As the daughter of a world-renowned surgeon, Cathy Copeland knows better than most how rewarding — and challenging — the profession can be.

Her parents, Martha P. Copeland and cancer surgery expert Edward M. Copeland III, MD, were beloved figures throughout the community at the University of Florida, where her father enjoyed a 25-year career. An expert in breast cancer surgery and treatment, he held numerous leadership roles, including serving as the first director of the UF Health Cancer Center and as chair of the Department of Surgery for 21 years.

In honor of her family’s connection to UF and UF Health, where she said she and her parents received exceptional care long after her father’s retirement in 2008, Cathy committed a bequest last fall to support surgical specialists and address burnout and well-being.

Though he passed away on March 31, 2024, Copeland’s legacy runs deep throughout the Department of Surgery, where several funds and honorary titles have been established in his name. Cathy witnessed firsthand the relationships her father built and nurtured, perhaps none more significant than his connection with Gilbert R. Upchurch Jr., MD, FACS, the Edward M. Copeland III and Ann & Ira Horowitz Chair of the UF Department of Surgery.

When Copeland’s health began to decline, many in the UF community, particularly Upchurch, offered support in numerous ways. That relationship proved to be a motivating factor in Cathy’s decision to give back. During Copeland’s health difficulties, Upchurch prioritized updating Cathy on her father’s status.

“Since I couldn’t come down there as often as I liked, Dr. Upchurch kept me posted every day on how my dad was doing and if he was in good spirits,” said Cathy, who lives in Atlanta. “He would bring him ginger ale and talk about sports.”

Through her gift, Cathy will establish the Martha P. Copeland, Catherine L. Copeland and Gilbert R. Upchurch Jr., MD, Surgery Professorship and the Martha P. Copeland, Catherine L. Copeland and Gilbert R. Upchurch Jr., MD, Health and Wellness Fund.

“My dad has so many honors and recognitions in his name, professorships and a chairmanship,” Cathy said. “I wanted this gift to be created out of gratitude for how UF treated the family. Gib was so good to my father when he was dying. He was unbelievable. And that’s why I’m doing this.”

The wellness fund is a deeply meaningful cause for both Cathy and Upchurch. Cathy, who witnessed firsthand the long hours and demanding nature of her father’s surgical career, hopes the fund will offer better safeguards around mental health and wellness that are needed in today’s world.

“These surgeons work, and work and work,” she said. “I want them to have the resources they need for support. I want to use this money to help encourage those who may be suffering.”

For Upchurch, who has authored articles focused on strategies that can help to alleviate burnout and promote well-being, this gift is important for nurturing the next generation of surgeons.

Clinical burnout was originally defined “by three pillars of symptomatology: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and low sense of personal accomplishment,” according to a 2016 article in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. In July 2020, Upchurch and co-authors wrote that burnout is a crisis that “…suggest(s) an urgent need to understand and apply rationales and methods for cultivating grit and optimism in surgery.”

Burnout continues to be an alarming outcome among physicians across all medical specialties. For surgery, those rates hover between 15 and 77%, depending on the surgical specialty, with ENT surgery at the highest, followed by general surgery at 69%. These results are based on findings in a 2022 article in Surgery in Practice and Science.

Recent initiatives to combat burnout and job dissatisfaction are having a real impact. The American Medical Association reported last summer that the physician burnout rate dropped for the first time in four years, from a record high of 62.8% in 2021 to 48.2%.

Upchurch is optimistic that support from the fund Cathy will establish will continue this trend locally.

“We hope to use this fund to build stronger teams and a sense of belonging in the UF Department of Surgery,” he said.

While Cathy’s gifts reflect her family’s roots at the university, the impact will undoubtedly bloom to benefit future generations for years to come.

“Through these gifts by Cathy, we will forever be tied together here at the University of Florida,” Upchurch said. “From the kindness bestowed upon the department from Cathy with this gift, she will be remembered as critical to our development into a leading department and a great place for future leaders to train.”