Dominic Vachon ’80, ’85 M.Div.

The John G. Sheedy, M.D., Director of the Ruth M. Hillebrand Center for Compassionate Care in Medicine

Prior to joining the Hillebrand Center, Dominic Vachon served as Director of Behavioral Medicine and Caring Science Training at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center’s Family Medicine Residency Program. Dr. Vachon is also is a practicing psychologist specializing in neurofeedback therapy. Past research has focused on the relationship between empathy and burnout. Other areas of interest include factors in maintaining caring behaviors in difficult work, the psychology of helping interactions, physician-patient dynamics, and the role of spirituality in helping others. Dr. Vachon provides workshops nationally in the area of maintaining balanced caring behaviors in the helping professions. As director, he is responsible for management, programs, research, student outreach, and scholarly engagement. In addition to teaching undergraduates, his work with the Center includes researching the physician-patient relationship, teaching effective communication skills, and collaborating with local and national organizations to advance the science of compassionate care in healthcare.

Watch “Fighting For Compassion in Medicine” to learn more about Dr. Vachon’s work:

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