Graduate Studies is pleased to announce the inaugural cohort of the Faculty Academy of Graduate Student Well-Being, a program designed to train faculty to teach graduate student seminars on mental health and well-being. Congratulations to the 19 faculty members listed below who will represent the first cohort of the academy. 

The inaugural cohort was selected from a competitive pool of individuals and represents a variety of departments across campus. As part of the academy’s program, the selected participants will learn relevant scholarship on mental health and develop facilitation skills to lead conversations and seminars on well-being. These faculty members will go on to facilitate a graduate-level seminar within their departments to help graduate students enhance their well-being and professional success.  

Empowering Faculty to Deliver Well-Being Seminars for Graduate Students

The Faculty Academy of Graduate Student Well-Being is based on the success of a course created by Public Health, Psychiatry, and Behavioral Sciences Professor Carolyn Dewa M.P.H., Ph.D. The course “Tools for Becoming a Successful Professional and for Enhancing Your Well-Being and Work Environment“ introduces graduate students to the scientific evidence regarding stress and tools for self-care. 

Led by Professor Dewa and mental health consultant Kathy Holmes-Sullivan, LCSW, the Faculty Academy is designed to empower faculty across campus to instruct similar courses within their own graduate programs. The Faculty Academy uses a “train-the-trainer” model that will build a cohort of faculty that can lead initiatives to promote graduate student well-being. Faculty participants will learn the scientific evidence on mental health and develop facilitation skills to lead conversations on well-being.

“We are so pleased to deliver this program in support of graduate student well-being,” said Elizabeth Sturdy, Director of Mentoring and Academic Success Initiative. “When we discovered Professor Dewa’s course, we knew it would be a critical resource to students and programs. However, we needed a model that allowed us to scale up and serve a high number of graduate students. The Faculty Academy will not only result in an increase of course offerings, but will really empower our faculty to serve as well-being leaders for their graduate programs."

The Faculty Academy will meet September 7-16 to discuss the latest mental health scholarship, practice facilitating well-being conversations, and gain familiarity with the course materials. The program will be highly interactive and participants will receive consultations throughout the year. The well-being course will be taught in graduate programs during 2021-2022 academic year.

Learn more about the Faculty Academy of Graduate Student Well-being and other Graduate Studies mentoring programs on the Mentoring Initiatives website. 

Congratulations to the Inaugural Cohort

Congratulations to the following individuals who have been selected to participate in the Faculty Academy of Graduate Student Well-being: 

• Michele Barbato, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering 
• Rachel Bernhard, Assistant Professor, Political Science
• Magali Billen, Professor, Earth and Planetary Sciences
• Anujit Chakraborty, Assistant Professor, Economics
• Jim Clark, Professor, Veterinary Medicine
• Mark Cooper, Assistant Professor, Human Ecology
• Elva Diaz, Professor, Pharmacology
• Georgia Drakakaki, Professor, Plant Sciences
• Bruce Draper, Professor, Molecular and Cellular Biology
• Deborah Fetter, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Nutrition
• Marjorie Florestal, Lecturer, Law
• Susan Kauzlarich, Professor, Chemistry
• Pamela Lein, Professor, Molecular Biological Sciences
• Angelique Louie, Professor, Biomedical Engineering
• Elizabeth Rice, Professor, Nursing
• David Segal, Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine 
• Ned Spang, Associate Professor, Food Science and Technology
• Tamara Swaab, Professor, Psychology
• Astrid Volder, Professor, Plant Sciences