The Ohio State University Chief Wellness Officer, Bernadette Melnyk, is pleased to support Buckeye Wellness Innovators, who are uniquely positioned to positively influence the wellness culture and environment of their department or unit. Planning health and wellness activities is part of their role. Funding is available to Buckeye Wellness Innovators who develop new programs, encourage their colleagues to live healthy lifestyles and plan activities for their departments.
2024 Recipients
College of Arts and Sciences - Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures
Recipients: Kevin Richards
Wandern: Health Hikes - Building on a previously funded grant, Kevin is looking to support and develop collegial well-being through hiking. He is looking to add two more hiking excursions, including healthy snacks and increase participation at their departmental meetings.
College of Engineering - The Knowlton School
Recipients: KC Becker, Jaimie Mollison, Maddy Craig
Path to Pickleball: A Fun and Social Approach to Physical Activity - The Knowlton School used funds to support an initiative to help make their staff healthier, happier and more connected through Pickleball. The funds were used to have lessons from professionals to teach their team to play the sport at a local vendor. Their goal is to extend their reach to their staff's family and friends and utilize RPAC pickleball courts for future meetings and games to keep the physical activity going.
College of Food, Agricultural, Environmental Sciences
Recipients: Betty Aylsworth, Erin Parker, William Koshar
4 Dubs (Wooster Weekly Wellness Walks) - Betty and her teams used funds to increase participation and physical activity for the Wooster Campus. They paired physical activity with building social connections on their walks, facilitating wellness conversations based on the benefits available to Ohio State University Faculty and Staff. They will also be offering incentives to keep the walking habit going!
College of Nursing (CON)
Recipients: Sarah Rust-Overman, Jen Poe-Rhodes
CON Be Well Series - CON BWIs used funds to create a wellness series for faculty and staff. The wellness series includes fitness sessions, information sessions and nutrition guidance. They are scheduling yoga, barre, Pilates and Zumba classes, hosting lunch-n-learns that touch multiple dimensions of wellness and healthy snacks weekly to improve the well-being of faculty and staff.
John Glenn College of Public Affairs
Recipient: Preston Phillips
Indoor Bicycle Parking at Page Hall - Preston utilized the funds to provide a bike Rack at John Glenn College of Public Affairs. Many employees use bicycles as their primary mode of transportation due to the high regard for wellness throughout the college. The aim is to keep physical wellness at the forefront of their minds and promote safety in their modes of transportation.
Office of Student Life - Dining Services
Recipients: Ashley Richardson, Rachel Stefancic
Staff Wellness Walk and Activities Day - Ashley and Rachel utilized the funds to purchase cornhole boards to add to their team's "Wellness Walks Day". Cornhole will allow for some friendly competition while allowing teammates to improve social wellness by getting to play with and against people who they may not know.
Office of Student Life - Student Wellness Center
Recipients: Arianna Camel, Re'Nesha Weston, Brendan Greisberger, Joshua Bensink, Adrienne Moetanalo, Brandon Horton
Spring into Wellness - The Student Wellness Center plans to host a "Spring into Wellness Day" to encourage staff to utilize desk tools that will help get them moving and strengthen their bodies as they work. During this time, they will also work on mindfulness, meditation and gratitude to improve physical and emotional wellness. Funds will be used to provide ball chairs, gratitude journals, guided meditation tools, desk exercise bikes, balance boards, wobble chair cushions and stretch cards.
Ohio State Alumni Association
Recipients: Abby Flanagan, Tina Pierce, Mary Barnes, Nicole McCoy
Quarterly OSUAA All Staff Meetings - The Alumni BWIs plan to use funds and the 30 minutes before each meeting for "social time" with healthy snacks. They aim to promote healthy eating by providing healthy snack options to energize staff and improve staff members' emotional health by allowing them to make social connections with one another before all staff meetings.
Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center - Planning, Architecture and Real Estate
Recipients: Matthew Hansen, Alicia Gaston, Aiden Jones, Daniel Law
PARE BWIs would like to engage the culinary team and nutritional experts from the OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center for a lunch of healthy cooking at the Heminger Hall demonstration kitchen. The demonstration will come complete with recipes that feature seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center - Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Endocrinology Research
Recipient: Lindsey Aldrich
Healthy Eating in Endo - Lindsey is looking to provide healthy snacks full of nutrients to improve the snacking habits of the Endocrinology Research staff. The goal is to educate and fuel her coworkers to continue to make healthy eating choices in their snacks.
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center - James Molecular Laboratory
Recipients: Rachel Hess, Joyce Whitson
Polaris Container Garden Extension - Rachel and Joyce used their funds to expand upon their original grant proposal. The Polaris Container Garden was previously funded by Buckeye Wellness in 2022. This grant helped fund the start of a set of container gardens at the Polaris Innovation Centre that provided staff with a wellness outlet during work hours in the care and maintenance of the garden and provided staff of the building with healthy, fresh homegrown herbs and vegetables to eat for lunch or take home. This project has been so successful that more containers were purchased.
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center - Lab Compliance and Point of Care Testing
Recipients: Kayla Borton, Sanda Vanranken, Sarah Solis
Healthy Snacks to Promote Healthy Habits -The Healthy Snacks to Promote Healthy Habits project would be the first step in increasing laboratory staff awareness of the need for breaks and nourishing their bodies throughout the day. Healthy snacks will be provided to 40 Clinical and Anatomic Pathology laboratories throughout the organization for both staff and faculty to enjoy. This will occur throughout the year as Kayla visits each lab to promote staff health and wellness initiatives further.
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center - Ross Heart Hospital Ambulatory Care Center
Recipients: Rose Chumita - Healthy Hydration by Infused Water - Rose utilized funding to provide healthy hydration to the Ross ACC staff. She wants to offer a special water station to the staff each week. She hopes to promote proper hydration, increase energy levels and maximize performance on the team. The goal is to ensure proper breaks and improve overall well-being.
Office of Student Life - Counseling and Consultation Services
Recipient: Claire Simon
Movement for Mental Health - To overcome the main barrier to wellness, Student Life Counseling and Consultation purchased under-desk exercise bike Pedalers and under-desk treadmills for their staff with grant funding. With busy schedules and back-to-back meetings, the under-desk exercise units purchased with grant funding will add a dimension of wellness without impacting productivity and improve emotional wellness.
Office of Student Life - Financial Management
Recipient: Rae Hofmeister
Attitude of Gratitude - As a part of their staff retreat, Rae used her funds to support the emotional wellness of the Office of Student Life's Financial management team. Working to increase the team's self-esteem, enhance positive emotions and increase psychological well-being to make stronger social connections, Rae purchased pens with motivational words printed on them, notebooks that have positive sayings and engraved stones to keep at desks to serve as a reminder to the team daily.
Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Operations Improvement
Recipients: Rachel Arpin, Sara Stevenson
Team Building Through Problem-Solving - On a team nearly doubling in size, ways of building team cohesion and partnership were top of mind when Rachel and Sara submitted their grant proposal. To improve emotional wellness, they used grant funding to rent a portable Escape Room and plan an event. The two-hour event will include playing the game, debriefing and building relationships among all team members.
Ohio State Mansfield Campus - Office of Technology and Digital Innovation
Recipient: Mantra Das
Lunchtime Office Relaxation - Mantra aims to foster a culture of well-being among Ohio State Mansfield staff through the introduction of Yoga Nidra. Introducing a simplified version of the ancient relaxation technique through guided imagery and Shavasana to Ohio State Mansfield will support emotional wellness and decrease stress at work. Funding will be used to acquire yoga mats, blankets and yoga cushions to make spaces comfortable and accessible for the practice.
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center - Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, Medical Oncology Fellowship Program
Recipients: Janet Dettorre, Ankur Sheel
My Story - Funding was used to conduct an interactive lecture series that was initiated by the Hematology and Medical Oncology Fellowship Program. Dr. Magana will share his story and encourage education in the department for inspiration over a healthy lunch. This lecture will help in promoting team camaraderie and emotional wellness, as well as hearing the story from a true Buckeye.
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center - Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology
Recipients: Heather Glenn, Steph Stump
Escaping the Office - To promote staff well-being and work-life balance among the staff, the internal medicine nephrology BWIs used funds to complete an escape room as a team-building exercise. This event will aid in supporting work-life balance and enhancing team communication, collaboration, engagement and productivity while decreasing feelings of isolation and stress within their division.
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center - Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology
Recipients: Tanasia Harris, Ruth Chan
Wellness Together at the Zoo - Tanasia used wellness funding to increase team cohesion, foster camaraderie and build an increased sense of connection amongst her division. This is being accomplished by planning a trip to the zoo. The team trip to the zoo will also incorporate physical and emotional wellness by walking the entirety of the zoo while getting some sunshine during their team event.
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center - Nutrition Services, Clinical Nutrition, and Diet Tech Group
Recipients: Misty McGriffin, Amy Patton, Cassie Fackler, Samantha Hupp
Operation Diet Tech Team Building Retreat - To combat burnout and increased responsibilities in a post-pandemic healthcare environment, Misty utilized funds to increase team morale and decrease stress. She plans on doing this by planning a team-building retreat to Top Golf. As a by-product of this team-building activity, she will also be supporting increased physical activity, decreasing stress levels in her team and ensuring healthy eating options during the event.
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center - Sports Medicine Athletic Training Outreach
Recipients: Samantha Wagner, Vince O’Brien
Escaping the Office with Team Building - With most of the Ohio State Sports Medicine Athletic Training Outreach team being housed at different locations, Samantha and Vince are using wellness funding to bring the team together. Scheduling time to complete an Escape room will increase team morale, bonding and team collaboration, as well as support the team's emotional wellness.
Fisher College of Business - The Office of Advancement
Recipient: Kathryn Scheid
Creative Self-care: A Candle-Making Experience - To improve her team’s emotional and creative wellness, Kathryn utilized grant funding to schedule a candle-making and scent exploration experience at Penn & Beech Candle Co. This immersive experience outside of work will aim to reduce burnout, enhance creativity and foster a positive work environment that is centered around mindfulness, relaxation, self-care and community.
Office of Research - Animal Care and Use Program (ACUP)
Recipients: Stacey Meeker, JoBeth Helmig-Mason, Elizabeth Brooks, Danielle Myers
OSU ACUP Spring Art Show - To combat burnout and compassion fatigue, ACUP is planning to celebrate their teammates' artistic abilities by hosing an Employee Art Show. Art, where all showcased media will be provided by the teammates of ACUP team. The team will then have the opportunity to create a piece of art they can take home after the event, with information on the effects of creative wellness.
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center - Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology
Recipients: Steph Stump, Dr. Ruth Chan, Tanasia Harris
Title: Explore Your Creative Side - To inspire department-wide wellness, the Division of Rheumatology, and Department of Internal Medicine BWIs are utilizing wellness funding to schedule freestyle painting accompanied with healthy snacks. This time will also serve as a team building exercise.
College of Education and Human Ecology - Department of Teaching and Learning (T&L)
Recipients: Jena Bernth, Deborah Morbitt
T&L Wellness Initiatives - The T&L BWIs used grant funding for organizing and facilitating a Wellness Cart and bulletin board. The bulletin board and wellness cart will be updated monthly to emphasize different themes of wellness. This project will aid in department communication and promote a healthy and supportive working environment.
Facilities Operations and Development (FOD) - Sustainability and Strategic Services
Recipients: Mary Leciejewski, Aparna Dial
Fostering a Culture of Wellness - FOD Sustainability and Strategic Services team utilized wellness funds to host a team bonding event while receiving professional bowling instructions from one of their team members. To increase team cohesion, the team spent time learning bowling, while resources were shared about different wellness programming such as meal prepping, cooking techniques, personal culture and overall health.
Office of Student Life - Student Health Services
Recipient: Peggy Butauski
Wilce Wellness - To increase staff wellness through physical activity and mindfulness, the Student Health Services utilized wellness funding to host workshops. These workshops will include yoga, Pilates, meditation/mindfulness, walking workouts and resistance workouts throughout 2024.
Ohio State Eye and Ear Institute, Surgery Center
Recipient: Christopher Illes
Fueling Financial Focus - Throughout 12 monthly team meetings (one year), Chris plans to present various wellness tools and healthy alternatives to expose his team (19 employees) to ways they can maintain their health and wellness while in the office and beyond. Our plan involves providing a diverse selection of nutritious snacks such as fresh fruits, nuts, granola bars, and low-sugar alternatives, visits from the Buckeye Paws program, stress balls and more.
Ohio State Eye and Ear Institute - Surgery Center
Recipient: Rasauna Wilborn
Wellness Wall - A wellness wall will be created to allow staff to utilize materials to take a break and escape the fast pace of the office and surgical area. It will include a tabletop Zen Garden, artificial greenery, soothing stones, humidifier light, wooden block puzzles, coloring books, coloring pencils, markers, crayons, hand weights, resistance bands, stress balls, yoga mats, yoga blocks and noise-canceling headphones. It will also have positive affirmation signage, reading material and journaling pads and pens.
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center - Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (GHN)
Recipients: Gabrielle Volk, Elizabeth Strausbaugh, Taylor Sheskey
GHN Division Wellness Cart and Wellness Workshop - The Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition BWIs utilized wellness funding to bolster Division-Specific Wellness Carts and monthly Wellness workshops. The wellness carts and wellness workshops will serve over 175 team members, increase personal interaction amongst teams, promote networking and team cohesion and operate as a platform to extend wellness resources and initiatives.
Connect with Buckeye Wellness
Facebook: ohiostatebuckeyewellness
Instagram: buckeyewellness
Twitter: @wellbuckeyes
Email: buckeyewellness@osu.edu
Phone: 614-292-7220
