By: Sara Hussey, MBA, CAE, Executive Director, Allegheny County Medical Society
On June 10, USA Today published an op-ed by actor Noah Wyle, who played Dr. John Carter on ER and most recently appeared in The Pitt, a film that brings healthcare burnout to the forefront. Wyle’s piece wasn’t just Hollywood storytelling, it was an emotional, unfiltered look at how real physicians suffer in silence, weighed down by the very system that once inspired them to serve. It was also a call to action: for healthcare institutions, licensing boards, and medical societies to dismantle the structures that penalize vulnerability and keep physicians from seeking help. I encourage you to take the time to read Wyle’s very poignant article.
Here in Pennsylvania, we have an opportunity to answer that call.
The Allegheny County Medical Society (ACMS) joins the Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED) in celebrating the recent national recognition of the Pennsylvania State Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine as Wellbeing First Champions. This designation honors entities that have removed intrusive mental health questions from licensure and renewal forms; questions that, for too long, discouraged physicians from seeking care out of fear it could jeopardize their careers.
For years, physicians have faced a double bind: take care of yourself and risk losing your license, or stay quiet and risk everything else. The former licensure language – ambiguous, invasive, and stigmatizing – contributed directly to burnout, moral injury, and worsening mental health across the profession.
Now, Pennsylvania is one of a growing number of states setting a new precedent: physician wellbeing is not a liability. It’s a priority.
This shift is exactly the kind of systemic change we need to support wellness in a sustainable way—and it’s deeply aligned with our work at ACMS. In 2024, we launched the ACMS Physician Wellness Program, providing free, confidential peer support sessions and mental health referrals for physicians across Allegheny County. Since its inception, the program has served physicians at all stages of training and practice—those navigating burnout, those struggling in silence, and those simply needing someone to talk to outside of their health system.
But wellness can’t begin and end with individual resilience. It must be reinforced by policy, by organizational culture, and by removing the fear and stigma around getting help.
The Wellbeing First recognition for Pennsylvania’s medical boards is more than a commendation, it’s a commitment. And at ACMS, we are proud to continue supporting that commitment through our advocacy, our programs, and our belief that physician health is patient health.
To our members: your wellbeing matters. Your care matters. And we’re here for you.
