Masks off: real talk for healthcare workers
Join the BetaAbout Dugri
du·gri/do͞o ɡrē/
- Speaking freely what is on your mind; straightforward talk
- A non-invasive stress vaccination
Psychological PPE
The Dugri network provides “psychological PPE” to frontline healthcare workers by connecting them to others in the trenches and facilitating supportive dialogue (real-talk).
We are moving to fill a void where traditional approaches are overwhelmed, unaffordable and unsustainable.
The Dugri app provides care for our caretakers by:
- Reducing stress and burnout
- Increasing energy and emotional well-being
The result? A healthier, more resilient workforce, fewer stress-induced professional mistakes, greater retention, and greater functional continuity.
Why Dugri?
Peer-Based &
Non-judgemental
No stigma, judgement or barriers
Tailored to Healthcare Professionals
Made by, and for, healthcare workers and first responders
Safe &
Private
Identity is anonymous. Conversations are confidential. Personal data is protected
Simple &
Accessible
Can be used anytime, anywhere. Affordable, rapidly deployable and hyper-scalable
How it works
Dugri promotes honest, ‘real-talk’ that connects and energizes frontline professionals.
By offering a safe space and framework to unload stress, Dugri builds stronger individuals and more resilient organizations.
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No therapists, just mutual help for those “in the trenches.”
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Available any time, anywhere, with multiple ways to connect:
- Moderated forum
- Asynchronous messaging
- Video chat: live, facilitated dialogue (coming soon)
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Based on peer support and social connection, both clinically demonstrated to improve mental health and preferred over professional treatment options.
Our secret sauce: The foundational protocol that powers the Dugri network has been used for over 20 years by military special forces and over 100,000 first responders and healthcare professionals all over the world. It’s been battle-tested, with measurable impact on key metrics such as decreased burnout, fewer sick leave days, increased compassion satisfaction and professional self-efficacy.1
1Results from "Helping the helpers" programs for nurses and other medical staff, April 2018, Research report, NATAL, Israel's Center for Trauma and Resilience; Israel National police resilience training outcome -Idit Michael, Chief Superintendent
Our mission
Dugri’s mission is to offer care for our caregivers through a facilitated and moderated emotional support network.
Principles that guide us:
- Caring for our caregivers is our foremost priority.
- There’s an opportunity to harness personal and professional stress, and manage it as a vehicle to excellence.
- Helping people get real with themselves and with each other helps everyone.
- Based on a foundation of trust. We are here for each other; we have each other’s back.
- Everyone has a story to tell and a need for support, free of stigma and judgement.
Our team
Our team brings together extensive global expertise in science, medicine, psychological trauma, disaster response and technology, to deliver a “peer to peer” resiliency model for individuals and organizations. We began with frontline medical teams and first responders at the dawn of the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Jonathan Lewis, MD, PhD
serves as Chairman and founder and has served in numerous leadership roles in biotechnology, healthcare and policy. He served for 10 years as a Professor of Surgery and Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City and is a fellow of both the Royal College of Surgeons and the American College of Surgeons. Since 9/11, Dr. Lewis has helped contribute to caring leadership, crisis leadership and peer support initiatives, with the NYPD and FDNY and the Combat Wound Initiative Program of the Congressional Jackson Foundation.
Yotam Dagan, MA, MPA
serves as Chief Executive Officer and founder and is a former Israeli Navy SEAL Commander, Chief Instructor, and clinical psychologist. A global expert in trauma and resilience, Yotam developed a resilience training model for first responders which serves as the foundation for the Dugri app. This protocol, which Yotam coined ‘Operational Stress Management,’ has been used by organizations including the US government, FEMA, and the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI). He has worked in multiple disaster zones, training emergency healthcare professionals after traumatic events such as the Boston Marathon attack and the Parkland, FL and Stoneman Douglas school shootings.
Nadav Cohen
serves as Chief Technology Officer and founder and has previously served as Director of Engineering at Spotify. He brings over 20 years of experience building world-class technologies and scaling engineering organizations.
Kate Driscoll
serves as VP Product and has over 20 years of experience leading teams in the planning, delivery and marketing of innovative digital products shaped by customer insights.
Sir Murray Brennan
serves as a Founding Board Member and is an oncologic surgeon-scientist, an experienced global health policy leader and an exemplar of compassion and empathy. He has held multiple global leadership roles and is Chairman Emeritus of Surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City.
Elizabeth Capela
serves as Project Manager and has 15+ years of client-facing, administrative and project management experience in the academic arena and financial services industry.
Compassion Science Advisory Board
Highly experienced professionals serve on our steering committee to advise product development and drive Dugri’s mission.
Dr. James N. Pruden
is an emergency Physician Leader of St. Joseph’s Health, with extensive experience in Emergency Medical Services, as well as disaster medicine, and someone who has experienced COVID-19 on both sides of the endotracheal (breathing) tube. He has worked in Emergency Preparedness for over 23 years.
Lisa Dion, MSN, RN
is the Nurse Manager of CT Children's NICU at UConn Health. Lisa has 30+ years of nursing experience, caring for and serving patients and their families in multiple roles, including ICUs. She has also served in several governance roles including hospital Ethics Committees.
Captain Cailin Brodel, RN
is a Nurse, certified EMT and the first female fire fighter in the Bayonne NJ fire department. As a newly appointed fire fighter Captain, Cailin promotes her fire fighters’ wellness and professional operating level. She is an Operational Stress Management resilience trainer, on behalf of the Urban Area Security Initiative (FEMA), NJ.
Testimonials
“Often, I and other people I work with, do not know the right words to say or the right questions to ask when friends, colleagues or someone we care about is coming to us with their very personal concerns or experiences. We go through a lot every day. It is hard to cope.”
“Dugri helps remove the pressure of ‘saying the right thing’ and guides me, and us, through this often-difficult, crazy territory.”
Cailin Brodel, RN
1st female career firefighter, Bayonne NJ
“The Dugri team has developed a way to use resilience building, time tested tools, in a mobile app, with a just-in-time training module that allows healthcare workers to provide peer-to-peer support in a safe environment. This is an opportunity that goes beyond acknowledging the sacrifices of those on the front line.”
“This is an opportunity to preserve the workforce for what they deal with today, and every day… and prepares them for what may come.”
James N. Pruden, MD
Emergency Physician Leader, COVID 19 survivor
Research/Evidence
Findings from the Harvard 80-year longitudinal study of Adult Development (REF) that started in 1938 during the Great Depression
“The surprising finding [of the Harvard 80-year longitudinal study (REF) of 238 sophomores that started in 1938 during the Great Depression] is that our relationships and how happy we are in our relationships has a powerful influence on our health. Taking care of your body is important but tending to your relationships is a form of self-care too. That, I think, is the revelation.”
Robert Waldinger, Director of the Harvard study, psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital, and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
“When the study began, nobody cared about empathy or attachment. But the key to healthy aging is relationships, relationships, relationships.”
George Vaillant, Director of the Harvard study, American psychiatrist and Professor at Harvard Medical School and Director of Research for the Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital.