Eve Ekman Ph.D., MSW is a contemplative social scientist, teacher, and author designing and delivering curriculum and tools to support emotional awareness in the fields of health care, wellbeing, and technology. Eve draws from interdisciplinary training and first-person experiential knowledge based in her experiences in clinical social work, integrative medicine, contemplative science and meditation. Eve was raised in San Francisco with a love of New York bagels and commitment to social justice and is a cold water ocean enthusiast.

Eve is taking new consultations on a per case basis. Please reach out if you have a project or training you’d like to connect about.

I draw from an interdisciplinary blend of training and life experience—in clinical social work, integrative medicine, emotional awareness, contemplative science, and meditation. My path started in art and journalism, with a deep desire to spark social change through storytelling and transformative media. But it was working as a medical social worker at UC Berkeley, in the ER of a level one trauma center, where I experienced deep meaning in offering compassion in moments of real human crisis as part of the greater team. One member of our ER team who was experiencing burnout could really impact our entire group, how to sustain empathy and compassion became a guiding interest in my work.

Over the course of six intense and meaningful years in that role, I returned to UC Berkeley for a PhD to study burnout and explore how we can sustain compassion over the long haul. Around that same time, I joined my father, Paul Ekman, and Buddhist teacher Alan Wallace to launch the first public training of Cultivating Emotional Balance (CEB)—a secular, evidence-based program rooted in both modern science and ancient contemplative wisdom. My dissertation focused on bringing emotional awareness training into juvenile detention centers, offering tools to Juvenile Justice Officers who have an opportunity to really shape the lives of those in their charge but who are often not given tools to manage the stress of the job.

During my postdoc at UCSF’s Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, I brought CEB into hospitals, working with physicians, nurses, and medical staff. I also piloted my first study using a mobile app to both learn more about sources of emoti0nal distress from physicians, but also to help them see and reflect on their own emotions, this app was called EmoTrak.  I’ve continued to refine and teach these tools—practices for navigating burnout, transforming destructive emotions, and cultivating a resilient, compassionate presence. I’ve consulted with folks in courtrooms, classrooms, boardrooms, and correctional facilities—anywhere emotional awareness and care are needed.

In 2014 I began a collaboration with my father on a project which the Dalia Lama supported, the Atlas of Emotions, this online site provides a vocabulary and insights on the nature of our emotions. Through this project I learned the value of  art and design to convey meaning and information. The updates and translations of this site are ongoing, it is used globally by people curios about the nature of emotion.

My own contemplative practice began with Tibetan Buddhist teacher Alan Wallace, who introduced me to the foundational practices of attention, introspection, and heart-based meditation that are at the core of CEB. I’ve also been fortunate to study with Tsoknyi Rinpoche, deepening my understanding of subtle body awareness through Dzogchen practice—learning to feel, sense, and relate to the emotional body in more nuanced and freeing ways. My heart teacher is Jennifer Welwood, whose psycho spiritual  integration of Vajrayana teachings and Western psychology continues to shape how I hold compassionate transformation as a path of service.

Lately, I’ve been exploring the natural world as teacher and mirror, learning Andean cosmology and cultivating  direct relationships with plants like rose and yarrow are helping me understand myself—and my place in the larger living world—with greater humility, reverence, and connection.

CURRICULUM VITAE

Greater Good Science Center, UC Berkeley, July 2018-Ongoing

Senior Fellow with a focus on science based programs for empathy, compassion and well being for health and mental health professionals.

Cultivating Emotional Balance 2010-Ongoing

Director of Cultivating Emotional Balance program and training.

2010- Ongoing

SF Dharma Collective 2016-Ongoing

Dharma teacher at the SFDC, facilitating meditation, discussion, and community building through the contemporary translation of core Buddhist texts.

Technology Sector-Content Expert on Well Being April 2020-Present

Working 75% time to develop content and strategy for teams across the Apple ecosystem interested in developing software and hardware to support well being. 

Curriculum Specialist in Contemplative Science UC Berkeley Center for Science of Psychedelics  

Supporting the founding of the Facilitator training program at UCSP to create and teach curriculum to support psychedelic therapy based in the practices of meditation and contemporary psychology of wellbeing.

Atlas of Emotion Co-Creator

Co-creation and ongoing improvements for an online visual tool to increase an understanding of universal emotions. The Atlas is a project commissioned by the Dalia Lama and carried out by myself, Paul Ekman, and Stamen Design.

UCSF Department of Pediatrics Volunteer Clinical Faculty 2019- 2021

Clinical instruction for small groups to support the department of Pediatrics trainees and faculty with burnout focused interventions.

Head of Emotion Awareness and Assessment, Wisdom Labs

Consultation and creation of online and live teaching of mindfulness and emotion awareness content for private sector clients. 

May 2017-May 2018 

Freelance Consultation on Mindfulness and Emotional Awareness 

Ongoing work to support implementation of mindfulness, meditation and emotion regulation content via online and live teaching and technologies. Previous clients include Lumosity and UCSF Department of Oncology.

New York University, Gallatin School of Individualized Study BA 2002

University of California Berkeley School of Social Welfare MSW 2006

Health Track Concentration 

University of California Berkeley School of Social Welfare PhD 2014

Social Welfare with mentorship in Public Health and Psychology

Osher for Integrative Medicine University of California San Francisco

NCCAM Postdoctoral Training Program in Research in Integrative Medicine (TRIM)

Postdoctoral Fellow 2014-2017

San Francisco General Hospital Emergency Room

Medical Social Worker 2006 – 2012

San Francisco Kaiser Outpatient Clinic

Medical Social Worker Per-Diem 2009-2010

Seneca Center For Children and Families 

Mental Health Crisis Mobile Response Team, Clinical Case Manager and Research Consultant 2007-2009

Women’s Community Clinic, Shift Supervisor

Public health outreach for sex workers 2003-2005

Five Week Residential CEB Teacher Training 2010-2018

Year Long CEB Teacher Training- 2018-Ongoing

Week Long CEB Residential Retreats 2014- Ongoing

Clinical Instruction for healthcare professionals on Burnout Courses (from one hour to 8 weeks)  UCSF, John Muir, Sutter Health, Petaluma Health Center, Presbyterian Health,  Kaiser and more. 2012-Ongoing

Weekly Dharma Teachings and Meditation guided from contemporary and ancient texts at SF Dharma Collective 2016-Ongoing

Mind and Life Fellow 2021

Greater Good Fellowship, UC Berkeley School of Psychology 2011-2012

UC Berkeley Graduate Dean’s Fellowship 2012-2013

Carnegie Grant for Journalism 2006

Student Publication Journalism Award 2006

1. Anderson, B. T., Danforth, A., Daroff, R., Stauffer, C., Ekman, E., Agin-Liebes, G., … & Woolley, J. (2020). Psilocybin-assisted group therapy for demoralized older long-term AIDS survivor men: An open-label safety and feasibility pilot study. EClinicalMedicine, 27, 100538.
2. Sansó, N., Galiana, L., Cebolla, A. et al. Cultivating Emotional Balance in Professional Caregivers: a Pilot Intervention. Mindfulness8, 1319–1327 (2017). 
3. Ekman, E & Ekman,P (2017) Is Global Compassion Achieveable?, Oxford University Press Handbook on Compassion
4. Ekman, E., & Krasner, M. (2016). Empathy in medicine: Neuroscience, education and challenges. Medical Teacher, 1-10.
5. Steger, M. F., & Ekman, E. (2016). WORKING IT. Mindfulness in Positive Psychology: The Science of Meditation and Wellbeing, 228.
6. Ekman, E., & Halpern, J. (2015). Professional Distress and Meaning in Health Care: Why Professional Empathy Can Help. Social work in Health Care.
7. Ekman, E., (2015). Development, Delivery, and of an Evaluation of a Pilot Stress Reduction Emotion Regulation, and Mindfulness Trining for Juvenile Justice Officers. Journal of Juvenile Justice.
8. Ekman E, & Steger M., (Under reivew). Working it: Making Meaning with Workplace Mindfulness,. In I. Itvzan (Ed.) Mindfulness in Positive Psychology: The science of Meditation and Wellbeing, Routdledge.
9. Internation Conference to Promote Resilience, Empathy and Wellbeing in Health Care Professions, Key-Note Speaker, “Good Medicine, The Benefits and Burdens of Empathy for Patients and Providers”, Washington DC, 2015.
10. Mindfulness and Compassion, The Art and Science of Contemplative Practice, Invited Speaker, “The Alchemy of Empathy”, San Francisco State University, CA, 2015.
11. Stanford Center for Compassion and Altruism Research, Compassion Week Invited Key Note “Compassion and Health Care”. San Francisco, CA, (2014).
12. International Symposium for Contemplative Science, Invited Presenter “Cultivating Emotional Balance, Past-Present and Future”, Boston, MA, (2014).
13. Ekman, E,. (2104) Inside Insight, Opportunities for Meaning, Empathy and the Obstacles of Stress: An Exploratory Study and Pilot Training Among Juvenile Justice Officers (Docotoral dissertation) University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved from http://gradworks.umi.com/36/86/3686265.html
14. Ekman, E., (2013). Cultivating Emotional Balance Training, In Singer, T, and Bolz M. (Eds.) Compassion: bridging practice and science. Retrieved from www.compassion-training.org
15. Grand Rounds of Psychiatry, Invited presenter “Burnot Reseach and Skills”, San Francisco General Hospital, UCSF (2013-14).
16. Ted-X Hayward, Invited Presenter “Peace of Mind and Empathy”, (2013)
17. Moore, M., Ekman, E., & Shumway, M. (2012). Understanding the critical role of social work in safety net medical settings: framework for research and practice in the emergency department. Social work in health care, 51(2), 140-148.
18. Society for Social Work Research Conference, Invited presenter. Washington, D.C. (2012).
19. Happiness and Its Causes Conference, Invited presenter “Emotional Skills in Everyday Life” Australia (2011), 
20. Stone, S., Ekman, E., English, D., & Fujimori, S. (2008). Teaching notes: Collaboration among social work and journalism students and faculty: An instructional model. Journal of Social Work Education, 44(1), 163-172.
21. Ethsix* Magazine 2006-2009, Founder & Art Director of interdisciplinary publication on social issues.
22. Greater Good 2006- present contributing journalist.
23. Mason, M. A., & Ekman, E. M. (2007). Mothers on the fast track: How a new generation can balance family and careers. Oxford University Press.