UC San Diego

BACKGROUND: End-of-life HIV research places emotional demands on staff, yet evidence for brief compassion training to enhance resilience is limited. OBJECTIVES: To assess the feasibility and impact of a four-week compassion training program on self-compassion and professional well-being. DESIGN: Prospective, single-group, repeated-measures pilot with surveys at baseline (T1), post-program (T2), and 12-week follow-up (T3). SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-four professionals from the UC San Diego Last Gift program (83% women, 63% aged 25-44 years). MEASUREMENTS: Validated scales assessed self-compassion, compassion for others, professional quality of life, and work climate; changes were analyzed with Friedman and Bonferroni-adjusted Wilcoxon tests. RESULTS: Over-identification (p = 0.002), workplace joy (p = 0.005), and supportive work environment (p = 0.003) improved. Meditation frequency increased from T1 to T2 (p < 0.001) and remained higher at T3 (p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: A brief compassion program was feasible and improved over-identification and work-climate measures, supporting further evaluation of compassion support training in palliative and end-of-life research settings.