When Dr. Will Bynum was in his second year of residency, he experienced a moment that would shape his career. After a long shift, he was called to assist in an emergency delivery. Using a vacuum device, he safely delivered the baby, but the mother suffered a severe tear that required surgical repair.
Though the baby was unharmed, Bynum was overcome with distress and shame. He hid in an empty hospital room, avoiding his colleagues as he processed the event.
“I didn’t want to see anybody. I didn’t want anybody to find me,” recalled Bynum, now an associate professor of family medicine at Duke University School of Medicine.
That difficult night sparked his lifelong research into one of the least-discussed emotions in medicine: shame. Today, Bynum is leading an emerging movement to teach “shame competence” — helping medical students and physicians recognize, understand, and manage shame in healthy ways.
According to Bynum and his colleagues, medical training often amplifies feelings of inadequacy and guilt. Without guidance, those emotions can lead to burnout, depression, and even harm to patients — as physicians unconsciously pass shame to those under their care.
“Shaming patients can make them defensive,” Bynum said. “It can drive isolation and even substance use.”
When Patients Feel the Shame Too
The culture of shame isn’t limited to doctors. Experts say patients also experience it, often with serious consequences for their health.
Political leaders have sometimes reinforced this mindset. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other top officials have suggested that many chronic conditions — such as diabetes or ADHD — stem primarily from poor lifestyle choices.
This blame-based approach filters into medical practice. A 2023 study found that one-third of physicians reported feeling repulsed when treating patients with Type 2 diabetes, often perceiving them as lazy or unmotivated.
“When patients feel judged, they may avoid care altogether,” said Michael Jaeb, a nurse researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
That’s exactly what happened to Christa Reed, a 45-year-old photographer from Minnesota. After years of weight-related comments from doctors, she stopped seeking medical care except for emergencies.
“When I was pregnant, a doctor told me my morning sickness was because I was overweight,” Reed said. “So I stopped going.”
Decades later, severe jaw pain led her back to a clinic — where a blood pressure check revealed dangerously high readings. With support from compassionate physicians, Reed has since regained control of her health, lost nearly 100 pounds, and rebuilt her trust in medical care.
The Hidden Toll on Physicians
Dr. Savannah Woodward, a California psychiatrist, is part of a growing group of clinicians focused on breaking the shame cycle. She co-led a session on the “spiral of shame” at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting earlier this year.
“When doctors don’t acknowledge shame in themselves, it can lead to depression, burnout, and a loss of connection with patients,” Woodward said. “Patients can feel when their doctor is emotionally withdrawn.”
A recent survey by the Association of American Medical Colleges found that 37% of graduating medical students had been publicly embarrassed during training, and nearly 20% said they had experienced outright humiliation.
Perfectionism and relentless work expectations add to the pressure. Physicians-in-training often face intense scrutiny while presenting cases or performing procedures — with every mistake magnified.
“You trip over your words, forget something, and immediately think, ‘I’m no good at this,’” Bynum said. “That’s how shame begins to take hold.”
Teaching “Shame Competence”
At Duke University, Bynum and colleagues have launched The Shame Lab, a research and training partnership with the University of Exeter. Their goal is to help doctors and medical students identify and respond to shame constructively.
This year, the program trained over 300 physicians, residents, and faculty across Duke’s Department of Family Medicine.
Dr. Canice Dancel, a Duke OB-GYN resident, said the lessons transformed her approach to teaching. “Now, I focus on encouraging students as they learn,” she said. “The hope is that kindness creates a chain reaction.”
Dr. Karly Pippitt, a family medicine physician at the University of Utah, said recognizing shame early in training is critical. “If you felt shamed throughout medical school, it becomes normalized,” she said. “That’s how the cycle continues.”
Healing the Human Side of Medicine
More than a decade after that difficult delivery, Bynum still remembers how shame prevented him from checking on the patient afterward. Later, he learned that the mother had wanted to thank him for saving her baby’s life.
“That would have really helped my recovery — to be forgiven,” he said.
For Bynum and a growing number of physicians, teaching shame awareness isn’t just about self-care — it’s about restoring empathy and humanity to medicine.
“When doctors are allowed to be human,” Bynum said, “patients heal better, and so do we.”