Cultivating Compassion in Nursing

“All nurses, from students just starting out to experienced ones nearing the end of their careers, need to read Cultivating Compassion in Nursing. Cunningham and his team of case study authors present compelling arguments for thinking about compassion as accessible to and learnable by all. As a researcher, educator, and now a dean, I love that this well-written and hopeful book explores both the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ of compassion training and pays close attention to compassionate experiences across learning environments, research labs, and care delivery alike.”

-Sean P. Clarke, PhD, RN, FAAN

Dean and Professor, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing

Emory University

Editor-in-Chief, Nursing Outlook

“Cultivating Compassion in Nursing speaks meaningfully to any nurse at every stage of their career. It is for students discovering their professional identity, for clinicians navigating the complexities of care, for leaders shaping workplace culture, and for anyone in between or beyond. Most importantly, Cunningham demonstrates that compassion and accountability are not competing values. When applied skillfully, compassion strengthens trust, promotes well-being, deepens human connection, and creates the conditions in which people and organizations can thrive and flourish.

Tim, thank you for this gift to nursing and humankind. This book is an essential resource with a powerful call to action for every nurse who believes that excellence and humanity must remain inseparable. This is an enduring guide for cultivating compassion within us, extending it to others, and embedding it in the systems we are called to transform.”

-Katie Boston-Leary, PhD, MBA, MHA, RN, NEA-BC, FADLN, FAONL, FAAN

Senior Vice President of Equity & Engagement

American Nurses Enterprise

“Tim Cunningham’s Cultivating Compassion in Nursing marks a new phase to advance our insights and action. Using the framework of ‘compassionate understanding in real life, ’ he showcases concepts, ideas, and actions in over 40 compelling case studies that will resonate across a nurse’s career and specialty. These will surprise you, stir strong emotions, and spur you on to model these compassionate actions on your journey as a nurse and leader.”

-Dorrie K. Fontaine, PhD, RN, FAAN

Dean Emerita and Professor Emerita

University of Virginia School of Nursing

Special Consultant, Bedford Falls Foundation

“Grounded in science, leadership, and real-world practice, this timely book offers an essential road map for developing compassionate clinicians and leaders while fostering the resilience needed to thrive in today’s complex healthcare climate. Cunningham convincingly makes the case that compassion is not merely an intrinsic human quality-it is a professional competency that can be taught and learned, nurtured, and sustained.”

-David Marshall, JD, DNP, RN, FAONL, FAAN

Senior Vice President & Chief Nursing Executive

James R. Klinenberg, MD, and Lynn Klinenberg Linkin

Chair in Nursing in honor of Linda Burnes Bolton

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Tim Cunningham, DrPH, MSN, RN, FAAN, is an internationally renowned keynote speaker and expert on healthcare professional well-being. He works with interprofessional teams to promote systemic well-being for healthcare professionals, university staff, researchers, and students. He also serves on the board of directors of Clowns Without Borders, a nonprofit dedicated to alleviating suffering through laughter.

After graduating with a BA in English from the College of William & Mary, Cunningham’s professional journey began in the performing arts. He performed on international stages for nearly a decade as a professional actor. As a member of Actors’ Equity, he realized the importance of shared governance and representation when it comes to creative work.

A transformative experience while performing as a clown in a pediatric hospital in pre-earthquake Haiti inspired Cunningham to pursue nursing. He earned his MSN from the University of Virginia in 2009 and then worked as an emergency/trauma nurse at UVA Health, Children’s National Medical Center, and NewYork-Presbyterian. In 2016, he completed his doctorate in public health at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.

His clinical work has taken him to Kutapalong Refugee Camp in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh, to work with Rohingya families who had survived the genocide in Myanmar; to Port au Prince, Haiti, to work with survivors of the 2010 earthquake; and to Port Loko, Sierra Leone, where he supported people affected by Ebola.

He is former Vice President and Co-Chief Well-Being Officer for Emory Healthcare, where he built Emory’s inaugural Office of Well-Being, called EmWELL, which focused on systematic change to support the mental, physical, and professional health of 35,000 employees. Cunningham has served on multiple boards, been faculty for the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, and is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. He is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University.

He enjoys running marathons, hiking, building art with his uncle, and desperately trying to learn the cello and the accordion. He hosts a podcast called “The Niners Podcast” in which he interviews people with a 9 in their age—people who are 9-months pregnant, 9 years old, 19, 29, 39, all the way up to people in their 90s—asking questions about what it’s like to be living on the edge of a century, of a decade, or bringing a new life onto this planet. He dreams of one day growing oysters on an oyster farm.

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