About Us
Our Story
Despite increasing awareness, many efforts remain fragmented or unsustainable. The WISe Collaborative was founded in response to a growing crisis in surgical wellbeing.
We believe improving wellbeing in surgery requires more than awareness—it demands coordinated action, evidence-based solutions, and cultural transformation.
Through a partnership between UCSF and UCLA, WISe was created to lead this work with intention, rigor, and impact.
Our Team
Co-Founder/Director, WISe Collaborative
Veronica Sullins, MD, FACS, FAAP
Assistant Clinical Professor
Pediatric Surgery
Department of Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Department Wellness Officer
Member, ACS Committee on Surgeon Wellbeing
Member, APSA Wellness Committee
UCLA Physician Health Committee
Co-Founder/Director, WISe Collaborative
Carter Lebares, MD, FACS, MAMSE
Associate Clinical Professor
Foregut/MIS, Acute Care Surgery
Department of Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco
Founder/Director, Center for Mindfulness in Surgery
Vice Chair, ACS Committee on Surgeon Wellbeing
Principal Investigator, Lebares Resilience Lab