Webinar: Healing the Healers: Combating Physician Burnout with Lifestyle Medicine, by Dr. Sunil Kumar

Physician burnout is no longer an isolated issue — it has become a full-scale global crisis, affecting nearly half of all doctors worldwide. Characterized by emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and a diminished sense of personal accomplishment, burnout not only threatens the well-being of individual physicians but also compromises patient care, team dynamics, and the broader healthcare system. In Singapore, research reveals rates of physician burnout that are comparable to, or even higher than, global figures — particularly among those working in high-demand, high-stakes environments.

In this vital and thought-provoking session, Dr. Sunil Kumar, a recognized leader in the field of physician well-being, delves into the root causes of burnout from both global and local perspectives. He explores the systemic, cultural, and personal factors that contribute to this growing epidemic, including workload pressures, administrative burden, loss of autonomy, moral injury, and the erosion of work-life boundaries. With a focus on Singapore’s unique healthcare landscape, Dr. Kumar offers a candid assessment of the challenges that medical professionals face today.

Crucially, Dr. Kumar presents Lifestyle Medicine as a powerful, evidence-based framework for addressing physician burnout — not simply by treating symptoms, but by restoring a sense of vitality, meaning, and agency. Through practical strategies rooted in sleep optimization, stress management, nutritional psychiatry, physical activity, social connection, and cultivating purpose, participants will gain actionable insights to foster resilience both individually and collectively.

This session goes beyond awareness to offer hope and direction. Whether you are a practicing physician, a healthcare leader, or a supporter of medical workforce well-being, you will leave with a deeper understanding of burnout’s complexity — and concrete tools to begin building a healthier, more sustainable practice of medicine.

Join us for an essential conversation about reclaiming joy, connection, and meaning in healthcare.

Recording of this talk after the event is available only for SGLM members.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Sunil Kumar, MBBS, MRCA, FCAI, FRSA, FBSLM, DipIBLM

Dr. Sunil Kumar is a UK-based Anesthesiologist, Board-Certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician, Author, Master Health Coach, and International Speaker with over 30 years of medical experience. He serves as a Council Member of the Royal Society of Medicine (Food & Health Forum) and practices at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust. He is a Fellow of the College of Anaesthesiologists of Ireland, the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine, and the Royal Society of Arts.

He is a faculty member for NHS England’s Health & Wellbeing Workshops, the International MSc in Lifestyle Medicine at the University of Thessaly (Greece), and the European Lifestyle Medicine Organisation’s certification course. He also serves on the Exam Faculty for the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine (IBLM). A former Lead Tutor at the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine (BSLM), Dr Kumar played a key role in mentoring physicians through their diploma preparation and educational development.

Dr Kumar is a founding member of the Lifestyle Medicine Initiative at the Global Wellness Institute and serves in an advisory role to the Centre for Perioperative Care (CPOC), focusing on integrating lifestyle medicine and pre-habilitation into surgical care. He is also Co-Chair for Health & Wellbeing at the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO). He advises the Professional Standards Review Group of the UK Health Coaches Association.

He has received national recognition as Best Lifestyle Medicine Physician and for leading physician well-being workshops throughout and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. A member of the WHO FIDES network and an active health educator on YouTube, Dr Kumar is committed to promoting evidence-based, preventive healthcare globally.