Scholars of Wellbeing
Student Health's year-long Scholars of Wellbeing program aims to develop and nurture student leaders in wellness while centering their own well-being in the process. Students propose and lead or co-lead wellness projects in collaboration with Student Health to benefit the OHSU student community.
Applications are closed for the 2022-2023 academic year and are expected to re-open in summer 2023 for the next cohort. View the full role description or email shw@ohsu.edu with any questions.
Thank you to former (now graduated!) PA student and SHAC Co-Chair Lili Bornio Carrillo for her leadership in co-developing this offering.
Our first cohort of OHSU Scholars of Wellbeing Student Leaders are leading various wellness service projects. This page includes information about the projects and events that the Scholars of Wellbeing leaders have developed.
Hello, my name is Juliet Baker, Class of 2023 in the 3-year BSN program at the Portland campus. Connecting to nature is very important to me and has been since I was young. The flora and fauna of the Pacific Northwest inspires me to volunteer for organizations whose missions include stewardship, climate justice, and health equity. These include Forest Park Conservancy, Friends of Trees, and Willamette Riverkeeper.
As we begin the Spring term, I would like to motivate folks to connect with nature in a personal way -- which can be as simple as a one-minute pause. Re-connecting to the natural world has been shown to have multiple health benefits.
I invite fellow OHSU students to consider their relationship with the natural spaces around us. Learn more about the nearby green space: Marquam Nature Park Loop Hike.
Please see the contents of this page for inspiration and education. Feel free to email me with questions and share your favorite ways to connect with nature on campus.
Juliet
Upcoming Events
April is Earth Month!
- Earth Day: April 22, 2023
- Solve Oregon Spring Cleanup!
- "Join thousands of Oregonians this Earth Day for the Oregon Spring Cleanup, presented by Portland General Electric. Hundreds of community leaders and partner organizations are hosting beach cleanups, urban litter cleanup projects, and restoration events all over the state between April 15th to April 23rd"
Other Events
- Forest Park Conservancy Events Calendar
- Forest Bathing: Monthly offerings April through October with Andrea Kreiner of Red Cedar Forest Therapy
- 2023 City Nature Challenge BioBlitz at Mt. Tabor Park
- Taking place on Saturday, April 29th, 2023
- For more information and to register follow this link.
- Portland Parks and Rec Urban Forestry
- Learn more about available workshops and stewardship events!
Helpful Resources
Websites
- Healing Forest
- Healing Forest takes you on a fascinating journey of inner change and transformation through nature. Discover priceless ways to cultivate a calm mind, a healthy body, and a peaceful life. Together let's learn the secrets of healing in nature, with nature, and know how to deal with the chaos of our times
- University of Washington Nature and Health
- Nature and Health seeks to understand the connections between nature and human health and well-being. We work to translate that understanding into programs, practices, policies, and the design of healthcare, educational, and community settings that benefit all people and nature.
- How Does Nature Impact Our Wellbeing?
- University of Minnesota's Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing
- Nurtured by Nature
- American Psychological Associated article by Kirsten Weir
Podcasts & Videos
- Our Better Nature: How The Great Outdoors Can Improve Your Life (2018) Hidden Brain
- Shankar Vedantam talks with Ming Kuo, Ph D about the physiological and psychological benefits of spending time in nature.
- Prescribing Nature for Health, Noonshin Razani, MD at TEDx Nashville
- Dr. Nooshin Razani talks about the healing power of nature as well as why it is her mission to prescribe time in nature as a way to treat health conditions.
- Vitamin N, Ming Kuo, PhD at TEDx Dirigo
- Dr. Ming Kuo’s (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) extensive research scientifically proves what we intrinsically know to be true: That spending time in nature has profoundly positive and long-lasting effects on our psychological, physical, and social health.
- Making Spaces of Awe and Restoration, Florence Williams
- Author of The Nature Fix
- Webinar: Healing Power of Nature
- Free webinar from Dr. Jean Larson. Dr. Jean Larson (Bakken Center and the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum), introduces the rationale, evidence, and benefits of Nature-Based Therapeutics and explains the critical role of nature in self-care, community-building, and planetary health.
Books
- Wild in the City
- Comprehensive reference and go-to field guide for hikers, cyclists, paddlers, bird watchers and nature enthusiasts.
- The Nature Fix: Why nature makes us happier, healthier, and more creative by Florence Williams
- The Curious Nature Guide by Clare Walker Leslie
- The Nature Principle by Richard Louv
- The Curious Nature Guide by Clare Walker Leslie
- Using stunning photography as well as the author's own original illustrations, The Curious Nature Guide will inspire you to use all of your senses to notice the colors, sounds, smells, and textures of the trees, plants, animals, birds, insects, clouds, and other features that can be seen right outside your home, no matter where you live.
Academic Publications
Derose, K. P., Wallace, D. D., Han, B., & Cohen, D. A. (2021). Effects of park-based interventions on health-related outcomes: A systematic review. Preventive Medicine, 147, 106528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106528
Frumkin, H., Bratman, G. N., Breslow, S. J., ... (2017). Nature contact and human health: A research agenda. Environmental Health Perspectives, 125(7), 075001. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP1663
Park, B. J., Tsunetsugu, Y., Kasetani, T., Kagawa, T., & Miyazaki, Y. (2010). The physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing). Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 15(1), 18–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12199-009-0086-9
Robbins, J. (9 January 2020). Ecopsychology: How Immersion in Nature Benefits Your Health. https://e360.yale.edu/features/ecopsychology-how-immersion-in-nature-benefits-your-health
Seltenrich, N. (2017). From intuitive to evidence based: Developing the science of nature as a public health resource. Environmental Health Perspectives, 125(11), 114002. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP2613
Sudimac, S., Sale, V., & Kühn, S. (2022). How nature nurtures: Amygdala activity decreases as the result of a one-hour walk in nature. Molecular Psychiatry, 27, 4446–4452. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-022-01720-6