Dear Colleagues,

This note continues the series of notes providing an overview of School functions and operations and a summary of resources available to our community.

We aspire to be the best place for all our students, staff, and faculty to study and work. As part of that goal, we have a suite of resources available to promote the health and well-being of our community. A summary of these resources, offered through the School and through the University, are as follows.

For our students, the Office for Graduate Student Life (GSL), under the leadership of Assistant Dean Mary Murphy-Phillips, is the central place for support for students. This includes our Wellness Program, summarized below, and a full range of academic accommodations and Disability Services to ensure all students have equal access to educational and professional opportunities. GSL works with students who want to access behavioral health resources. Assistant Dean Mary Murphy-Phillips is always accessible and happy to provide support related to student life. She is available at 617-358-1750 or mcmurph@bu.edu.

BU SPH’s Wellness Program is designed to support our students with health and well-being resources throughout the graduate school journey. A range of services including Headspace (free to the BU community), Wellness & Prevention, Condom Fairy, and the Well-Being Project among others are available for all our students.

SPH offers various academic support resources inside and outside the classroom to promote academic success. These include advising and registration assistance, public health writing support, core course tutoring, student conference travel, and more. Additionally, the Educational Resource Center at the University level provides comprehensive support services to all our students.

At the University level, Behavioral Medicine (which provides individual counseling, support groups, referral services and more), Sexual Assault Response & Prevention, Danielsen Institute, and the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders are additional resources available to our students. Student Health Services always remains available to our students. Primary Care provides telehealth visits and select in-person visits. Student Health Services has a 24/7 on-call service that may be reached at 617-353-3575 or by messaging “Online Nurse” for assistance.

For our faculty and staff, the Faculty and Staff Assistance Office (FSAO) is the central resource through which all may find assistance on a range of personal and work concerns. The FSAO is staffed by licensed professionals who offer free and confidential short-term counseling, referrals for mental health and substance use treatment, referrals to community resources, crisis support, management consultation, training and education, as well as resources that promote well-being. The FSAO offers a series of workshop seminars and events on topics such as stress management, mindfulness, and healthy eating. FSAO services are available to BU benefits-eligible employees and to their household family members. Services are offered in person, as well as virtually and interpreter services are also available. The FSAO may be reached by completing a Contact Form or by phone at 617-353-5381.

For all our community members, spiritual and religious resources are also available at any time. Currently, the available spiritual and religious resources are Hillel, Marsh Chapel, Hindu Students Council, Meditation/Multidenominational Prayer Room at BUMC, Catholic Center, Islamic Society at BU, the Religious Life Student Groups, and more.

Finally, movement and physical health resources such as the Fuller Gym, Fitness and Recreation Center (FitRec), and Intramural Sports offer a range of programs available for all our community members. Fuller gym and FitRec offer a variety of exercise equipment, classes, and personal training sessions.

We encourage everyone in our community to take advantage of these resources. We are also always open to hearing ideas about other resources we may offer to improve community health and well-being. Please do reach out to Associate Dean Ira Lazic at iralazic@bu.edu who oversees all resources we offer at the school with ideas and thoughts on any of this.

Wishing everyone a great day ahead,

Sandro

Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH
Dean and Robert A. Knox Professor
sgalea@bu.edu

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