Dean's Seminar: Exploring Wellness: Campus Paths to Well-Being
Content
Learn about the new Integrative Medicine Clinic, a state-wide arts prescription program, and the HEART (Health, Environment & Art) initiative.
Our wellness journeys are unique to each and every one of us. In this very special SPHHS Dean’s Seminar, you will learn about integrative medicine, an approach that treats the whole person looking for the root cause of symptoms for real healing; using art as medicine to heal and improve wellness in unique and inspiring ways; and the HEART (Health, Environment, and the Arts) initiative, which engages in research and outreach that harnesses the power of the arts to address complex problems in society.
This Dean’s Seminar brings together all three dynamic and innovative approaches to wellness and features speakers Dr. Khama Ennis from University Health Services, Professor Aline Gubrium from Community Health Education, and Community Relations Director Anna Robbins from the Fine Arts Center.
Students, faculty and staff, be ready to expand your knowledge and join us on Friday, February 13th, from 1:30-2:30 p.m. in our new SPHHS Hub Building (next to the Totman Building).
This SPHHS Dean’s Seminar is part of UMass Amherst’s Week of Wellbeing (WoW).
About the Programs:
Integrative Medicine Clinic at UMass Amherst
Doctors at the Integrative Medicine Clinic focus on diet, exercise, sleep, meditation, community, herbs, vitamins, and supplements with an evidence-based approach to use these modalities safely and effectively along with conventional medicine.
Health, Environment, and the Arts (HEART) Initiative
The HEART initiative aims to create opportunities for interdisciplinary work that intentionally nurtures arts-based research practices and their unique power to develop and communicate resources and solutions
Participating in the creative arts promotes well-being of the whole person. In the University’s first arts-based social prescription program, organizers aim to harness the power of the arts to mitigate the effects of anxiety, loneliness, isolation, and other stressors commonly seen on campus.
Meet the Panelists:
Khama Ennis, MD, MPH, is a board certified emergency physician and has also completed fellowships in physician acupuncture and integrative medicine. She is an Associate Medical Director at University Health Services here at UMass Amherst. She is passionate about health equity, reducing disparities and improving outcomes for all. She spearheaded the launch of an Integrative Medicine service line at UHS to help patients address root causes of health challenges. She also created Faces of Medicine, a documentary and storytelling project, to tell the stories of Black Female physicians and move the needle on representation in medicine. Her writing has appeared in the Washington Post and Parents Magazine.
Aline Gubrium, PhD, is a Professor of Community Health Education in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences. Gubrium bridges medical anthropology and public health, with extensive experience in critical narrative intervention, ethnographic, and arts-based work focused on historically marginalized youth, families, and reproductive justice. She has co-facilitated digital storytelling, Photovoice, and body mapping workshops over the past 15 years, has published widely on using these methods in research, intervention, and advocacy contexts, and has published on ethical considerations in their use.
Anna Robbins, associate director of community engagement and creative wellness, leads the Fine Art Center’s engagement and wellness initiatives with a focus on developing partnerships, supporting community art making, and originating innovative arts programs.