Health & Wellness Summit Presentation Schedule

Fitness Buddies: Supporting Enjoyment and Flourishing in Peer-led Physical Activity

• Jess Kirby | Health Promotion Graduate Program Coordinator and Assistant Professor | UCCS

• Lindsey Visscher | Research Assistant | UCCS

Fitness Buddies is a peer-led physical activity program that was created by an interdisciplinary team at UCCS to get our students moving. The program aims to improve participants' physical competence, enjoyment in physical activity and sense of belonging on campus. This session will dive deeper into the Fitness Buddies model and share findings from two studies on the program.

Emerging Trends in Gambling and the Impact within the College Community

• Daniel Trolaro | VP of Prevention | EPIC Risk Management

Gambling is growing across the state of Colorado, with over 58% of college students aged 18-22 reporting placing at least one wager in the past 12 months (NCAA April 2023). The Problem Gambling Coalition of Colorado has taken the lead in providing education and awareness to college-aged students through the use of EPIC Risk Management's expertise and experience. The session will discuss gambling as an addiction and its connection with mental health. This will be accomplished by highlighting the specific vulnerabilities of college-aged individuals, the potential for harm among students and staff, how to keep a healthy relationship with gambling and available resources for help and support.

Intergenerational Trauma: Breaking the Cycle

• Marysia Lopez | Program Manager of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for Arts & Sciences | CU Boulder

• Erin Cunnigham Ritter | Dean's Office

In this one-hour panel discussion, we will delve into the profound topic of healing intergenerational trauma, exploring the ways in which the past impacts the present and the transformative power of healing for individuals, families, and communities. Our distinguished panelists will bring their expertise and personal experiences to shed light on this complex issue and offer insights into effective strategies and resources for healing and breaking the cycle of intergenerational trauma. This session is presented as a partnership among the College of Arts and Sciences JEDI and Be Well programs as well as campus Health & Wellness Services.

Panelists:

• Kristina Eklund | Contemplative Resource Center
• Paulette Erickson England, MSW, LCSW  | Licensed Staff Counselor | Faculty and Staff Assistance Program
• Carla Eugene, MS, LPC (she, her) | Staff Counselor with Multicultural Focus | Faculty and Staff Assistance Program
• Jazmyne Peters, PhD | Renée Crown Wellness Institute

Population Resilience

• Nicole Weis, MA, LPC, LAC | Director of Community Training and Empowerment at the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience | UCCS

Social support is one of the most powerful resilience factors in times of stress and tragedy. It enables communities to come together, provide resources and increase self-efficacy. Harnessing the power of peers and meaningful connections increases community-wide resilience, reduces stigma and increases access to helping resources. As community-level stress grows, learning how to reach out to make meaningful connections is essential.

The Benefits of Identifying with a Disability

• Amelia Dickerson | Disability Advocacy Specialist | CU Boulder

• Stanley Ly | MA, LPC, ACS Director of the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program | CU Boulder

This session will review the research literature on the benefits of disabled people belonging to an identity and relating to other disabled people. We will then discuss opportunities to connect with other students, staff and faculty with disabilities on campus and valuable resources. 

Creating Authentic Dialogue: Mindfully Navigating Difficult Conversations

• Kalpana Gupta | Professional Development Lead at the Center for Teaching and Learning | CU Boulder

Dialogues are a fundamental part of how we relate to others. Often, conversations can seem overwhelming when discussing diversity, inclusion, equity and social justice topics. By introducing mindfulness into our interactions, we can sit through discomfort and unfamiliarity to reconsider what it means to have authentic dialogues. Mindfulness can help focus our conversation to facilitate engagement and understanding of perspectives that might be different from our own. In this interactive session, participants will practice directing attention to the present moment for a deeper connection with others and within themselves.

The True Story of Zero Waste and Your Wellness

• Barry Sparks | Facilities Management Outreach Program Manager | CU Boulder

The session will address how individuals can act in ways that benefit the planet and how those benefits transfer to individuals and communities. We will discuss strategies to become Zero Waste, what the campus goal of Zero Waste means and how the two intersect.

The Benefits and Practical Application of Heart-Focused Breathing

• Grace Lovejoy, MD, MBA, FACS | Clinical Instructor | Anschutz

Heart-focused breathing is a technique that can help to empower emotional self-regulation and increase resilience in our fast-paced, often stressful and energy-depleting world of work and school. Participants can learn and practice heart-focused breathing techniques and applications during this session.

Suicide Prevention Training for Student Populations

• Matt Mishkind, PhD | Deputy Director, Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Depression Center | Department of Psychiatry | Anschutz

This presentation will provide an overview of our work developing suicide prevention for student-athletes and the general student population. We will discuss the development process, current data and implementation best practices of pilot programs, including the two-hour VitalCog: Suicide Prevention for Athletic Staff, Athletes and Students.

“Gatekeepers” are individuals who serve as suicide protective factors by connecting with individuals at risk for and displaying suicide warning signs.

Understanding University Employee Health & Wellbeing

• Paige Whitney, PhD, MSc | Assistant Dean for Interprofessional Education, Senior Clinical Instructor, and Director of the Center for Active Living | UCCS

• Chrissie Bailey | Assistant Director of Wellness Promotion | UCCS

Explore the perceived health of university employees. The presentation will provide an overview of the literature, highlight findings of recent UCCS employee wellness research projects and discuss strategies to promote and sustain employee wellness in a changing higher education landscape.

Air Quality and Health Impacts of the Marshall Fire

• Colleen Reid, PhD | Assistant Professor of Geography | CU Boulder

Colleen Reid will present our findings of indoor air quality and health impacts in smoke-affected homes after the Marshall Fire, a unique wildfire in which the predominant material burned was human-made.

How to Stop Harm Before it Happens: The Power of Early Intervention

• Chris Lord | Associate Director of AOD Programs and Collegiate Recovery | CU Boulder

• Alyssa Wright | Early Intervention Program Manager | CU Boulder

This presentation will give an overview of early intervention for alcohol and other drugs at CU Boulder and share evaluation data and innovative approaches to early intervention currently in practice, including Buffs Discuss Substance Use. Learn how early intervention is part of a larger continuum of Prevention, Treatment and Recovery and explore future possible uses for early intervention.

Building a Culture of Consent on Campus

• Chelsea Hackett, PhD | Research Associate at the Renée Crown Wellness Institute | CU Boulder

During this session, we will explore how we all have the potential to build a culture of consent on campus and work against rape culture. We will explore this through the lens of how to discuss these topics in the classroom, our contributions to rape culture and how to shift language and action to support the health and safety of all students.

Human Factors: Factors of Success

• Elizabeth Harry, MD | Associate Professor | Anschutz

Increased stress and demand have resulted in cognitive overload for healthcare professionals. Physicians need practical strategies to manage their mental load to help enhance patient safety. Join Dr. Elizabeth Harry as she explores factors contributing to cognitive load and its impact on errors. Attendees will learn actionable techniques to reduce mental burden, including effective information management, cognitive aids and minimizing distractions. In addition, Dr. Harry will provide learners with strategies for developing an implementation-heavy plan to create a culture of reduced cognitive load and improved patient safety to help transform their practice and improve outcomes.

Preventing Violence and Promoting Safety at CU

• Sarah Goodrum, PhD | Senior Research Associate in Violence Prevention | CU Boulder

CU’s Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV) will present an educational and interactive program on keeping CU safe. Dr. Sarah Goodrum, a Research Professor within CSPV, will share information on the most common warning signs and concerning communications among perpetrators of mass violence and discuss recommendations for when and how to relay those warning signs to people who can help. Dr. Amanda Giguere, Director of the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, will help us navigate these difficult situations by using theater to practice our responses to people and situations that raise safety-related concerns for the self, others and our community. 

Keynote Speaker & Closing | Dr. Geoffrey Cohen

• Geoffrey Cohen, PhD | Professor of Psychology; James G. March Professor of Organizational Studies in Education and Business | Stanford University
• Tiffany Ito, PhD | Professor of Social Psychology and Neuroscience | CU Boulder (facilitator)

Dr. Geoffrey Cohen, Professor of Psychology and the James G. March Professor of Organizational Studies in Education and Business at Stanford University, an expert on the sense of belonging in society and author of Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides, will deliver a keynote session. Dr. Cohen's talk will discuss the processes that shape people's sense of belonging and self-concept and the implications these processes have for social problems. Dr. Cohen will focus on the big and small threats to belonging and the strategies that people and organizations can use to create more inclusive spaces to support community safety and individual well-being (e.g., health, success).

Dr. Tiffany Ito, Professor of Social Psychology and Neuroscience at CU Boulder will moderate a discussion and questions from the audience. Dr. Cohen was an Associate Professor of Psychology at CU Boulder from 2006-2009. A Colorado Department of Public Safety grant on identity-based violence prevention, awarded to CU's Police Department, Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence and Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance, supports the session.