Sherry Chesak, PhD, MS, RN

Dr. Sherry Chesak is a Clinical Professor in the Population Health and Systems Cooperative in the School of Nursing at the University of Minnesota. She is a recognized nurse leader and scientist who investigates resilience-promoting interventions for both professional and family caregivers. Her program of research is centered on care for the caregiver, and she primarily studies mindfulness-based interventions that promote resilience and mitigate stress among clinicians and family caregivers. She has led interdisciplinary teams in the assessment of stress and burnout over time and identifying predictors of burnout. Dr. Chesak also has expertise in identifying best practices for promoting a sense of belonging among healthcare workers. Her research has been funded by the NIH, DoD, and several internal funding mechanisms. Her research foci areas include:

• Methods to measure stress and burnout among clinicians, and promote individual, team, and organizational resilience
• Integrative health interventions for promoting self-care and resilience among community-based family caregivers of patients with complex healthcare needs
• Best practices for engendering a sense of belonging among healthcare workers in diverse settings

PhD, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Major: Nursing

MS, Winona State University
Major: Nurse Educator 

BSN, Winona State University
Major: Nursing

• Certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher, Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program
• Mayo Clinic Quality Fellow: Silver Level Certification
• Registered Nurse, Minnesota Board of Nursing

• Daisy Award for Scholarship in Practice, University of Minnesota School of Nursing, 2026
• Dahlberg Visiting Scholar Award, Gundersen Medical Foundation, 2022
• Mayo Clinic Proceedings Outstanding “limelight” article of 2021: Chesak SS, Yngve KC, Taylor JM, Voth ER, Bhagra A. Challenges and solutions for physician mothers: A critical review of the literature. Mayo Clin Proc. 2021; 96(6). doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2020.10.008
• Trainee Outstanding Poster Award, International Society for Complementary Medicine Research, 2014
• Sigma Theta Tau International, Honor Society of Nursing, 2011

Salameh, M. A., Reckhow, J. D., Allyse, M. A., Stonnington, C. M., Chesak, S. S., Osborne, A. K., Fudge, M. R., Finney, R. E., & Rivera-Chiauzzi, E. Y. (2026). Struggles, strength, and aspirations: Voices of healthcare workers in a major hospital system. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-025-02818-7 

Chesak, S., Rhudy, L., Cutshall, S. M., Leventakos, K., Tofthagen, C., Mandrekar, J., Rummans, T. A., Clark, M. M., Ehlers, S., Lapid, M. I., Sood, A., & Pachman, D. R. (2025). Resilient living program for patients with advanced cancer and their caregivers. Palliative & Supportive care, 23, e75. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1478951524002128 

Foster, R., Lubrano, B., Tofthagen, C., Mielke, C., Lindroth, H., & Chesak, S. (2025). Relationships between post-traumatic stress, self-compassion, sleep, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and intensive care unit nurses’ intent to leave their jobs. Journal of Nursing Administration, 56(2), 92–96. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNA.0000000000001686 

Wilton, A.R., Saliba, C.T., Marrero-Polanco, J., Sheffield, K., Wilkes, Q., Anacker, M., Croarkin, P.E., Chauhan, M., Dyrbye, L.N., Chesak, S., Bobo, W.V. and Athreya, A.P. (2025). Participant-centered engagement for sustained adherence to smartwatches: A 12-month prospective decentralized digital health study. Clinical and Translational Science, 18, e70155. https://doi.org/10.1111/cts.70155

Seshadri, A., Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, M., Harper, L., Clark, M. M., Singh, B., Chesak, S., Kaur, A. S., McGillivray, J., & Frye, M. A. (2025). Randomized controlled trial of stress management and resiliency training for depression (SMART-D)-pilot study. PloS one, 20(8), e0328539. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0328539 

Wilton, A. R., Sheffield, K., Wilkes, Q., Chesak, S., Pacyna, J., Sharp, R., Croarkin, P. E., Chauhan, M., Dyrbye, L. N., Bobo, W. V., & Athreya, A. P. (2024). The Burnout PRedictiOn Using Wearable aNd ArtIficial IntelligEnce (BROWNIE) study: A decentralized digital health protocol to predict burnout in registered nurses. BMC Nursing, 23(1), 114. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-01711-8

Souza-Talarico, J. N., Chesak, S., Elizalde, N., Liu, W., Moon, C., Oberfrank, N. D. C. F., Rauer, A. J., Takao, C. L., Shaw, C., Saravanan, A., Longhi Palacio, F. G., & Buck, H. (2024). Exploring the interplay of psychological and biological components of stress response and telomere length in the transition from middle age to late adulthood: A systematic review. Stress and health: Journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress, 40(4), e3389. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.3389

Chesak, S. S., Dose, A. M., Mandrekar, J., James, D., Pachman, D., Cutshall, S., Fuehrer, D. L., & Sood, A. (2023). Outcomes of a Stress Management and Resilience Training (SMART) program for family caregivers of individuals with advanced head and neck cancer. Oncology Nursing Forum, 50(1), 6-18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1188/23.ONF.6-18

Chesak, S. S., Rhudy, L. M., Tofthagen, C., & Chlan, L. L. (2022). A practice-based model to guide nursing science and improve the health and well-being of patients and caregivers. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 31(3-4), 445-453. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15837

Chesak, S. S., Salinas, M., Abraham, H., Harris, C. E., Carey, E. C., Khalsa, T., Mauck, K. F., Feely, M., Licatino, L., Moeschler, S., & Bhagra, A. (2022). Experiences of gender inequity among women physicians across career stages: Findings from participant focus groups. Women's Health Reports, 3(1), 359-368. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/whr.2021.0051

Chesak, S. S., Pavlic, A., Fornari, A., Worm, J. "Working Across the System to Advance Flourishing for All," Kern National Network for Flourishing in Medicine Conference, Minneapolis, MN. (September, 2025). Invited.

Chesak, S. S.  "Development of a Center for Flourishing Health Care Communities in a University System," Kern National Network for Flourishing in Medicine Conference, Minneapolis, MN. (September 2025).

Chesak, S. S., Athreya, A. "Fostering a Sustainable Healthcare Ecosystem: Towards Predicting Nurse Burnout with Innovative, Digital Technology, and Data-Driven Models," Planting Seeds of Innovation Conference, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN. (April 2025). Invited.

Sood, A., & Chesak, S. S. "Creative Methods to Build a Positive Relationship with Oneself," National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists Conference, Minnesota Affiliate. (October 2024). Invited. 

Chesak, S. S. "A Mindful Approach to Cultivating Belonging among Clinicians and Learners," Kern National Network for Flourishing in Medicine Conference, Fort Lauderdale, FL. (September 2024). 

Chesak, S. S. "Outcomes of A Mindful Approach to Building a Resilient Healthcare Workforce (RENEW) Program," Mayo Clinic Care Network Webinar. (September 2024). Invited.

Chesak, S. S. "Flourishing in Healthcare: Setting Intentions for Individual, Team, and System Resilience," American Holistic Nurses Association Conference, Rochester, MN. (June 2024). Invited. 

Chesak, S. S., & Pipe, T. "Flourishing in Health Care: Building Individual, Team, and System Resilience," American Association of Colleges of Nursing Transform 2023 Conference, Lake Buena Vista, FL. (December 2023). Invited.

Chesak, S. S. "Care for the Caregiver: Evidence-Based Methods for Engendering Resilience Among Professional and Family Caregivers,"  Mayo Clinic Palliative Care Conference, Rochester, MN. (November 2023). Invited.

Chesak, S. S. "Authentic Connections: A Key Support for Mental Health," Hormel Foods World Mental Health Day. (October 2023). Invited.

Award: A Cluster-Randomized Control Trial of a Workplace Resilience Intervention for Child Care Providers' Mental Health & Well-Being
Principal Investigator: Chesak, S. S.
Sponsoring Organization: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NIH
Award Dates: 2024 - 2029

Award: SCH: Wearable Augmented Prediction of Burnout in Nurses: A Synergy of Engineering, Bioethics, Nursing
Principal Investigator: Athreya, Arjun
Sponsoring Organization: NIH National Institute of Nursing Research
Award Dates: 2022 - 2026

Award: Designing and Evaluating a Comprehensive Support Program for Families Caring for Relatives Living with TBI-AD/ADRD
Principal Investigator: Gaugler, Joseph
Sponsoring Organization: U.S. Department of Defense
Award Dates: 2022 - 2024

Award: Evaluating the Impact of a Family Caregiver Support and Resource Program on Respect, Compassion, Integrity and Stewardship
Principal Investigator: Griffin
Sponsoring Organization: Mayo Clinic Values Council 
Award Dates: 2022 - 2023

Award: Feasibility and Acceptability of Virtual Dignity Therapy for Palliative Care Patients with Advanced Cancer
Principal Investigator: Pachman
Sponsoring Organization: Mayo Clinic Values Council 
Award Dates: 2021 - 2022

Award: Resilient Living Program for Patients with Advanced Cancer and Their Caregivers
Principal Investigator: Pachman
Sponsoring Organization: Mayo Clinic Benefactor Award
Award Dates: 2019 - 2021