b'A D V A N C I N G I N N O V A T I O N S I N H E A L T H C A R E P O L I C Y Q: Now that instances of Covid-19 seem to be ebbing,is there still such a need to help workers with the stressful after-shocks of the pandemic?A:Absolutely. Excessive stress and fatigue, or burnout, amongst healthcare workers washighly prevalent pre-COVID, and COVID just magnified everything. Now, there are post-COVID syndromes (such as lung scarring, neuro-cognitive dysfunction, and cardiovascular complications) in themselves, their patients, and their patients families.Q:What is missing from current medical treatments forworkers who report high levels of anxiety and burnout?A:We lack adequate access to tools, interventions, and infrastructure in our medicalcommunities to address the health and wellness needs of many workers and the fact that unacceptably high numbers of providers are leaving their professions completely.You are the principal investigator for a major Q: federally-funded study at Duke University Medical Center on TM for healthcare workers. What are you looking for?A:The goals of my study include gathering robust, multi-faceted data on healthcare workersusing digital wearables, then understanding and analyzing the data using unbiased, machine-learning approaches in order to develop novel resiliency-burnout indices that will identify, quantitate, and help launch non-pharmacological interventionssuch as TM. Q:If you find significant benefits from your research, do you think TM should be included in workers health insurance policies?A:That would be my hope.I believe health provider wellness and health should be prioritiesfor insurance companies, so that we can continue to provide the best possible care and be ready for the next natural disaster. Excessive fatigue, stress, and psycho-emotional trauma are occupational hazards for healthcare providers, and they should be offered, and provided, tools that help healers heal.45'