Wellness

Being well and doing well

Benoit Dubé, the chief wellness officer at Penn, Giang T. Nguyen, executive director of Student Health Service, and Meeta Kumar, deputy executive director of CAPS, discuss Penn’s efforts to strengthen and support the health and wellness of students.

Greg Johnson

Growing a ‘culture of cultivation’ on campus

Even on an urban campus, there are numerous places to coax food from the soil. From the Penn Student Garden on Spruce Street to the Penn Park Orchard, Facilities and Real Estate Services staff are expanding opportunities for the community to interact with an edible landscape.

Katherine Unger Baillie

A neural link between altruism and empathy toward strangers

Studying the brain activity of people who have donated a kidney to a stranger, psychologist Kristin Brethel-Haurwitz found a clear link between real-world altruism and empathy, particularly in regard to the pain and fear of strangers.

Michele W. Berger

A whol(istic) new approach to cancer treatment

At Pennsylvania Hospital, the Abramson Cancer Center’s seven-week Holistic Living Challenge program provides free access to holistic and traditional Chinese medicine resources, encouraging patients to focus on adopting wellness practices in a supportive group environment.

Penn Today Staff

Dr. Benoit Dubé appointed Chief Wellness Officer

Provost Wendell Pritchett and Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum today announced the appointment of Dr. Benoit Dubé, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, as the University of Pennsylvania’s first Chief Wellness Officer.

Ron Ozio



In the News


Philadelphia Inquirer

My brother’s recovery from a car crash became a lesson in how to talk to doctors and nurses

Emily Largent of the Perelman School of Medicine writes that communication is part of healing, as she experienced when her brother was in a car accident and unable to notify family himself.

FULL STORY →



Fortune.com

Millennial HR professionals are entering the C-suite, and their priorities reflect their lived experiences: ‘We spend a lot of time getting to know folks deeply’

Matthew Bidwell of the Wharton School points to an uptick in student interest in employee wellness strategies.

FULL STORY →



US News

Stressed? Depressed? Mindfulness training could offer long-term relief

Yvette Sheline of the Perelman School of Medicine is quoted on how many cultures have used different variations of mindfulness, and that classes are generally affordable and accessible in most cities.

FULL STORY →



The Washington Post

The less college students sleep, the worse their grades, study finds

Two hundred Penn students and staff participating in a seven-week online course to build better sleep habits have reported an overall decrease in symptoms of insomnia, according to Rebecca Huxta of Wellness at Penn.

FULL STORY →



Inside Higher Ed

New on the job: Penn director of well-being initiatives creates tools for success

As Wellness at Penn’s inaugural director of well-being initiatives, doctoral candidate Jackie Recktenwald of the Graduate School of Education is looking to improve student health and wellness across campus.

FULL STORY →



The New York Times

The foods that keep you hydrated

Dan Negoianu of the Perelman School of Medicine says there’s really no data behind the eight-glasses-of-water-a-day advice.

FULL STORY →