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Promoting health and well-being in lifelong medical education

Guest Editors:
Zhuan Bian, DDS, MD, PhD: Wuhan University, China
Lin-Lin Bu, MD, PhD: Wuhan University, China
Blossom Yen-Ju Lin, PhD: Chang Gung University, Taiwan



BMC Medical Education called for submissions to our Collection on promoting health and well-being in lifelong medical education. This Collection focused on pedagogical methodologies that cater to the physical and mental health of medical students and clinicians, in order to help foster an optimal learning environment and work-life balance. We sought to provide a platform for researchers, educators, and clinicians to share their insights, experiences, and evidence-based practices that cultivate positive, supportive learning environments, promote physical and mental well-being, and bolster the resilience of medical students and clinicians.

New Content ItemThis collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being, SDG 4: Quality Education

Meet the Guest Editors

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Zhuan Bian, DDS, MD, PhD: Wuhan University, China

Zhuan Bian, an Emeritus Dean of the School of Stomatology, Wuhan University, is a nationally distinguished teacher, professor, and doctoral supervisor. He’s served in prestigious roles including Executive Council Member of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) (2015-2018) and Executive Chairman of IADR's China branch since 2009. He led the Oral Medicine Education Committee of the Chinese Stomatological Association from 2016-2019, and has been a long-standing member of the Oral Medicine Discipline Review Group of the Degree Committee of the State Council. Professor Bian’s experience spans clinical work, research, and medical education, with substantial influence domestically and internationally.

Lin-Lin Bu, MD, PhD: Wuhan University, China

Lin-Lin Bu is an Associate Professor and Associate Chief Physician at the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial - Head Neck Oncology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, China. He has extensive experience in the field of undergraduate and postgraduate medical education. Concurrently, as a surgeon and researcher, his research pursuits encompass the treatment of head and neck cancer and the intricacies of jawbone reconstruction, the exploration of the immunology of head and neck cancer, and the potential of biomimetic drug delivery platforms at the intersection of medicine and engineering.

Blossom Yen-Ju Lin, PhD: Chang Gung University, Taiwan

Blossom Yen-Ju Lin is a Professor at Department of Medical Humanities and Social Sciences, School of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taiwan. She received her Ph.D. at the Program of Health Services Organization and Research at Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA. Her research interests include health care organizational theory and design, health care organizational behaviour, medical education and continuing medical education, and health services research. She currently serves as the Senior Editorial Board Member of BMC Medical Education and the Editorial Advisory Board Member of Health Care Management Review (HCMR) Journal. In the academy of medical education research, she has been devoted to the researches identifying the factors related to  workplace well-being of medical students, junior doctors, residents, and physician given her expertise of organizational theory and behaviors in health care.

About the collection

BMC Medical Education  called for submissions to our Collection on promoting health and well-being in lifelong medical education. Medical education is demanding and characterized by significant academic workloads and rigorous theoretical training. This intensity often leads to learning fatigue and increased stress among medical students, negatively affecting both their learning and mental health. Similarly, practitioners are pressured to continuously enhance their knowledge and skills to meet patients’ treatment expectations. Therefore, it is essential to explore pedagogical methodologies that cater to the physical and mental health of medical students and clinicians, in order to help foster an optimal learning environment and work-life balance.

This Collection aimed to gather scholarly contributions that investigate innovative pedagogical methods and interventions designed to enhance the health and well-being of medical learners throughout their education journeys. We sought to provide a platform for researchers, educators, and clinicians to share their insights, experiences, and evidence-based practices that cultivate positive, supportive learning environments, promote physical and mental well-being, and bolster the resilience of medical students and clinicians.

We invited submissions of original research articles, reviews, methodologies, commentaries, and perspective pieces on topics including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Novel teaching approaches that balance instructional quality with the physical and  mental health of students.
  • Strategies to address academic stress, burnout, and learning fatigue among medical students and post-graduation learners.
  • Research into the causes of learning fatigue at different stages of medical education.
  • Integration of mental health education within graduate medical programs.
  • Creation of positive learning environments prioritizing the overall health and well-being of medical learners.
  • Approaches to tackle challenges associated with lifelong learning in medical education.
  • Emerging technologies that enhance instructional quality, mitigate educational disparities, and promote the health of medical learners.
  • Evaluation and discussion of the impact of distinctive regional or national medical education models and policies, including those specific to medical specialties, on the holistic health of learners.

This collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG #3: Good Health and Well-Being, SDG #4: Quality Education.

Image credit: Rene La/peopleimages.com / stock.adobe.com

  1. Understanding personality preferences is crucial for guiding healthcare education and the stress management strategies of nursing students. While stress in nursing education has been well studied, its relation...

    Authors: Yuh-Shiow Li, Hui-Chen Tseng, Bao-Huan Yang, Mary Etta C. Mills and Wen-Pin Yu
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2025 25:382
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. Bias, privilege, microaggressions, and other forms of mistreatment negatively impact students’ learning, professional development, wellness, and identity. Supporting Educational Excellence in Diversity (SEED) ...

    Authors: Puja Chadha, Esther H. Kang, Victoria Ngo, Rebecca Jorrin, Khoban Kochai, Kupiri Ackerman-Barger and Hendry Ton
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2025 25:275
    Content type: Research Published on:

  3. Medical students face a demanding workload, stressful situations, and irregular sleep patterns, which can lead to elevated sleep disturbances and high fatigue levels. These difficulties may be further associat...

    Authors: Axelle Ruet, Evrard-Florentin Ndiki Mayi, Angèle Métais, Bérénice Valero, Amélie Henry, Antoine Duclos, Marc Lilot, Gilles Rode and Sophie Schlatter
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2025 25:267
    Content type: Study Protocol Published on:

  4. The medical school of Tzu Chi University in Taiwan offers a unique, group-based, humanistic mentoring program as a complement to the programs mentored by faculty members and school counselors. The humanistic m...

    Authors: Tsung-Ying Chen, Wen-Lin Lo and Li-Chuan Kuo
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2024 24:1532
    Content type: Research Published on:

  5. Microaggressions, subtle and often unintentional acts of hostility, have been recognized as a significant issue in healthcare, adversely affecting learners’ emotional and physical well-being. Current strategie...

    Authors: Emily Grass, Caroline Astemborski and James M Lewis
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2024 24:1491
    Content type: Research Published on:

  7. In residency programs, the availability of faculty mentors for traditional dyadic mentorship relationships may be limited. Few frameworks exist for mentorship programs with a combined faculty and peer mentorsh...

    Authors: Hermioni L. Amonoo, Margo C. Funk, Michelle Guo, Fremonta Meyer, Emma D. Wolfe, Kerri Palamara, Kristina Dzara, Hadine Joffe, Robert Boland and David Silbersweig
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2024 24:1430
    Content type: Research Published on:

  8. Student wellness is a major concern during the educational programme of health professionals, as mental distress impacts negatively on students’ academic performance and success. Available literature indicates...

    Authors: Annah Lesunyane, Enos Ramano, Karin van Niekerk, Kobie Boshoff and Janine Dizon
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2024 24:1418
    Content type: Review Published on:

  9. The COVID-19 pandemic has served as a catalyst for recognizing the challenging environments in which healthcare workers operate, underscoring the urgent need to enhance their wellness to better support themsel...

    Authors: Beverley Argus-Calvo, Deborah J. Clegg, Maureen D. Francis, Alok Kumar Dwivedi, Paul A. Carrola and Marie Leiner
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2024 24:1364
    Content type: Research Published on:

  10. Impostor syndrome and burnout are highly prevalent among medical students and trainees, significantly impacting their mental health and professional development. The advent of online educational interventions ...

    Authors: Chun-Lun Hsu, Cheng-Heng Liu, Chih-Chung Huang, Huey-Ling Chen, Yen-Lin Chiu and Chih-Wei Yang
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2024 24:1349
    Content type: Research Published on:

  11. Academic Burnout (ABO) is prevalent among medical students and is characterized by mental and physical exhaustion, cynicism, and a sense of inadequacy. Informal Peer-Assisted Learning (IPAL) is recognized as a...

    Authors: Isabel C. Gómez, Natalia M. Jiménez, Ana Moreira and Legier V. Rojas
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2024 24:1336
    Content type: Research Published on:

  12. There is a paucity of rigorous longitudinal data regarding the relationship between humanities and their effect on multiple psychometrics. Using an observational art course, we assessed pre- and post-course me...

    Authors: Sruthi Srinivasan, Jean-Sebastien Rachoin, Matthew Gentile, Krystal Hunter and Elizabeth Cerceo
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2024 24:1301
    Content type: Research Published on:

  14. Storytelling events in medical education settings are a powerful way to share stories, build community, promote resilience, and foster well-being, but many educators are unsure how to go about creating an even...

    Authors: Maren E. Olson and Bernard E. Trappey
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2024 24:1172
    Content type: Comment Published on:

  15. Resilience contributes to mental well-being, hence expediting recovery from stressful events. Health professions students, in particular, often experience heightened levels of stress and anxiety due to academi...

    Authors: Soi Moi Chye, Yih Yih Kok, Yu Sui Chen and Hui Meng Er
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2024 24:1168
    Content type: Research Published on:

  16. Digital health literacy (DHL) is pivotal for individuals to access trustworthy health information and make informed decisions, closely intertwined with health behaviors and psychological resilience—these facto...

    Authors: Linfeng Liu, Mengxue Fu, Jijun wu, Hongyan Wang, Jiaorong Zhao, Pei Chen, Jun Cao, Wen Zhang, Qin Lin and Ling Li
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2024 24:1139
    Content type: Research Published on:

  17. How to mobilize nurses students' learning initiative, reduce the incidence of academic procrastination, and improve their social adaptability is a key factor in lowering nursing brain drain and improving nursi...

    Authors: Yang Guo, Fangfang An, Anqi Li, Jie Yao and Xiaojie Sun
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2024 24:1052
    Content type: Research Published on:

  18. The escalating prevalence of mental health issues among young adults, set against the backdrop of a global healthcare system under pressure, underscores the necessity for cultivating a resilient medical workfo...

    Authors: Morris Gellisch, Bettina Olk, Thorsten Schäfer and Beate Brand-Saberi
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2024 24:945
    Content type: Research Published on:

  19. Meta-analyses indicate a high prevalence of burnout among medical students. Although studies have investigated different coping strategies and health interventions to prevent burnout, professional experience’s...

    Authors: Rebecca Erschens, Carla Schröpel, Anne Herrmann-Werner, Florian Junne, Lena Listunova, Andrea Heinzmann, Oliver Keis, Katrin Schüttpelz-Brauns, Sabine C. Herpertz, Kevin Kunz, Stephan Zipfel and Teresa Festl-Wietek
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2024 24:875
    Content type: Research Published on:

  20. The extreme vulnerability experienced by patients in palliative care may result in significant distress. These patients require appropriate care while not pathologizing their natural distress. Given the challe...

    Authors: Andréa Tarot, Maxence Pithon, Ashley Ridley, Virginie Guastella, Morgane Plancon, Régis Aubry, Helène Vaillant Roussel and Axelle Maneval
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2024 24:696
    Content type: Research Published on:

  21. Resident physicians are at an increased risk of burnout due to their high-pressure work environments and busy schedules which can lead to poor mental health outcomes and decreased performance quality. Given va...

    Authors: Kristin L. Chrouser, Laura Zebib, Blake F. Webb, Tandi Bagian and Timothy Arnold
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2024 24:591
    Content type: Research Published on:

  22. The burnout rates among residents urge for adequate interventions to improve resilience and prevent burnout. Peer reflection, also called group intervision sessions, is a potentially successful intervention to...

    Authors: Anouk Jorissen, Kim van de Kant, Habibe Ikiz, Valerie van den Eertwegh, Walther van Mook and Angelique de Rijk
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2024 24:375
    Content type: Research Published on:

  23. As physician distress rises, medical schools must provide programs to counter such distress at the earliest stages of training. Mindfulness training (MT) is one intervention that can alleviate stress during me...

    Authors: Chloe Zimmerman Gunsilius, Malena M. Price, Scott L. Rogers, Ellen Flynn and Amishi P. Jha
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2024 24:182
    Content type: Research Published on:

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Promoting health and well-being in lifelong medical education" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.