Conference Demands and Daily Workloads Fuel Conversations on Reducing Burnout in Oncology

High rates of burnout among oncologists, exacerbated by packed conference schedules and steady clinical responsibilities, are driving efforts to improve team-based care, set boundaries, and prioritize physician well-being.

Results from a global, cross-sectional study published in February 2026 in JCO Oncology Practice showed that among 542 oncology professionals surveyed in 55 countries, 56.1% met the criteria for burnout, defined by the World Health Organization as unresolved, chronic work stress that is characterized by emotional exhaustion, reduced personal accomplishment, and depersonalization.¹ Burnout has been reported to cause mental and physical health issues, reduce professional satisfaction, and influence workforce attrition and early retirement. It may also lead to avoidant behaviors and affect physicians’ relationships with patients, thereby lowering the quality of care.

During busy conference seasons, mitigating burnout is as important as ever, given how many oncologists participate in the sharing of the latest data and clinical insights. In 2025, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting welcomed 44,900 registrants, 35,500 of whom self-reported as professionals.² Among these professionals, 30,700 registered for hybrid in-person/online meeting attendance. The 5-day meeting included 21,750 attendees from across the US and thousands from other countries, signifying a period of travel and time away from day-to-day responsibilities for many. Medical oncologists comprised 19% of professional attendees, clinical oncologists made up another 12%, oncology fellow residents accounted for 4%, and hematologic oncologists made up another 3%. Additionally, 1% each of attendees self-reported as surgical oncologists, medical students, general practitioners, radiation oncologists, gynecologic oncologists, or pediatric oncologists.

With burnout and medical conference attendance both prevalent in significant proportions of the oncology community, OncLive^® asked oncology professionals to raise awareness about the factors that contribute to burnout and share ways that they and their colleagues are striving to enact positive change and enforce healthier boundaries for the good of their teams, their patients, and themselves.

Why might shifting between clinical practice and conference responsibilities be difficult to balance?

“We all say ASCO is exhausting,” said Fangdi Sun, MD, of Stanford University in California. “Part of the reason we do our jobs is because it’s lovely to carry a patient through their entire treatment journey as medical oncologists. But on the flip side, when you go to a 4-day conference, and you’re missing clinic, that part doesn’t stop.”

Sun noted that much of her and her colleagues’ time spent at conferences or on vacation still consists of responding to clinic-related messages, even when receiving some form of clinic coverage. She noted that this is often a team-wide issue at her institution and likely beyond.

MinhTri Nguyen, MD, formerly of Stanford Health Care, agreed. “I see this all the time at these major conferences: Physicians are in the conference center, but they’re on their laptops, and they’re charting or going through their in basket,” he said. “It’s sad to see because in oncology, our work is [heavily] relationship-built. It feels weird to separate yourself sometimes. A lot of my colleagues, even when they go on paid time off or vacation, can’t separate themselves too much from work, because it feels like they’re abandoning their patients. This unfortunately puts burnout at a high risk in oncology work. We need to create systems that help to lessen this load, but we also need to create [routines for] the individuals to help with this.”

Costas Bizekis, MD, of New York University Langone Health in New York, New York, added that dedicated patient care requires time and energy, as does conducting research and mentoring junior faculty.

“We have responsibilities in training the next generation of surgeons and medical students,” he stated. “By the same token, we’re some of the innovators and leaders in the fields, so we need to be at the forefront of clinical innovation and research, which adds another aspect to what we need to do.”

Added Jennifer A. Ligibel, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, “Taking care of patients, conducting research, sharing the findings at conferences, making connections with colleagues, and thinking about new collaborations are all such important things. Making sure you eat meals, get fresh air, and sleep enough are important, too. It can be tough to balance at a big meeting like ASCO. People lean in a bit to the opportunities to meet with people they don’t see often.”

How can I leverage my clinical team when setting boundaries during busy seasons?

Although many institutions’ systems to support oncologists and combat burnout remain works in progress, the experts shared firsthand experiences that have helped them achieve a bit more balance. Sun emphasized the importance of advanced planning for time away from the clinic, although she clarified that this planning still takes time, like any other task.

“In the ideal scenario, having someone at your right hand who you work closely with, whether a nurse practitioner, a physician assistant, or maybe even a fellow physician, would be great,” she said. “We could use more staffing in many situations. For example, more nurse practitioner support can be invaluable when several of your physicians are away for the same meeting, but that takes time. It also takes time to train the team, but I hope one day we’ll get to a nice, steady state where things feel more sustainable.”

Bizekis credits the growth of his clinical team with much of his ability to balance his various responsibilities, saying, “We’re blessed with an excellent team here where all of us understand each other’s responsibilities. We all work hard, and we all help each other out, which affords us the ability to get to a conference, continue treating our patients, and teach the residents. Fortunately, having been here for a long period, [I have seen] an evolution where now we have 7 surgeons in our division, and we all help each other out when need be. If someone needs to be away at a conference, there’s always someone willing to fill in and help them out.”

Ligibel also expanded on the integral value of flexible, organized team-wide approaches to clinic coverage and beyond.

“One of the things that we implemented a few years ago in our breast oncology program was a system where it was clear who was on site, who was at a conference, what people’s expectations [were about helping] out with clinical care, and [letting] our advanced practice providers [APPs] and nurses know who was going to be their point person when people were away. [We need to] make sure patients continue to get the best possible care. We found [it helpful to rotate] the people who are responsible for taking care of everything else [during times when other] people are away.”

Nguyen reiterated the importance of setting and communicating boundaries related to time away, even through simple actions such as setting away messages on email and messaging platforms.

“What I’m trying to do is create a culture within the organization that says: I respect your time off, and I respect that my time on is not your time on,” he explained. “We may have different work hours, and some people are comfortable flexing that, and some are not. It’s absolutely OK. There’s some feeling of abandonment, that when we put an away message on, our patients, nurses, and care team might not hear from us, and therefore we’re a bad physician. We need to get in the mindset that this is healthy and necessary.”

How can I ensure my patients continue to receive optimal care even when I am away from clinic? 

Across the board, the experts emphasized the importance of keeping patients at the core of their workplace decision-making and shared that carving out time for their own well-being or career development does not need to happen at the expense of delivering quality, team-based care. Bizekis noted that although he encourages patients to contact him on his personal cell phone when he’s away from the clinic, he also makes sure they know who else they can call if they need more immediate assistance.

“Answering a phone call when you’re away at conference is not a big deal,” he shared. “Patients know they always can reach us, but they also know that [when we are not] physically available, there is someone just as capable around to help them in any emergency. We always have a clear communication with our colleague who is covering us when we’re away [regarding] any patients who might have potential issues we’re concerned about.”

Nguyen echoed the benefits that care teams provide to both their colleagues and their patients, and he also noted that early communication with patients can help assuage anxiety for both providers and patients.

“When you start meeting your patients, get them to think it’s not just you; the care team is expansive,” he said. “It is you, as the oncologist, but it also includes all the other oncologists within the group, as well as all the nurses and APPs in the group. Starting from day one, I tell my patients that they are going to start gathering an army of people behind them that is going to keep growing. When I’m not there, they’ll have other people, so they don’t feel like they’re going to be missing out on anything if I’m gone.”

What other boundaries can I set to prioritize self-care amid a busy clinical and research schedule?

The experts also stressed the far-reaching benefits of prioritizing time to take care of yourself and reconnect with the personal values that motivate your career choices and other passions. Bizekis spotlighted the sea change occurring in the oncology field, where advocating for personal boundaries is increasingly accepted, particularly since oncologists’ well-being is so closely related to patients’ well-being.

“Try to eat well and exercise and have some time to decompress when you’re not working,” he advised. “Sometimes that’s ignored, and in years past, that was frowned upon. But you need to take care of yourself, because if you can’t take care of yourself, you’re not going to be able to help others around you. Especially as you progress into your career, you realize that there’s a fine balance between working all the time and having ample time to take care of your body and your family.”

Ligibel said her key to reducing conference exhaustion is prioritizing which sessions to attend and which networking opportunities to pursue, even though that means some connections or learning opportunities may have to be postponed until after the meeting.

She noted that these skills can be translated to broader career strides as well, saying, “There’s so much happening in oncology that you have to focus to decide where you want to put your energy. Figure out the things that are the most important to you and spend part of your time every day or week focused on those things. That is a recipe for being less burned out and more fulfilled by work. One of the beautiful aspects of oncology is that there are so many different things that could be most important. For some people, it’s taking care of their patients. For some people, it’s a specific piece of their research or training the next generation. We all need to figure that out for ourselves and make sure it’s part of the work we do.”

Nguyen concluded by saying, “The point of being in a conference is to be present, and that means mentally, as well as physically. Sometimes it’s hard, but if we can find ways to do that with structural support and individual practice changes, that could be helpful. Some people do [this by] working out or going out and having a meal with friends. Some people love going home and seeing their family. Find ways to remind yourself of that at work.”

References

1. Erul E, Pacheco-Barcia V, Alkan A, et al. Imposter syndrome, burnout, and maladaptive perfectionism among oncology professionals: a global cross-sectional study. JCO Oncol Pract. Published online February 25, 2026. doi:10.1200/OP-25-00816
2. Previous meeting demographics. American Society of Clinical Oncology. Accessed April 17, 2026. https://www.asco.org/annual-meeting/networking-exhibits/previous-meeting-demographics