Built to redefine how physicians experience support.
Physician burnout is not new — but the solutions have long been misaligned. Generic programs, anonymous hotlines, and mandatory check-ins often fail to reflect the real pressures physicians face every day.
BuddiesSpace exists to change that.
We create a safe, confidential environment where physicians at every stage can access meaningful peer connection, professional guidance, and career support — designed for real life, not theory.
— Dr. Alaa Elnajjar, FounderSupport should not come only after burnout. It should be early, consistent, and available on physicians' terms.
We believe that when physicians feel supported, patient care improves.
Everything we build starts from that belief.
Our Story
BuddiesSpace was founded by Dr. Alaa Elnajjar, a child and adolescent psychiatrist who experienced burnout firsthand. Even with clinical awareness, navigating it alone proved difficult.
What made the difference was not more knowledge — it was connection. Conversations with physicians who had lived through similar challenges created real relief and perspective.
If peer support works, why is access to it still optional in medicine?
That question became the foundation of BuddiesSpace.
In 2023, the platform was piloted at Brown University Health in collaboration with the Wellbeing Office and the Office of Graduate Medical Education.
BuddiesSpace was built to make support accessible to every physician — from medical students to attendings — not as a perk, but as a standard.
Our Team
Founder:
Mental Wellbeing experts:
Advisory Board:
Alaa Elnajjar, MD
( Psychiatrist, MD )
Haillie Riggs, LICSW
( Mental Health Clinician )
Kelly Holder
( Clinical Psychologist and Wellbeing Expert )
Phillip Phan MD
( Clinical Advisor )
Consultants:
Rana Mouawad
( Brand & Communications Consultant )
Kellie Carlson
( UX Designer )
Interns:
Mahmoud El Rouby
( Software Developer )
Ramaswamy Sundararajan
( Match Applicant & Researcher )
Why BuddiesSpace was Built
OUR FOUNDER
Dr. Alaa Elnajjar
COVID-19 left a lasting mark on many clinicians. For me, it revealed how deeply physicians can struggle while still feeling expected to keep going.
BuddiesSpace was created because burnout in healthcare did not begin with the pandemic, but the pandemic made the need for trusted peer support impossible to ignore. Physicians deserve a safe space to connect, speak honestly, and remind one another: we do not have to carry this alone.
— Dr. Alaa Elnajjar, Founder
