Jess Bunin’s new book argues healthcare leadership starts with self-awareness

Physician and former Army leader Jess Bunin, MD, says healthcare teams can’t be fixed from the outside in. Her new book connects burnout, trust and authentic leadership as U.S. physicians continue to face high stress and turnover.

Why it matters: - Jess Bunin, MD, is pushing a leadership model aimed at a healthcare system strained by burnout, pressure and staff attrition. - The book argues that stronger patient care starts with leaders who build self-awareness, trust and authenticity first. - The message is meant for healthcare leaders, but the leadership lessons are positioned as broadly useful beyond medicine.

What happened: - Jess Bunin, MD, released a new book, Self-Awareness and Trust: Leading Healthcare Teams from the Inside Out. - The book focuses on how self-awareness, authenticity, vulnerability and trust can strengthen healthcare teams. - Bunin said she wrote the book because she believes healthcare needs deeper change and that many providers are leaving the system because of its strain. - Bunin said the book is designed to help leaders “become more fully ourselves” rather than adopt a rigid leadership formula.

The details: - The book is organized into three parts: building self-awareness, building trust in teams and transforming healthcare. - Bunin combines personal stories with research-based leadership strategies. - Her background includes work as a critical care physician and combat-zone physician. - Bunin is a three-time cancer survivor, and she says those experiences changed how she views medicine, patients and human connection. - Bunin served in Iraq and Afghanistan and cared for patients and families during difficult moments in their lives. - The book includes reflections on mistakes and leadership lessons from Bunin’s own career. - Bunin says self-reflection is the foundation for building trust with a team. - The book is available to order here. - More information is available on Jess Bunin’s website.

Between the lines: - The book lands as burnout remains a major issue in medicine. - The American Medical Association says 41.9% of U.S. physicians reported at least one symptom of burnout in 2025. - That backdrop makes Bunin’s emphasis on internal leadership work a direct response to a broader workforce crisis. - Endorsements from leadership authors and retired Army Gen. Dan Allyn suggest the book is being framed as useful outside healthcare too.

What's next: - Bunin is available for interviews. - The book’s audience appears to include healthcare executives, clinical leaders and other managers looking for trust-based team culture. - The broader test will be whether Bunin’s self-awareness-first approach resonates in systems trying to reduce burnout and improve retention.

The bottom line: - Bunin’s core argument is simple: leaders cannot build healthier teams until they do the personal work to lead themselves first.