Education at OHSU

Wellness

Rainbow colored wellness wheel with white lettering

Wellness is holistic and encompasses many aspects of our lives. OHSU strives to support students across areas to maintain overall well-being. 

Wellness offerings

Interested in having a wellness event for a student group, class, or meeting?  Student Health providers and staff can give presentations and lead activities on many wellness topics.  Some commonly requested topics include:

  • Stress Management
  • Mindfulness
  • Resilience
  • Impostor Syndrome
  • Self-talk and self-compassion
  • Training for faculty/staff on how to support students in crisis
  • Brief overviews of Student Health services (approximately 5-10 minutes)
  • Many other topics by request

Most sessions are approximately 1-2 hours, though we can often accommodate other requests as well.

Email our Wellness and Outreach Program Manager to request an event or discuss options.

Stressed or want to relax and be able to focus?  Curious about mindfulness and how it can help?  Students and postdocs can schedule mindfulness coaching appointments individually or as a small group to explore, start and/or deepen a mindfulness practice.  See this mindfulness coaching handout for details, and call SHW at 503-494-8665, Option 1 to schedule.

Want to connect with your classmates and manage stress in a virtual space around a light-hearted topic?  Join the Science of Happiness, a research-informed series similar to some of the most popular courses ever taught at Harvard and Yale. We will explore topics shown in research to increase happiness, such as mindfulness, gratitude, self-compassion, acts of kindness, and resilience. This is a fun and interactive series with tangible takeaways you can apply in daily life! No prior experience or background knowledge is needed. 

  • Open to OHSU students, their spouses/domestic partners, and postdocs
  • Three-session series.  Offered several times a year.
  • Email shw@ohsu.edu to receive updates when the next series is scheduled.  It was last offered in October 2022.

Interested in developing your leadership skills while supporting the well-being of OHSU students?  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.  Stay tuned for more updates as this year's cohort of Scholars prepare to launch their projects! Check out our Scholars of Wellbeing page for more information!

Student Health provides many food resources for OHSU students, including:

Visit our Student Food Resources webpage for more details.

Enjoy the benefits of sunshine even when it's cloudy and cold by borrowing light therapy lamps, which are available for pickup at the BICC Library or the Robertson Life Sciences Building Learning Resource Center.

Bright white fluorescent light has been shown to reverse the winter depressive symptoms of winter blues and SAD (formerly called Seasonal Affective Disorder, now known as depression with seasonal pattern). Light therapy can also be used for those with mild symptoms of winter mood changes including lethargy, carbohydrate craving, weight gain, and lack of motivation. The light therapy lamps are Verilux HappyLight lamps, model VT23.

Light therapy lamps can be requested in advance through the Library catalog, just like a book. Once making the reservation you will get an e-mail explaining how to schedule an appointment to come to pick them up at the BICC. If you prefer you can also arrange for a pickup at RLSB (may be able to pick it up later the same day, or could take up to 2 business days). If you want to pick up the light therapy lamp on the same day, you can also use the "Contact the Library" link on the library website and request it using the e-mail form.

Please note that light therapy requires precautions for people with certain conditions; please contact Student Health and Wellness to schedule an appointment if you have questions.

Read more about light therapy

CURRENTLY ON PAUSE due to low attendance at virtual Refuel.  Email shw@ohsu.edu if interested in having Refuel offered again. 

Looking for ways to tackle stress? Join us for virtual Refuel at Noon, with mindfulness and self-acupressure practice. Come relax and recharge with qi gong, meditation, or other mindfulness practices. Offered by Student Health mindfulness practitioners. 

  • Open to OHSU students, postdocs, employees, and other OHSU community members (must have an OHSU login to join)
  • No experience or special clothes/equipment required –come as you are, this time is for you! 
  • Questions?  Email shw@ohsu.edu