The Dean's Advisory Committee on Health and Well-being was established in 2017 with a mandate to gather information about challenges, barriers, facilitators, and resources for supporting health and well-being.
The committee works toward the development of tangible recommendations and resources for supporting health and well-being among students, staff, and faculty from across the Faculty of Health.
What we do
- Review strategies for mental and physical health promotion within formal and informal Faculty activities.
- Review opportunities for creating a supportive and safe community.
- Support and promote services that help members of the Faculty of Health community prosper, such as student peer counselling in the Faculty (UW Mates), Health and well-being, or the Employee and Family Assistance Program.
- Fund and publicize graduate student-led initiatives that might directly or indirectly affect health and well-being, on topics such as physical activity, health education or workshops, community building or social relationships, leisure and nutrition.
- Gather information about the status of health and well-being in the Faculty.
- Support events such as Wellness Week, Snack Pack, Wellness Bingo and other initiatives focused on supporting health, well-being and engagement within the Faculty of Health community.
- Lead the Faculty’s initiatives to promote health and well-being, including coordination of activities with the University and external bodies (for example, Canadian Blood Services to give back to the community).
See Health and Well-being for more information on initiatives and resources in the Faculty of Health.
If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, please email the committee.
2025-2026 Members
- Mark Ferro Advisory Chair
- Hanako Hellinga Administrator
Faculty
- Alyssa Vanwyck (RLS) Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream
- Brian Laird (Dean’s Office) Associate Dean Graduate Studies
- Michelle Ogrodnik (KHS) Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream
- Phil Bigelow (SPHS) Associate Professor
Staff
- Sara Houston (RLS) Undergraduate Program Manager
- Briana Oenputera (SPHS) Undergraduate Advisor and Program Coordinator
- TBD (KHS)
Graduate students
- Danielle Peters (KHS)
- Kiana Kohandel (RLS)
- Michele Weidinger (SPHS)
Undergraduate students
- Rajnandini Ganguli (SPHS)
- TBA (RLS)
- Jyothi Kakani (KHS)
Guests
- Dania Kamran (Dean's Office) Project Assistant Co-op
- Melissa Potwarka (Campus Wellness) Associate Director, Health Promotion
- Krystle Younker (Master of Social Work) Graduate Student
- Isabel Yang (AHSUM) Vice President, Education
