Kyra Reed, MD Assistant Professor, Clinical Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics Associate Program Director, Emergency Medicine Residency Program Indiana University School of Medicine

Kyra Reed, MD, knows firsthand that life’s darkest moments can become the catalyst for meaningful change.

After a traumatic childbirth and health complications involving her newborn daughter, Dr. Reed found herself in a post-partum mental health crisis during COVID. She was suicidal, yet her first thought wasn’t about getting help. It was whether seeking treatment would cost her career.

That thought made her angry.

Rather than allowing fear and stigma to define her experience, Dr. Reed transformed them into action. The result is the STAR (Support, Tracking and Referral) Program, an innovative wellness initiative that is changing how Indiana University School of Medicine residents approach mental health.

Today, STAR has normalized accessing mental health resources across IU residency programs, helping residents connect with peer support groups and access resources before reaching a crisis point. What began as one physician’s personal story has become a research-backed program that could someday serve as a model for health systems nationwide.

“The impact is real,” Dr. Reed said. “We’ve measured it. But here’s how I know it is having an impact. I hear the verbiage we use in support groups being used verbatim in the clinical settings.”

Developed through years of pilot research in the IU Department of Emergency Medicine, the STAR Program is built on a simple but transformative premise: remove the stigma by making mental health care a standardized, proactive part of everyone’s training, not just something reserved for physicians already in crisis.

Its comprehensive approach includes two key components: a Personalized Wellness Dashboard and a Peer Support Group Program.

The dashboard allows residents to complete periodic self-assessments, providing a personalized view of their mental health and well-being throughout the academic year. The peer support program connects residents within each specialty to small, facilitated peer support groups where they can openly discuss the personal and professional challenges of medical training in a confidential and structured environment.

“The post-partum peer support group was the gateway for understanding the power of connection through a shared experience and not feeling alone,” Dr. Reed said. “It was mind-blowing to me because it showed that work and personal space can coexist. That’s when I realized this would be great for residents. Residents need this.” 

Beyond providing support, STAR is also generating evidence.

“Through a grant [IU Health Foundation], we are studying this,” Dr. Reed said. “We have a team tracking the data from the dashboard. In order to get people to understand the importance of this, you have to have the data to show that it works. But we also have to show that it is feasible. The data shows that it is feasible in a lot of different settings.”

The research has demonstrated measurable improvements while providing evidence that the program can be successfully implemented across diverse training environments. Those findings have positioned STAR as a potential model for health systems looking to improve physician well-being nationwide.

For Dr. Reed, however, the program’s greatest success extends beyond the numbers.

She hears residents using the language of emotional wellness and support strategies with one another. She sees physicians becoming more comfortable asking for help. And she watches those conversations carry into patient care.

Her philosophy is straightforward: make mental health screening universal and more accessible, eliminate the fear of professional consequences and create a shared language that empowers physicians to care for themselves, support their colleagues and better serve their patients.

The program that emerged from Dr. Reed’s own struggle has become a catalyst for changing physician culture at Indiana University, normalizing mental health as an essential part of overall health rather than a sign of weakness.

“This is how you change culture,” Dr. Reed said. “You give everyone the support they need, and it has a ripple effect.”

Dr. Reed will share the story behind STAR during the ISMA Physician Wellness Symposium, offering insight into how one physician’s willingness to confront her own vulnerability led to an initiative that is improving the lives of physicians today and may shape the future of physician wellness for years to come.