Philanthropy to Aid Student Wellness
By Amy Rosenberg
Students working toward advanced degrees in the health sciences often experience high levels of stress, depression, and anxiety. At Tufts, the Office of Student Wellness offers students practical approaches to manage these stresses and life challenges. Located on the Boston health sciences campus, the office supports students in the School of Medicine, the Friedman School, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS), and the School of Dental Medicine, equipping them with the tools and resiliency they will need for professions with exceptionally high rates of burnout.
According to neuroscience MD/PhD student Abby Lemons, GBS27, the Office of Student Wellness provides essential offerings for students. “Our studies can be extremely stressful,” she noted. “Knowing you can take a break, interact with a therapy dog, and eat lunch or have a hot chocolate with friends in a welcoming space provides a sense of relief.”
Ajay Ananthakrishnan, M27, agreed. He said that the office “has a real impact on students.” Working toward a degree in medicine, he’s speaking from firsthand experience: “The wellness office has given me opportunities to spend time with classmates outside of school,” he said. “There’s been apple picking, movie night, Chili Fest—all of it is a reminder for me to maintain my wellness, build a sense of community, and have fun, even when things might be super busy or stressful.”
For Snaggs Gendron, the office’s director, fostering a sense of community is one of the most important things her staff does. “Graduate school can be an isolating experience,” she said. “At the wellness office, we bring students together to build community. That can help individual students navigate whatever they’re dealing with.”
Philanthropy to Aid Student Wellness
David Greenwald, PhD, GBS11, who works at a health-care investment firm in New York City, believes such support is crucial during graduate school, especially in health sciences fields. That’s why he and his wife, Lauren, generously established an endowed fund to bolster the work of the Office of Student Wellness: the Greenwald Fund for Graduate Student Mental Health and Resilience.
Greenwald’s own experience earning his PhD in genetics was great, he said—but also difficult. “The programs are academically demanding,” he explained. “In addition, there’s the general challenge of science—that things almost never work the first time around.”
He hopes to help combat the isolation that can occur in grad school by enabling more social gatherings and events that allow students to come together, relax, and regain perspective. The Greenwalds worked with the Tufts GSBS dean and Office of Development to establish an endowed fund that will add critical resources to the Office of Student Wellness.
A Place to Feel Supported and Safe
To enable community-building and prevent burnout, the Office of Student Wellness holds events such as teas, pet therapy, massages, lunchtime discussions, yoga, meditation, and step challenges. These programs allow students to convene, mingle with peers from across the health sciences, blow off steam before exams, and celebrate together after exams.
In addition, Gendron and her staff advise students in all matters related to wellness, providing everything from tips for stress reduction to support during specific crises. They welcome health students for appointments or drop-in conversations with an advisor and also offer space for them to unwind.
In the office’s Quiet Room, for example, students can sit and process challenging emotions. In the Multipurpose Room, they can take advantage of supplies designed to help them relax, such as games and arts and crafts materials.
“I see the wellness office as a place for students to feel supported and safe,” Gendron explained. “It’s like a sanctuary.”
Gendron said gifts such as the Greenwalds’ help to promote and foster mental health awareness, wellness, and resilience. And for students working online from afar, such as those in the hybrid Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs, she’d like to make the support of the office more accessible. She is currently expanding offerings to include additional hybrid programs.
Join the Greenwalds in supporting the health and well-being of future healthcare professionals by making a gift to the Office of Student Wellness at go.tufts.edu/studentwellness. Gifts of all sizes make a big difference in equipping Tufts health sciences students with the tools they need for mental health and resiliency.