University Leadership Awardees
Gene Smith, University Athletic Director, Department of Athletics
Gene supported and championed the establishment of the Athletic & Business Advancement Department’s Buckeyes LIFT initiative for staff. He supports the Buckeye Wellness Innovators in the department of Athletics and Business Advancement to incorporate evidence-based strategies and programming to meet the wellness needs and interests of staff. Gene makes it a priority to remind his staff to make time in their day to get some exercise, and he continually stresses the importance of taking care of yourself with the resources our campus has to offer.
Rustin Moore, Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine
Rustin established Be Well, which is The Ohio State University College of Veterinary of Medicine’s comprehensive and integrated health and well-being initiative for students, staff and faculty. He also created Be The Model™ strategic plan in partnership with Ohio State’s Chief Wellness Officer and Buckeye Wellness team. The program incorporates evidence-based approaches, outcome assessments and programming specific to academic and healthcare professionals and veterinary students. Rustin incorporated the Health Athlete and MINDSTRONG Programs throughout the entire college, and these programs reach first-year students, house officers and numerous faculty and staff. As a result of these initiatives, the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Health Productivity Index improved by 7% in just one year!
University and Medical Center Manager/Supervisor Awardees
Adrienne Boggs, College of Education and Human Ecology
Adrienne supports a culture of health and wellness by leading by example. She makes work fun by laughing a lot and getting up and moving throughout the building while encouraging others to do the same. Adrienne encourages active work meetings with breaks for standing or stretching. If there is a meeting to attend on main campus, she will walk or encourage others to walk with her to the meeting instead of driving. She collaborates with other Buckeye Wellness Innovators in the building to bring activities to where we work, such as 10-minute chair massages or weekly yoga sessions that are held every Monday. Adrienne participates in university-sponsored wellness activities, and she encourages everyone to participate in sessions with her.
J.J. Kuczynski, PT, DPT, Acute Rehab Services, Wexner Medical Center
J.J. focuses on staff development, not just in support of professional skills, but also mentors and fosters interpersonal skill development. He makes it a priority to meet with his staff monthly to check in on how they are doing personally and professionally. He sends his team inspirational TED talks as food for thought and discussion during our meetings. J.J. is enthusiastic about anything related to wellness. He put up a whiteboard in the staff office so everyone communicates wellness related information and events. When he meets with staff, the meeting takes place either outside on a walk, riding side-by-side on stationary bikes or walking on the treadmill. He focuses a lot on expressing gratitude to the staff and emphasizes a shared workload to keep his staff healthy by avoiding burnout.
Laura J. Peterson, MPH, LPC, Health Coaching, Wexner Medical Center
Laura does a great job of creating a culture of health and wellness. She is a great supervisor who supports a healthy balance between work and home life. Staff is able to adjust work schedules based on client needs and programing. With work/life balance, Laura allows her staff to practice our own stress reduction techniques throughout the workday. If there are team celebrations, she supplies healthy treats. Also, if time allows and work is complete, Laura encourages staff to take wellness walks. She does a great job challenging her team to strive for professional development. She relishes in innovative ideas at work, such as creating physical activity programs and healthy snack options at events. Laura often checks in on her staff to discuss daily schedules, and she does an outstanding job delegating the workload among team members so that they remain balanced through busy times throughout the year.
Marsha Amlin, College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Science
One of Marsha's best qualities is that she trusts her staff to do their jobs and empowers them to be the best versions of themselves they can be. Marsha is a big proponent of physical health. As the manager of front office support staff, she recognizes that her team is far more at risk for falling into an unhealthy, sedentary lifestyle than other members of the staff. Marsha makes sure that any member of the staff who wants a standing desk will have access to one. She also is an active participant in the various challenges offered through Your Plan For Health (YP4H) and encourages her staff to take part as well.
Buckeye Wellness Innovators of the Year
Rashmi Ganith, Christina Sediqe, Poorvi Dalal, Marisha Goldsmith - Wexner Medical Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hospital Medicine
As the division’s wellness officer, Dr. Rashmi Ganith leads Women in Hospital Medicine Nights, a program aimed at empowering women faculty and providing them with support to achieve their personal and career goals. She also brought faculty together during the pandemic through COVID-19 debrief sessions, providing a safe, comfortable space for faculty to debrief and problem-solve difficult patient cases. This program later led to the development of a mentorship committee.
Jay Smith, IT Manager, School of Communication, College of Arts and Sciences
Before Jay found the Buckeye Wellness Innovator (BWI) program, every day at work he would either skip lunch or surf the internet, sitting in the same stiff posture all day. After spending every workday like this for nine years, he realized he wanted to do something more meaningful than replaying the same uncomfortable day over and over. He collaborated with BWIs from across the university to create a free lunchtime yoga and meditation program at the 18th Avenue Library. This program impacts the lives of its participants, from helping them manage chronic conditions to bringing participants a sense of overall well-being. When the pandemic hit, Jay converted this program into a virtual format to provide Ohio State faculty and staff with a sense of normalcy and relaxation. He lives out an ayurvedic lifestyle that has helped him improve his eating habits, posture, sleep hygiene, meditation and self-care practices. His mission is to raise awareness about the self-care programs Ohio State offers, like meditation and yoga, among faculty and staff.
