Introduction Empathy and compassion are critical aspects of quality patient care. Increased levels of empathy by physicians have been empirically associated with increased patient satisfaction1, increased adherence to treatment1, lower levels of patient anxiety2, and improved clinical outcomes3,4. However, empathy is currently underemphasized in medical education. Empathy in learners has been shown to decrease over clinical training years5 and no guidelines currently exist for integrating empathy training into medical schools or residency programs. The goal of this study was to pilot a workshop for medical students, residents, and fellows designed to enhance functional empathy skills and awareness. The relationship between physician empathy and improved patient outcomes is well-documented in the literature and is not the focus of this manuscript. This study concentrates on the development of new empathy training and its integration into the medical curriculum. Rather than aiming to establish a link between physician empathy and patient outcomes, which is already well-documented in the existing literature, this study focuses on the development of new empathy training and its integration into the medical curriculum. Materials and Methods The participants were medical students, residents, and fellows who rotated through the Walter Reed Pain Clinic. All participants attended a one-hour virtual workshop via Zoom focused on empathy that was led by the three facilitators. This workshop occurred once a month and each rotation included a different set of attendees. A total of thirteen monthly seminars were run from May 2023 to July 2024. The impact of this activity was measured with a series of three surveys, which asked learners to directly assess the efficacy of the workshop and to self-evaluate their competencies in key areas. There was a pre-workshop survey to establish a baseline for participants’ empathy self-assessments, an immediate post workshop survey with an aim to measure the perceived quality of the curriculum, and a one-month check-in designed to measure if the workshop improved participants’ self-assessed empathy skills. Results The primary outcome was the change in participants self-assessed empathy one month after the workshop. Preliminary data from the one month follow up demonstrates that there was significant improvement in self-assessments of empathy by learners after the workshop. The secondary outcome was the participant analysis of the workshop curriculum. 94% of participants indicated they would recommend the workshop to their colleagues. 76% of participants indicated they will be changing the way they practice due to the workshop. 31% of participants reported one or more actionable empathetic behaviors they plan to work on as a direct result of the workshop. Conclusion The findings from this study suggest the empathy workshop can enhance medical learners' ability to practice empathy and compassion in clinical settings. The one month follow up survey demonstrated significant improvements in self-assessed empathy and comments from learners supported the efficacy of the workshop. Future studies can reduce bias by utilizing a larger participant population across multiple specialties, a longer follow up period, and patient centered outcomes. Continuing to pursue a more advanced empathy curriculum is critical given the previously established link between empathy and improved patient outcomes. References 1. Hojat M, Louis DZ, Maxwell K, Markham FW, Wender RC, Gonnella JS. A brief instrument to measure patients' overall satisfaction with primary care physicians. Fam Med. 2011;43(6):412-417. 2. van Dulmen S, van den Brink-Muinen A. Patients' preferences and experiences in handling emotions: a study on communication sequences in primary care medical visits. Patient Educ Couns. 2004;55(1):149-152. doi:10.1016/s0738-3991(04)00300-3 3. Hojat M, Louis DZ, Markham FW, Wender R, Rabinowitz C, Gonnella JS. Physicians' empathy and clinical outcomes for diabetic patients. Acad Med. 2011;86(3):359-364. doi:10.1097/ACM.0b013e3182086fe1 4. Licciardone JC, Tran Y, Ngo K, Toledo D, Peddireddy N, Aryal S. Physician Empathy and Chronic Pain Outcomes. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(4):e246026. Published 2024 Apr 1. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.6026 5. Neumann M, Edelhäuser F, Tauschel D, et al. Empathy decline and its reasons: a systematic review of studies with medical students and residents. Acad Med. 2011;86(8):996-1009. doi:10.1097/ACM.0b013e318221e615