Back to CaPER

Downey supports the evolution of CaPER by ensuring our registries and insights capture the deep emotional, ethical, and operational realities of frontline clinical care. Drawing from her extensive experience interviewing clinicians and advocating against moral injury and systemic burnout, her collaborative guidance refines our methodology to better bridge the gap between clinical data and human impact. She ensures that the frontline human experience from both the clinician and patient perspective remains a primary driver for healthcare leaders, researchers, and policymakers.

Kim Downey is a pediatric physical therapist and physician-advocate whose extensive clinical experience spans hospitals, sub-acute rehab facilities, outpatient settings, schools, and homes. As a seasoned healthcare professional and three-time cancer survivor, she brings a profound, dual perspective to healthcare innovation, having experienced firsthand both the patient journey and the severe challenges facing clinicians, including loss of autonomy, electronic medical record (EMR) frustrations, burnout, and moral injury. Following her personal experiences as a patient and the tragic loss of a trusted colleague to suicide, Kim founded “Stand Up (for) Doctors!”. Through this movement and platform, she amplifies clinician stories, fosters peer-to-peer connection, and works to reduce the isolation and stigma surrounding medical burnout. Kim is the creator and lead editor of the book White Coats, Courageous Hearts: True Stories of Doctors, a collection that humanizes medicine through the authentic voices of those who practice it. Additionally, she hosts the Stand Up (for) Doctors! podcast and YouTube series, serves as an Ambassador for the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation, and acts as a Community Ambassador for Medicine Forward. Her work consistently builds bridges between patients and physicians, driven by the core belief that protecting and healing healthcare workers is fundamental to healing patients.