Wellness

Indiana University School of Medicine is committed to supporting a culture of wellness and engagement. As a key objective in the IU School of Medicine 2030 Strategic Plan, the school aims to make tangible interventions to enhance the health and well-being of our faculty, staff and learners.

IU offers a range of resources designed to foster a healthy, supportive environment for the entire community. One of the most significant efforts toward supporting the culture of wellness across both IU School of Medicine and IU Health is our joint investment in institutional membership of the Healthcare Professional Well-Being Academic Consortium (PWAC). The organization focuses on validated measurement of well-being outcomes and determinants and offers members access to a growing benchmarking database that is powered by nationwide member-administration of the core PWAC survey.

The Department of Medicine named Mary de Groot, PhD, a clinical health psychologist and a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, its first Associate Vice Chair for Wellness in June 2023. In her first year in the role, de Groot conducted a needs assessment and listening tour with all 10 divisions in the department. She established a wellness advisory committee, presented a wellness-centered Medicine Grand Rounds, and established new wellness programs.

In February 2024, the department launched a new newsletter, called Rhythm, which serves as a resource for wellness, diversity and faculty development news and announcements.

A hiking competition brought hospitalists together outside of work

John Botkin, MD, started a Facebook group called “The Hiking Hospitalists” and created a point system to incentivize participation because he understands the problem of physician burnout, having gone through it himself in 2018. That experience led him to become a “people pillar” for his hospitalist group, working to improve physician connection, retention, and experience. But just as he started that role, the pandemic came along. “We couldn’t meet face-to-face. We were all very clinically busy and drowning in the work that we were doing,” he said. Read More.