Photo credit: Kyle Dykes/UC San Diego Health Sciences

FEATURE

Via UC San Diego Today: In a recent study, Sanford Institute Endowed Professor Eric Garland, PhD, found that Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) can help rewire the brain's response to natural healthy pleasure, leading to improved mood, greater attention to positive experiences and reduced opioid cravings. These findings, which were published in JAMA last week, suggest that the MORE therapy could be a promising tool in the fight against opioid use disorder (OUD). 

Participants with OUD can experience difficulty enhancing positive emotions, as seen in weakened brain responses when they tried to savor images representing naturally rewarding objects and experiences, such as smiling babies, puppies or a beautiful sunset. This blunting or numbing of positive emotions is directly linked to higher opioid cravings. In response, MORE, a program developed by Dr. Garland, is an evidence-based therapy that integrates mindfulness training, cognitive behavioral therapy, and positive psychology techniques to address these addiction-related symptoms. 

Dr. Garland's research and development of MORE has been financially supported by the National Institutes of Health for the last two decades. In that time, data has shown that for every $1 spent on MORE, there are $798 in estimated cost savings in the prevention of fatal overdoses, reduced health care costs, decreased criminal justice involvement, and increased labor productivity. The lifetime economic impact of MORE is estimated to be $320,216 per person treated with the therapy — a huge return-on-investment for society.

What's next for MORE? Partnership with policymakers, health care organizations, and administrators of the opioid legal settlement to disseminate this evidence-based treatment nationwide to help alleviate the opioid crisis. 

EVENTS

Join Sanford Institute Director William Mobley, MD, Center for Empathy and Social Justice in Human Health Director Gentry Patrick, PhD, and other health care leaders in exploring the implications and utilizations of empathy and compassion for the treatment of brain disorders and human well-being. 

Workshop discussions and presentations will:
• Examine evidence on the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of empathy and compassion, their evolutionary origin, and their role in brain functionality, including in some cases of brain disorders. 
• Explore how factors such as genetics, environment, social interactions, and psychological states influence the development and expression of empathy and compassion. 
• Discuss how different treatments (e.g., behavioral and pharmacological) for brain disorders affect empathy and compassion. 
• Consider how understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of empathy and compassion may be applied in other domains such as healthy workforce practices and to foster human well-being.

EVENTS

Join the Center for Mentorship in Medicine this Friday, May 16, for the 4^th Annual SIME. This year’s theme is “Technology in Medical Education." The day’s agenda is intended for health care professionals across specialties who wish to learn more about educational resources and innovations available in medical education.
Free to attend.

RESOURCES

Eager to communicate your clinical or research message in a way that connects with students, funders, media, and more? Join a Zoom workshop, hosted by the Center for Compassionate Communication, and learn how to craft a clear and compelling pitch that effectively communicates the value of your work. Free to attend.

PROGRAMS

The Center for Compassionate Communication is recruiting physicians, nurses, and APPs for its fall 2025 cohort of the UC San Diego Health: Sanford Compassionate Communication Academy Fellowship. Limited spots available!

AWARDS

We are thrilled to announce our Center for Empathy and Technology Director, Cinnamon Bloss, PhD, was named one of seven Principal Investigator (PI) awardees in the UC San Diego 2025 Strategic Convene and Influence Awards! This awards program highlights groundbreaking initiatives aimed at fostering investigatory-led collaborations that advance areas identified in our University's strategic research themes. 

Dr. Bloss' study, titled "Working Group on Conversational AI for Wellness & Social Support," will explore the promise and risks of large language and other conversational AI models — specifically in their utilization for mental health and social connection. Public workshops featuring experts on diverse aspects of AI, along with a white paper, will offer accessible guidance on how generative AI tools can promote, rather than undermine, mental health and wellness. Learn more about the study.

Pictured: Cinnamon Bloss, PhD

NEWS

— James B. Milliken was named the 22^nd president of the University of California. Read the official announcement of his appointment and learn about his impact in higher ed.

— The Stein Institute for Research on Aging and the UC San Diego Center for Healthy Aging 2025-26 pilot grant program solicits proposals for innovative research projects or novel analyses of data with aging as a focus. Learn more about this funding opportunity, due May 19, 2025.

— Tritons Belong Presents: Dialogue for Peace Summit, which features a highly-esteemed and nationally-recognized panel of speakers with expertise in peacemaking and restorative justice frameworks for dialoguing across differences. It's all happening Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at the Faculty Club – register here for free!

CULTURE

Meet Cindy Chwa, the Research Project Coordinator for the Center for Research on Empathy and Compassion — and our newest team member!

• What is one thing that brings you joy this month? 
Cooking for friends and making green juice.

• What is a personal life goal you hope to achieve? 
I’d like to explore all of Asia one day – I’ve only visited Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand.

• What are you most passionate about outside of work? 
Time goes by quickly whenever I’m immersed in a good book, my morning oat milk matcha latte ritual, talking about cultural upbringing and Asian American identity, and playing pickleball.

• What’s your dream job in an alternate universe? 
I’d love to be a lifestyle blogger since I enjoy recreational writing and film photography.

• What are you listening to these days? 
I still have Tortured Poets Department by Taylor Swift on repeat!

Pictured: Cindy Chwa in Taipei, Taiwan