Well-Being Fair Highlights Medical Center Health and Wellness Offerings

This year’s CUIMC Well-Being Fair brought together staff and faculty from across the medical center to share practical tools and resources for better self-care.

"This is our third annual Well-Being Fair, and we're excited to see how these fairs have fostered partnership and strengthened well-being among our faculty and staff," said Sony Jean-Michel Thornton, senior human resources business partner, who organized the event with her colleague Sherley Desulme Willis.

Approximately 340 employees attended the Feb. 10 event organized by CUIMC Events; Human Resources; Office of Well-Being; Office of Engagement, Retention and Growth; Pediatrics' POWER (Promoting Overall Well-Being, Engagement, and Resilience); and leadership across CUIMC’s four schools. In total, over 1100 faculty and staff have participated in CUIMC’s Well-Being Fairs.

Timed with American Heart Month, the fair featured several heart-health activities and tables, including a Zumba class, blood pressure measurements, and a table dedicated to hands-only CPR, where Merona Hollingsworth, associate director of the Helene Fuld Health Trust Simulation Center at the School of Nursing, provided demonstrations and instruction. “For anyone in an emergency response situation, hands-only CPR is often the first line of survival,” Merona said. “I’m here to make this knowledge accessible to everyone.”

All photos by Rudy Diaz / Columbia University Irving Medical Center

​‘Cardio can be fun’ was the implicit message of the energetic and well-attended Zumba class, and everyone in the class seemed to agree. ​

Other workshops and activities emphasized the range and variety of services available to CUIMC faculty and staff. “What I want people to take away from this event is the wealth of resources available for every aspect of well-being, whether financial, physical, mental, or emotional health,” said Nina Heyman, director of the Office of Well-Being. “We are here to support you.”

Massages, acupuncture, heart-healthy snacks, and the ever-popular therapy dogs were on hand to provide employees with relaxing and meditative experiences.

Kristiene Recto, program manager in the Department of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health, took advantage of many of the fair’s offerings. “I learned about acupuncture and realized that needles are NOT scary. I also received NARCAN training and tools, so I could help an overdose victim. I feel confident that I could help someone in that situation. And, honestly, I didn’t know CUIMC offered so many different things to support employee health. I think it’s great.”