I don’t think anyone will argue with me when I say that eating healthy is important for our wellness.  Yet, I’m certain that more than a handful of us regularly struggle with this task.  There is a lot of great advice out there for medical students:

• The recipe for success: How to eat right in med school

• How can I eat healthy as a med student?

• Healthy Habits for Medical Students to Practice at Home

One of my favorite tips is to stay mindful while eating.  It’s easy to focus on all the things we need to do, and not focus on how we are fueling our bodies.  As much as possible, I work to focus on my body's needs and slow down enough to plan (as best I can) and to pay attention to what I eat.  I know… I’ve oversimplified this a bit.  However, improving your awareness of your body and its needs is a simple step toward improving your nutrition and eating habits.  Give it a try!

To help you out, fresh fruit (apples and mandarin oranges) and a few snacks have been placed in all the academies.  Get it while it’s fresh!

Wellness Offerings

Below are a few announcements and wellness offerings.  Please use what is most beneficial to you.  But, first…a poem.

SHC Peer Counseling

Student Health Council (SHC) is excited to open the application to request a peer counselor to any incoming student who feels they might benefit. (The application is open to current students, as well!)  The role of a peer counselor is to provide supplemental support and to help connect students with resources (not to serve as or replace professional counseling). The role of an SHC mentor is to provide support to promote wellness and manage your mental health as you adapt to medical school. Past topics for which students have requested to have a peer counselor include medication switches during medical school, managing anxiety/depression during the transition to medical school, and questions about the process of starting care with therapists and psychiatrists either at Brown or in the community. This is not a program designed to provide academic support/career development.

If you are interested in being paired with an SHC mentor, please fill out this form (you need to be logged in with your Brown email to access the form). Only the M4 chair Johanna Suskin and Dr. Holder have access to the responses to the form. Feel free to reach out to studenthealthcouncil@brown.edu with any questions or concerns!
 

Wellness and Learning Environment Rounds

The Chief Wellness Officer (CWO, Dr. Kelly Holder) and Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, Learning Environment (ADSA-LE), Dr. Rory Merritt, who are tasked with implementing programming across all four years of student training, have launched a new collaborative endeavor to synergistically meet this mission: Wellness and Learning Environment Rounds. This collaboration integrates the work individuals in the Office of Student Affairs are doing separately to aid with improving student wellness and informing meaningful change within the environment. 

Below are the goals of the program by year:

Year I Students:

• Introduce CWO and ADSA-LE roles and relevant policies and opportunities related to wellness and the learning environment

• CWO offers optional Wellness and Mental Health Assessment early in the first year

• CWO holds opt-out Wellness Checks that review personal wellness and provides resources tailored to each student’s needs

Year II Students:

• ADSA-LE facilitates regular communication with students around LE policies, procedures and support

• CWO holds opt-in Wellness Checks

Year III Students:

• At all core clerkship rotations during orientation, clerkship leaders share reminders about wellness and the learning environment 

• CWO meets with students duringall core clerkships at the halfway point of their rotation for wellness assessments and support

• ADSA-LE meets with students during all core clerkships towards the end of each rotation for a general check-in and to provide  LE support

Year IV Students:

• Early year class gatherings focused on gratitude (wellness) and Positive Champion nominations (LE) while celebrating their achievements as a class

• Second session around tool-building for responding to LE concerns as training physicians and what they can carry forward in terms of wellness over the years

Wellness Checks

Wellness checks represent a wellness effort by the Alpert Medical School Office of Student Affairs to give every first-year medical student an opportunity for a brief conversation, just 15 minutes, about mental health & wellness. Medical school is an exciting but challenging experience. Research demonstrates that medical students experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, burnout, substance abuse, and suicidal thoughts than the general population and that students sometimes have difficulty reaching out for support. The Medical School is committed to taking active steps to address this stigma and offer support to medical students.

Wellness Checks are brief assessments. They are not considered mental health treatment or psychotherapy. These meetings are confidential and will not be shared with Medical School administration. Wellness Checks are performed by Chief Wellness Officer, Dr. Kelly D. Holder, who is a licensed clinical psychologist.  

We are setting up opt-out wellness checks for all of our incoming medical students (MD26).  These appointments will be scheduled for you, and you will receive a personal email with details within your first few weeks at the Medical School.  All other medical students may request a Wellness Check during the fall semester.  Information for those who want to opt-in to this program will go out via email in August.

Wellness Wednesday Lunch & Learn Series

Join us once a month for a Wellness Wednesday Lunch & Learn Series.  This series is focused on our learners; however, is open to the entire Medical School community.  All sessions will be held via Zoom; however, we will host a “watch party” with food for each session.  Registration will be required, and space for the “watch party” is limited.

Our first Wellness Wednesday Lunch & Learn will be held on August 17th @ 12 noon. 

B.E.A.R. Project Training

The B.E.A.R. Project is a training run by Brown Counseling and Psychological Services to help community members identify and support students in distress. B.E.A.R. is an acronym that aims to help Brown community members (students, staff and faculty) learn and remember the skills needed to support students in distress. Our hope is that this training will empower you to respond in a compassionate and skilled manner, while executing the tenets of B.E.A.R.  

This session will be facilitated by Corey Martin Fitzgerald, M.Ed, LMHC (he/him/his), Psychotherapist/Outreach Coordinator, Licensed Mental Health Counselor from Counseling and Psychological Services.

Register for the session online

Wellbeing Articles

• Minimizing Medical Burnout: Dr. John M. Kennedy On How Hospitals and Medical Practices Are Helping To Reduce Physician and Healthcare Worker Burnout 
• You know you need human connection. Here's how to achieve it
• Craving Chocolate? Stress Snacking? Answers to Your Questions About Mindful Eating

Need Access?  The Times @ Brown Help Page

July is BIPOC Mental Health Month

Observed each July and originally designated as National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, BIPOC Mental Health Month highlights the unique mental health challenges and needs of historically disenfranchised or oppressed racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Learn more about BIPOC Mental Health Month and sign up for a 2022 toolkit from Mental Health America by following this link.

Brown Wellness Highlights

Brown University BWell Health Promotions has developed a collection of health empowerment tools.   Each tool is evidence-informed and created to address some of the social determinants of health as well as safety practices that are currently impacting individual and community wellbeing.  You will find worksheets (all downloadable as fillable pdfs), infographics, videos, an online assessment, and links to additional resources.

Wellness Calendar

Check out the Wellness Calendar.  The calendar includes fitness classes, the Wellness Wednesday Lunch & Learn series, and many other wellness activities.  Additionally, you will find meditations organized by Med^2, wellness workshops hosted by SHC, and Self-Care Sundays journal prompts submitted by Becca Berube.