fellow, Human Flourishing Program

Jennifer S. Wortham, DrPH, Research Associate, Human Flourishing Program and Executive Director, Initiative On Health, Religion, & Spirituality

Jennifer Mascaro, PhD, Assistant Professor, Family & Preventive Medicine

Shams Syed, MD, MPH, Head of Unit, Quality of Care

Chintan Maru, MD, Founder & Executive Director

Shane Sinclair, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Nursing & Director, Compassion Research Lab

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