Welcome to the UF College of Medicine Wellness Programs!
The mission of the University of Florida College of Medicine (UFCOM) is to improve health care in Florida, our nation, and the world through excellence and consistently superior leadership in education, clinical care, discovery, and service.
These lofty goals require that each member of the UFCOM perform at his or her best. Recognizing that administrators, faculty, staff, and trainees will reach their fullest potential only when they are engaged with team members and colleagues, find joy and meaning in their work, and are physically and emotionally healthy, the UFCOM is committed to promoting well-being among all its members. The UF College of Medicine Wellness Programs were established to support the UFCOM in achieving the Quadruple Aim (Bodenheimer & Sinsky, 2014) of:
Dr. Lisa Merlo, a licensed clinical psychologist and Associate Professor of Psychiatry, serves as the Director of Wellness Programs. She works with the Office of Medical Education, the Office of Graduate Medical Education, the Office of Faculty Affairs & Professional Development, UFCOM Human Resources , GatorCare , UF-UF Health Wellness, and others to enhance the culture of wellness at UFCOM and provide support to our trainees, faculty, and staff.
Our approach to wellness promotion is based in the Stanford WellMD Center conceptual model (Bohman, Dyrbye, Sinsky, et al., 2017), which demonstrates that professional fulfillment is supported and enhanced by three reciprocal domains: Culture of Wellness, Efficiency of Practice, and Personal Resilience.
Current initiatives are underway to evaluate and improve both the culture of wellness and efficiency of practice at the institutional level, as well as within individual units. Needs assessments are being conducted to identify areas of opportunity to improve well-being and professional satisfaction for trainees, faculty, and staff. The Director of Wellness Programs is available to: assist with wellness needs assessments within units, provide feedback and evidence-based recommendations, consult regarding the development of wellness-related policies, programs, and research projects, and refer to available resources.
Finally, we view self-care as a professional responsibility, and aim to support UFCOM employees and trainees in enhancing their personal resilience and practicing a healthy lifestyle.
Please take some time to explore our site and learn more about the ways that UFCOM can support your well-being and professional fulfillment. In particular, be sure to check out the Wellness Resource Hub and consider completing an individualized wellness prescription!
We welcome your comments and suggestions regarding additional ways to promote well-being and professional satisfaction at UFCOM. Please use the contact form below to share your ideas
References:
Bodenheimer, T., & Sinsky, C. (2014). From triple to quadruple aim: Care of the patient requires care of the provider. Annals of Family Medicine, 12(6), 573-576.
Bohman B, Dyrbye L, Sinsky C, Linzer M, Olson K, Babbott S, Murphy ML, deVries P, Hamidi M, Trockel M. (2017). Physician Well-Being: The Reciprocity of Practice Efficiency, Culture of Wellness, and Personal Resilience. NEJM Catalyst. https://catalyst.nejm.org/physician-well-being-efficiency-wellness-resilience/.