Burnout, which was once considered a personal problem, is now coming to be seen as a common occupational hazard for physicians. That shift has had a major effect on workplace well-being initiatives and medical education. But can a focus on systems leave some individuals feeling helpless?

A Michigan Medicine expert says solely relying on drugs to address chronic pain “disempowers patients, clinicians, and the drugs themselves.” Rather than feeling hamstrung by mediocre medications, he says, clinicians can engage in patient healing through helping work toward realistic, mutually agreed upon, treatment goals.

As people prepare for wild winds and heavy rains during hurricane season, you may be wondering what to do if disaster strikes? If scary images of bent-over trees and rampaging storm surges scare you, remember that preparing ahead is best to keep your family safe all year long.

The Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy has created more than three miles of accessible trails since 2016 when the Overlook Trail at Arcadia Dunes opened. It’s all part of the conservancy’s work since 1991 under the leadership of Glen Chown, who earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from U-M’s School of Environment and Sustainability.

Research-driven collaboration with community leaders is nothing new, but the Michigan-Mellon Project on the Egalitarian Metropolis tweaked the model in a subtle but profound way. Faculty leaders prioritized history, literature, and the visual arts on the mission toward Detroit’s inclusive recovery. With a decade’s worth of results on the books, they’ve built a convincing case for the humanities.

U-M has seen a boom in extended reality and virtual reality technology since launching its XR Initiative in the fall of 2019, with many faculty members using it in their classrooms. The Center for Academic Innovation offers more than 100 VR headsets for instructional use and access to a full virtual production studio.

U-M professor and beekeeper Brian Stork was brainstorming a unique Mother’s Day gift for his wife when he created a honey chocolate confection that he now sells to uplift unsupported young adults in Muskegon, Mich.

Irene Butter, a pioneering professor emerita in the School of Public Health, has educated German audiences for years about the Holocaust and genocide. At U-M, she co-founded the Raoul Wallenberg Medal and Lecture series. In Ann Arbor, she co-created an Arab/Jewish women’s dialogue group with the motto “refusing to be enemies.”

Student leaders of the Arab-Jewish Alliance, an on-campus social club, prepare for the 2024-25 academic year with open doors and open minds.