A Mindful Community for Healthcare Providers and Trainees

Join us in sharing the depth of the present moment whether it feels like a 100-car pileup, a calm mountaintop, a toddler tantrum, or all of them at once. Connect with individuals who value mindfulness and meditation or are simply interested in exploring such techniques. Everyone’s journey is unique and this community intends to support each individual on their path of self-discovery and well-being. After all, the greatest gift we give others is our deepest self.

This group is welcoming of all identities. We value diversity and uniqueness in sex, age, race, ethnicity, national origin, range of abilities, sexual orientation, gender identity, financial means, education, and political perspective. Although the practice of mindfulness arose with Buddhism, it does not belong to any religion or demographic and is compatible with any belief structure.

We are currently in a pilot phase as we feel out the appetite for such a group among the VUMC/Nashville community so your feedback is valuable! Please send us a message via this website with suggestions, frustrations, or any feedback that might help this group better serve you and your colleagues (alternatively, you could send a message to Tim or Candice via our individual emails which can be found by searching our names in VUMC outlook).

Facilitators

Tim and Candice met in the fall of 2023 while training in mindfulness facilitation at Vanderbilt's Osher Center for Integrative Medicine. They were surprised that no mindfulness group for VUMC medical providers could be found so they decided to start this one with the support of Vanderbilt’s Osher Center.

  • Founder and group facilitator

    Tim is a general cardiologist and mindfulness facilitator who enjoys exploring the bright and dark crannies of experience on his own and with others. Tim is an equal-opportunist when it comes to truth and draws inspiration from multiple wisdom traditions with a particular interest in Tibetan Buddhism. His day job involves learning from patients, trainees, and colleagues as a clinician-educator, a position he started in 2022. He occasionally leads mindfulness sessions and supports health and wellness groups for VUMC housestaff and, unrelated to VUMC, he facilitates a mindful recovery group on Thurs nights through One Dharma. He loves creating and sharing mindful spaces so feel free to reach out to him about potential collaborations.

  • Co-Founder and group facilitator

    Candice is a board certified women's health and adult-gerontology nurse practitioner, mindfulness facilitator, and a certified sound practitioner. She has seen the transformative nature of mindfulness in both her personal and professional life. Candice has been meditating since 2017 and completed mindfulness facilitation training through the Osher Center at VUMC. She brings to her practice a reverence for deep listening and trust in the power of space and stillness. Candice believes that the path to our truest self is accessible to all who listen with courage and curiosity. Her current clinical practice is with Vanderbilt Functional Medicine.