BurnoutLeadershipNCT07435753
Leadership ThriveCircles
A study testing CU Thrive Leadership Circles in people with Burnout and Professional Fulfillment, run by Colorado School of Public Health at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This study aims to strengthen leadership competencies among CU SOM faculty who have at least five direct reports by promoting meaningful behavior change in leadership practices and fostering a culture of peer support, to advance employee well-being and help reduce burnout among healthcare professionals. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Burnout, Professional Fulfillment, Belonging
- What is being tested?
- CU Thrive Leadership Circles
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 125 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 1 Sep 2026to 1 Sep 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Leader
- CU SOM faculty member who is either a physician, advanced practice provider, licensed mental health professional, research scientist or other CU SOM faculty member
- Works at least half time
- Has at least 5 employees who directly report to them
- Not participating in the CU Thrive Circle intervention (like this leadership program but NOT for those in a leadership role)
- Willingness to participate in the breadth of the leadership program
Show all 9Show fewer
- Able to participate in the in-person sessions
- Employee
- o Direct report of a leader who is in the program
Who cannot join
- Does not fit the criteria outlined above
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Aurora, Colorado, 80045
About this study
Official title: Leadership ThriveCircles for Well-Being at University of Colorado School of Medicine (CU SOM)
This study aims to strengthen leadership competencies among CU SOM faculty who have at least five direct reports by promoting meaningful behavior change in leadership practices and fostering a culture of peer support, to advance employee well-being and help reduce burnout among healthcare professionals. 125 leaders will take part in a six-month leadership development program consisting of 6 self-paced learning focus areas and 6 in-person sessions with peers to discuss. The investigators will evaluate the program's implementation process and its effectiveness in achieving desired outcomes.
Read the detailed description
The goal of this project is to design, implement, and evaluate a creative, sustainable leadership development program - Leadership Thrive Circles - focused on helping supervisors: 1) lead with respect and inclusion by ensuring all team members feel valued and welcome; 2) communicate openly and transparently, 3) seek input regularly, 4) support each person's professional growth and aspirations, and 5) express genuine appreciation and gratitude for their contributions. This program will be grounded in evidence-based leadership practices that support professional well-being and help reduce burnout among healthcare professionals.
A core premise of this initiative is that leader well-being is foundational to team well-being. Leaders who experience fulfillment, support, psychological safety, and manageable stress are better positioned to model healthy behaviors, build supportive environments, and promote well-being among their direct reports. Thus, Leadership Thrive Circles is also intentionally designed to strengthen the well-being of leaders themselves-recognizing that investing in leaders produces positive ripple effects across entire teams and departments.
There is a recognized need for leadership development. While there is substantial evidence highlighting the importance of leadership in healthcare-and the core skills leaders should demonstrate with their teams-there remains a gap in programs tailored specifically to the unique needs of CU SOM leaders.
In addition, emerging research underscores that leader well-being directly influences workplace culture, team functioning, and the well-being and retention of faculty and staff. Leaders facing high stress, burnout, or misalignment may struggle to provide effective support, communication, and recognition-factors that the CU SOM well-being data consistently identifies as essential to a healthy, high-functioning environment. Addressing leader well-being is therefore not only beneficial for leaders themselves but also essential for promoting the well-being of their direct reports. Leadership Thrive Circles aims to fill this dual need by equipping leaders with both the skills and the personal well-being resources required to lead healthy, thriving teams.
The objectives are to: 1) Strengthen leadership competencies among CU SOM faculty who have at least five direct reports. 2) Promote meaningful behavior change in leadership practices among these leaders. 3) Foster a culture of peer support as leaders integrate new skills into their daily workflows. 4) Evaluate the program's implementation process and its effectiveness in achieving desired outcomes.
- Conditions
- Burnout, Professional Fulfillment, Belonging, Intent to Leave, Leadership
- Being tested
- CU Thrive Leadership Circles
- Keywords
- Leadership, Burnout, Healthcare workforce, Professional fulfillment, Intent to leave, Belonging, Leadership intervention
- Medical subject headings
- Burnout, Psychological
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
CU Thrive Leadership CirclesBehavioural
The CU SOM leadership program is based on the Wellness-Centered Leadership framework and Mayo Clinic Leadership Index behaviors, using a COMPASS-style peer group model to build leadership skills and community. Leaders complete brief pre-work and on-the-job practice challenges delivered through an online dashboard, then participate in facilitated peer sessions to discuss implementation successes and barriers. Sessions are led by trained leader-facilitators, with researchers not present, and include structured agendas to support consistent implementation and skill development.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| CU Thrive Leadership Circles | Experimental | The CU SOM leadership program is based on the Wellness-Centered Leadership framework and Mayo Clinic Leadership Index behaviors, using a Colleagues Meeting to Promote and Sustain Satisfaction (COMPASS)-style peer group model to build leadership skills and community. Leaders complete brief pre-work and on-the-job practice challenges delivered through an online dashboard, then participate in facilitated peer sessions to discuss implementation successes and barriers. Sessions are led by trained leader-facilitators, with researchers not present, and include structured agendas to support consistent implementation and skill development. Receives: Behavioral: CU Thrive Leadership Circles |
| No intervention | No intervention | Leaders are waitlisted and participate in the CU Thrive Leadership Circles after the intervention group |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Burnout
Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) - Human Services Survey for Medical Personnel (MBI-HSS MP) is a 22-item survey that covers 3 areas: Emotional Exhaustion (EE, range 0-54, higher score greater EE), Depersonalization (DP, range 0 - 30, higher score greater DP), and low sense of Personal Accomplishment (PA, range 0 -48, higher score greater PA). Each subscale includes multiple questions with frequency rating choices of Never, A few times a year or less, Once a month or less, A few times a month, Once a week, A few times a week, or Every day.
Measured: Change from baseline to immediately after the intervention and at 3-months follow-up
Leadership
Mayo Clinic Leadership Index (MLI) - a validated, self-report instrument developed at Mayo Clinic that asks healthcare professionals to rate their direct-report supervisor across key dimensions of well-being centered leadership, including inclusion, communication, empowerment, professional development, and recognition. The instrument is a 9-item questionnaire. Each item is scored on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 ("strongly disagree") to 5 ("strongly agree").
Measured: Change from baseline to immediately after the intervention and at 3-months follow-up
Professional fulfillment
Stanford Professional Fulfillment Index (PFI) - a validated instrument designed to measure professional fulfillment (positive aspects of work) among physicians and other healthcare professionals. It includes 6 items assessing intrinsic positive reward from work (e.g., meaningfulness, satisfaction, sense of contribution). It was measured on a Not at all true (0), Somewhat true (1), Moderately true (2), Very true (3), Completely true (4) scale.
Measured: Change from baseline to immediately after the intervention and at 3-months follow-up
Leadership self-efficacy
Leadership self-efficacy was measured with a modified version of the Mayo Leadership Index to assess their confidence in enacting each of the leadership behaviors. 8-items from the Mayo Leadership Index were modified to start with "I feel confident I can…" and were measured with the following scale: Strongly Agree (5), Agree (4), Neither Agree nor Disagree (3), Disagree (2), Strongly Disagree (1) scale.
Measured: Change from baseline to immediately after the intervention and at 3-months follow-up
Belonging
Adapted from the belonging assessment used in Hunderfund et al., Sense of Belonging Among Medical Students, Residents, and Fellows: Associations with Burnout, Recruitment Retention, and Learning Environment. Two items capturing participants' self-reported sense of belonging within key institutional contexts - within the school and their unit. This was assessed on a 1 = Strongly disagree to 5 = Strongly agree scale.
Measured: Change from baseline to immediately after the intervention and at 3-months follow-up
Social isolation
Social isolation - the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) 4-item short form of the social isolation scale was used. It was measured on a Never (0), Rarely (1), Sometimes (2), Often (3), Always (4) scale.
Measured: Change from baseline to immediately after the intervention and at 3-months follow-up
Secondary outcomes (3)
Organizational health climate
Organizational health climate assessment includes 10 questions assessing their organization and supervisors engagement in practices that support employee health. It was measured using a Strongly Agree (5), Agree (4), Neither Agree nor Disagree (3), Disagree (2), Strongly Disagree (1) scale.
Measured: Change from baseline to immediately after the intervention and at 3-months follow-up
General self-efficacy
General self-efficacy measures an individual's broad, stable belief in their own capacity to cope with a variety of challenging demands, and has been identified as an influential variable related to adaptation to stress and chronic illness. This was measured with Romppel et al.'s (2013) measure. It has 6-items measured with a Not at all true (1), Hardly true (2), Moderately true (3), Exactly true (4) scale.
Measured: Change from baseline to immediately after the intervention and at 3-months follow-up
Intent to leave
This outcome is assessed via a single self-report survey item developed for this study to capture an individual's perceived likelihood of leaving employment with the CU SOM within the next two years. The item is designed to serve as a pragmatic indicator of turnover intention, a commonly reported correlate of well-being, job satisfaction, and organizational climate in healthcare workforce research.Higher scores indicate a greater self-reported likelihood of leaving CU SOM within the next two years (i.e., stronger turnover intention).
Measured: Change from baseline to immediately after the intervention and at 3-months follow-up
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted27 Feb 2026
- Study start1 Sep 2026
- Primary completion1 Sep 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion1 Sep 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for BurnoutStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 125 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Colorado School of Public Health
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- CU Thrive: Office for Well-being | Center for Workplace Well-being Research, University of Colorado, Denver
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Natalie Schwatka, Colorado School of Public Health
- Investigators
- Natalie V Schwatka, PhD MS, Principal investigator, University of Colorado, Denver
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07435753
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 26-0009
- Acronym
- Leadership
- Status last verified
- Sep 2026
- First submitted
- 21 Feb 2026
- Last updated
- 14 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Individual participant data underlying published results will be shared in de-identified form. This includes quantitative survey data and qualitative interview data with direct identifiers removed and sensitive content redacted as needed to protect participant confidentiality.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 14 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Leadership ThriveCircles for Well-Being at University of Colorado School of Medicine (CU SOM)
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07435753
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Leadership / 26-0009
- Conditions
- Burnout, Professional Fulfillment, Belonging, Intent to Leave, Leadership
- Keywords
- Leadership, Burnout, Healthcare workforce, Professional fulfillment, Intent to leave, Belonging, Leadership intervention
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 125 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Colorado School of Public HealthUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- CU Thrive: Office for Well-being | Center for Workplace Well-being Research, University of Colorado, Denver
- Study start
- 1 Sep 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Sep 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 1 Sep 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 27 Feb 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This study aims to strengthen leadership competencies among CU SOM faculty who have at least five direct reports by promoting meaningful behavior change in leadership practices and fostering a culture of peer support, to advance employee well-being and help reduce burnout among healthcare professionals. 125 leaders will take part in a six-month leadership development program consisting of 6 self-paced learning focus areas and 6 in-person sessions with peers to discuss. The investigators will evaluate the program's implementation process and its effectiveness in achieving desired outcomes.
Detailed description
The goal of this project is to design, implement, and evaluate a creative, sustainable leadership development program - Leadership Thrive Circles - focused on helping supervisors: 1) lead with respect and inclusion by ensuring all team members feel valued and welcome; 2) communicate openly and transparently, 3) seek input regularly, 4) support each person's professional growth and aspirations, and 5) express genuine appreciation and gratitude for their contributions. This program will be grounded in evidence-based leadership practices that support professional well-being and help reduce burnout among healthcare professionals.
A core premise of this initiative is that leader well-being is foundational to team well-being. Leaders who experience fulfillment, support, psychological safety, and manageable stress are better positioned to model healthy behaviors, build supportive environments, and promote well-being among their direct reports. Thus, Leadership Thrive Circles is also intentionally designed to strengthen the well-being of leaders themselves-recognizing that investing in leaders produces positive ripple effects across entire teams and departments.
There is a recognized need for leadership development. While there is substantial evidence highlighting the importance of leadership in healthcare-and the core skills leaders should demonstrate with their teams-there remains a gap in programs tailored specifically to the unique needs of CU SOM leaders.
In addition, emerging research underscores that leader well-being directly influences workplace culture, team functioning, and the well-being and retention of faculty and staff. Leaders facing high stress, burnout, or misalignment may struggle to provide effective support, communication, and recognition-factors that the CU SOM well-being data consistently identifies as essential to a healthy, high-functioning environment. Addressing leader well-being is therefore not only beneficial for leaders themselves but also essential for promoting the well-being of their direct reports. Leadership Thrive Circles aims to fill this dual need by equipping leaders with both the skills and the personal well-being resources required to lead healthy, thriving teams.
The objectives are to: 1) Strengthen leadership competencies among CU SOM faculty who have at least five direct reports. 2) Promote meaningful behavior change in leadership practices among these leaders. 3) Foster a culture of peer support as leaders integrate new skills into their daily workflows. 4) Evaluate the program's implementation process and its effectiveness in achieving desired outcomes.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| CU Thrive Leadership Circles | Experimental | Behavioral: CU Thrive Leadership CirclesThe CU SOM leadership program is based on the Wellness-Centered Leadership framework and Mayo Clinic Leadership Index behaviors, using a Colleagues Meeting to Promote and Sustain Satisfaction (COMPASS)-style peer group model to build leadership skills and community. Leaders complete brief pre-work and on-the-job practice challenges delivered through an online dashboard, then participate in facilitated peer sessions to discuss implementation successes and barriers. Sessions are led by trained leader-facilitators, with researchers not present, and include structured agendas to support consistent implementation and skill development. |
| No intervention | No intervention | –Leaders are waitlisted and participate in the CU Thrive Leadership Circles after the intervention group |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (9 listed)
- Leader
- CU SOM faculty member who is either a physician, advanced practice provider, licensed mental health professional, research scientist or other CU SOM faculty member
- Works at least half time
- Has at least 5 employees who directly report to them
- Not participating in the CU Thrive Circle intervention (like this leadership program but NOT for those in a leadership role)
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Does not fit the criteria outlined above
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| CU Thrive Leadership CirclesThe CU SOM leadership program is based on the Wellness-Centered Leadership framework and Mayo Clinic Leadership Index behaviors, using a COMPASS-style peer group model to build leadership skills and community. Leaders complete brief pre-work and on-the-job practice challenges delivered through an online dashboard, then participate in facilitated peer sessions to discuss implementation successes and barriers. Sessions are led by trained leader-facilitators, with researchers not present, and include structured agendas to support consistent implementation and skill development. | Behavioural | CU Thrive Leadership Circles |
Primary outcome
Burnout
Time frame: Change from baseline to immediately after the intervention and at 3-months follow-up
Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) - Human Services Survey for Medical Personnel (MBI-HSS MP) is a 22-item survey that covers 3 areas: Emotional Exhaustion (EE, range 0-54, higher score greater EE), Depersonalization (DP, range 0 - 30, higher score greater DP), and low sense of Personal Accomplishment (PA, range 0 -48, higher score greater PA). Each subscale includes multiple questions with frequency rating choices of Never, A few times a year or less, Once a month or less, A few times a month, Once a week, A few times a week, or Every day.
Leadership
Time frame: Change from baseline to immediately after the intervention and at 3-months follow-up
Mayo Clinic Leadership Index (MLI) - a validated, self-report instrument developed at Mayo Clinic that asks healthcare professionals to rate their direct-report supervisor across key dimensions of well-being centered leadership, including inclusion, communication, empowerment, professional development, and recognition. The instrument is a 9-item questionnaire. Each item is scored on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 ("strongly disagree") to 5 ("strongly agree").
Professional fulfillment
Time frame: Change from baseline to immediately after the intervention and at 3-months follow-up
Stanford Professional Fulfillment Index (PFI) - a validated instrument designed to measure professional fulfillment (positive aspects of work) among physicians and other healthcare professionals. It includes 6 items assessing intrinsic positive reward from work (e.g., meaningfulness, satisfaction, sense of contribution). It was measured on a Not at all true (0), Somewhat true (1), Moderately true (2), Very true (3), Completely true (4) scale.
Leadership self-efficacy
Time frame: Change from baseline to immediately after the intervention and at 3-months follow-up
Leadership self-efficacy was measured with a modified version of the Mayo Leadership Index to assess their confidence in enacting each of the leadership behaviors. 8-items from the Mayo Leadership Index were modified to start with "I feel confident I can…" and were measured with the following scale: Strongly Agree (5), Agree (4), Neither Agree nor Disagree (3), Disagree (2), Strongly Disagree (1) scale.
Belonging
Time frame: Change from baseline to immediately after the intervention and at 3-months follow-up
Adapted from the belonging assessment used in Hunderfund et al., Sense of Belonging Among Medical Students, Residents, and Fellows: Associations with Burnout, Recruitment Retention, and Learning Environment. Two items capturing participants' self-reported sense of belonging within key institutional contexts - within the school and their unit. This was assessed on a 1 = Strongly disagree to 5 = Strongly agree scale.
Social isolation
Time frame: Change from baseline to immediately after the intervention and at 3-months follow-up
Social isolation - the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) 4-item short form of the social isolation scale was used. It was measured on a Never (0), Rarely (1), Sometimes (2), Often (3), Always (4) scale.
3 secondary outcomes
Organizational health climate
Time frame: Change from baseline to immediately after the intervention and at 3-months follow-up
General self-efficacy
Time frame: Change from baseline to immediately after the intervention and at 3-months follow-up
Intent to leave
Time frame: Change from baseline to immediately after the intervention and at 3-months follow-up
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 14 Sep 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Individual participant data underlying published results will be shared in de-identified form. This includes quantitative survey data and qualitative interview data with direct identifiers removed and sensitive content redacted as needed to protect participant confidentiality.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Natalie V Schwatka, PhD MS principal investigator
University of Colorado, Denver
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing CU Thrive Leadership Circles in people with Burnout and Professional Fulfillment, run by Colorado School of Public Health at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 9 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 14 Sep 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Burnout (time frame: Change from baseline to immediately after the intervention and at 3-months follow-up). The study lists 6 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 14 Sep 2026.