This special issue of EFMD Global Focus Annual Research 2026, edited by Rachel Ashworth, Eric Cornuel, Howard Thomas and Matthew Wood, and foreworded by Professor Sir Cary Cooper CBE, confronts the mounting mental health and wellbeing crisis facing business school faculty and staff. Leading global authorities examine how ‘publish or perish’ cultures, managerial pathologies and eroding collegiality are driving stress, anxiety and burnout. Across three themes, contributors present conceptual frameworks diagnosing the crisis, case studies from business schools spanning Africa, Asia, Europe, India, Mexico and the Middle East, and analysis of institutional governance and policy structures. The collection calls for genuine cultural transformation over tokenistic responses, urging leaders to actively build cultures of care, purpose and collegiality.