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UBC Wellbeing

About

To be a global leader in championing wellbeing for our students, faculty, staff, and community members, we must work together, embracing wellbeing in our campus culture, promoting and supporting wellbeing in both large and small ways, and helping one another address challenges.


It is this strategic, collaborative, system-wide approach that defines UBC’s approach to wellbeing. It is not the effort of a single unit or department, but something we create collectively, with everyone contributing to making UBC a better place to live, work, learn and play.

UBC Office of Wellbeing Strategy

The UBC Office of Wellbeing Strategy serves as the core strategic support (or backbone) to advance UBC’s Wellbeing Strategic Framework (WSF), providing system-wide alignment, coordination, communication, facilitation, and evaluation of WSF Roadmap implementation to meet UBC’s 2025 wellbeing targets and commitments to the Okanagan Charter.

Office of Wellbeing Strategy Team
  • Matt Dolf | Director | Vancouver Campus
  • Melissa Feddersen | Manager, Campus Wellness & Education | Okanagan Campus 
  • Karen Selby | Planning and Evaluation Advisor | Vancouver Campus
  • Sarah Carten | Planning and Evaluation Advisor | Vancouver Campus
  • Sara Kozicky | Wellbeing Strategic Initiatives Project Manager | Vancouver Campus
  • Mandy MacRae​​​​​​ | Communications & Engagement Strategist | Vancouver Campus

UBC Wellbeing Executive Leadership Team

The UBC Wellbeing Executive Leadership Team provides oversight and decision-making support to ensure that UBC moves toward becoming a wellbeing-promoting university, embedding health and wellbeing in all that we do: into everyday operations, business practices, and academic mandates.

Executive Leadership Team
  • Simon Bates | Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President, Teaching and Learning | Vancouver Campus
  • Marcia Buchholz | Vice-President, Human Resources 
| Vancouver Campus
  • Ainsley Carry | Vice-President, Students | Vancouver Campus
  • Jerry Chen | Associate Vice-President, Human Resources | Vancouver Campus
  • Lesley Cormack | Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Principal | Okanagan Campus
  • Matt Dolf | Director | Office of Wellbeing Strategy | Vancouver Campus
  • Noorjean Hassam | Chief Student Health Officer, Student Health & Wellbeing | Vancouver Campus
  • Dale Mullings | Associate Vice-President, Students | Okanagan Campus

UBC Wellbeing Advisory Committee

The Wellbeing Advisory Committee is made up of a dedicated group of academic leaders, senior administrators, and student executives on both our Vancouver and Okanagan campuses. They represent leadership across portfolios at UBC and are a driving force in supporting wellbeing as a priority on our campuses, addressing why wellbeing matters, and recognizing how it can be better integrated into the strategic, academic, and operational work of the university. The Advisory Committee typically meets quarterly.

Advisory Committee Members 

— Chaired by members of the UBC Wellbeing Executive Leadership Team

  • Levonne Abshire | Director Health Equity, Promotion & Education | Health Promotion & Education | Student Health & Wellbeing | Vancouver campus
  • Gaya Arasaratnam | Director | Student Health & Wellness | UBC Okanagan
  • Alex Bayne | Executive Director | Human Resources | Okanagan campus
  • Michelle Berner | Managing Director, Total Compensation | VP Human Resources | Vancouver campus
  • Joan Bottorff | Professor & Director | Institute for Healthy Living & Chronic Disease Prevention | Okanagan campus
  • Guy Faulkner | Professor | School of Kinesiology | Vancouver campus
  • Noorjean Hassam | Chief Student Health Officer | Student Health & Wellbeing | Vancouver campus
  • Brianne Howard | Director, Academic Support, Office of the Dean and Vice-Provost | Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies | Vancouver campus
  • Carole Jolly | Director, Community Development | Campus & Community Planning | Vancouver campus
  • Shelley Kayfish | Director, Campus Operations and Risk Management | Campus & Community Planning | Okanagan campus
  • Natasha Malloff | Director | Health, Wellbeing & Benefits | Human Resources | UBC Vancouver
  • Margaret Moss | Director | First Nations House of Learning | Vancouver campus
  • Ismail Muftau | VP University & Academic Affairs | Graduate Student Society | Vancouver campus
  • Linda Nowlan | Executive Director | UBC Sustainability Initiative | Vancouver campus
  • Andrew Parr | Associate Vice-President | Student Housing and Community Services | Vancouver campus
  • Moura Quayle | Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President, Academic Affairs
  • Arig al Shaibah | Associate Vice-President, Equity and Inclusion | Vancouver campus
  • Kavie Toor | Managing Director | UBC Athletics & Recreation | Vancouver campus
  • Dana Turdy | VP Academic & University Affairs | Alma Mater Society| Vancouver campus

Strategic Support Team

Under the guidance of the Wellbeing Advisory Committee, a Strategic Support Team of staff from key wellbeing supporting units on both campuses works with faculties, units and departments to integrate wellbeing into their practices, policies and unit cultures. Supports for wellbeing include,

  • Assisting with strategic planning 
  • Communications and engagement 
  • Planning and evaluation 
  • Facilitation and connections 
  • Bridging research and practice
Strategic Support Leads
  • Levonne Abshire | Director | Health Equity, Promotion & Education | Student Health & Wellbeing | Vancouver Campus
  • Melissa Feddersen | Manager, Campus Wellness & Education | Student Wellness | Okanagan Campus
  • Crystal Hutchinson | Senior Lead, Workplace Wellbeing Strategies | HR Health, Wellbeing & Benefits | Vancouver Campus
  • Amanda Swoboda | Wellbeing Strategist | Workplace Health and Wellbeing | UBC Okanagan
  • Carleigh Benoit | Manager | Workplace Health and Wellbeing | UBC Okanagan
  • Matt Dolf | Director | Office of Wellbeing Strategy | Vancouver Campus

Community of Practice 

A “Community of Practice” enhances connections for staff connected to health, wellbeing, and sustainability promotion but without necessarily having a mandate for systems-wide work. This group focuses on knowledge sharing, capacity building, innovation, and collaboration to connect communities and embed wellbeing across the institution.

Community of Practice Members 
  • Arts & Culture District
  • Athletics & Recreation
  • Campus + Community Planning
  • Equity & Inclusion Office
  • First Nations House of Learning
  • Food Services
  • Health, Wellbeing & Benefits (VP HR)
  • Health Promotion & Education (VPS Student Health & Wellbeing)
  • Office of Wellbeing Strategy
  • Sustainability Hub
  • UBC Health
  • UBC Okanagan HR
  • UBC Okanagan Health and Wellness

Priority Area Committees

Comprised of students, faculty, staff, and community stakeholders from both campuses, committees support our Wellbeing Priority Areas. Each committee has a Terms of Reference (listed below) and is developing a "Roadmap" to help guide goal setting and facilitate cross-campus initiatives in each area.

For “Built & Natural Environments” and “Social Connection,” efforts are led within key supporting units.

Mental Health & Resilience Committee

Terms of Reference for this committee are available here

  • AMS: VP Academic & University Affairs 
  • UBC SUO: President 
  • GSS: VP University & Academic Affairs 
  • Student member at large UBCV: TBD 
  • Faculty member UBCV: Michael Lee (Medicine) 
  • Faculty member UBCO: Sabre Cherkowski (Education) 
  • VPHR Health, Wellbeing & Benefits: Natasha Malloff 
  • VPHR Health, Wellbeing & Benefits: Crystal Hutchinson
  • VPHR Health, Wellbeing & Benefits: Miranda Massie *Co-Chair
  • VPHR UBCO: Carleigh Benoit, Amanda Swoboda 
  • VPHR Distributed HR: Jeeva Delraj 
  • VPS Student Health & Wellbeing: Noorjean Hassam 
  • VPS Health Equity, Promotion & Education: Levonne Abshire
  • VPS Counselling Services: TBD 
  • VPS UBCO Student Wellness: Gaya Arasaratnam *Co-Chair 
  • AVPS UBCO Health and Wellness: Melissa Feddersen 
  • UBCO Campus Health: Lauren Airth 
  • UBC Health: Carrie Krekoski 
  • Office of Wellbeing Strategy: Matt Dolf 
    ​​
Food & Nutrition Committee

Terms of Reference for this committee are available here

  • AMS: Project Coordinator, Sustainability  
  • AMS: AVP Sustainability  
  • AMS: AVP University Affairs  
  • AMS: Food Bank Coordinator  
  • GSS: President or other delegate  
  • Campus Community + Planning: Liska Richer | Manager, SEEDS Sustainability Program  
  • Health Promotion & Education: Hillary Stevens | Health Promotion Specialist
  • Faculty of Land and Food Systems: Alison Browes | Dietetics Education Coordinator 
  • School of Population & Public Health: Rachel Murphy | Assistant Professor, Centre of Excellence in Cancer Prevention  
  • UBCO Food Services: Associate Director 
  • UBCO Campus Health: Casey Hamilton | Campus Health Specialist  
  • UBCV Food Services: Colin Moore | Director, Food Service Operations  
  • UBCV Food Services: David Speight | Executive Chef and Culinary Director  
  • UBCV Food Services: Tamara Paetsch | Manager, Nutrition & Wellbeing 
  • UBC Botanical Gardens: Tara Moreau | Associate Director, Sustainability & Community Programs  
  • UBC HR: Workplace Wellbeing Associate 
  • Office of Wellbeing Strategy: Sara Kozicky | Food Security Project Manager, Food Security Initiative *Co-Chair
  • Office of Wellbeing Strategy: Matt Dolf | Director
  • Office of Wellbeing Strategy: Mandy MacRae | Communications & Engagement Strategist 
  • Student members at large
    ​​
Physical Activity Committee

Terms of Reference for this committee are available here

  • UBCV Athletics & Recreation: Alyssa Reyes | Manager, Physical Activity *Co-Chair
  • UBCV Athletics & Recreation: Emily Jarvis | Coordinator, Physical Activity *Co-Chair
  • UBCO Athletics & Recreation: Kara Crampton  |  Coordinator, Physical Activity & Wellbeing *Co-Chair
  • Office of Wellbeing Strategy: Matt Dolf | Director 
  • AVPS UBCO Health and Wellness: Melissa Feddersen | Wellbeing Specialist 
  • UBCV Athletics & Recreation: Mike Tan | Director, Intramurals and Recreation 
  • Office of Wellbeing Strategy: Mandy MacRae | Communications & Engagement Strategist
  • HR Health, Wellbeing & Benefits: Truelove Twumasi, Workplace Wellbeing Programs Specialist
  • HR UBCO: Amanda Swoboda | Wellbeing Specialist  
  • UBCO Campus Health: Casey Hamilton | Campus Health Specialist  
  • VPS Health Promotion & Education: Amanda Unruh | Health Promotion Specialist 
  • School of Kinesiology: Dylan Brown | Active Kids Program Director 
  • School of Kinesiology: Guy Faulkner | Professor  
  • Kinesiology Undergraduate Society: Ivran Rai | President 
  • UBCV Student Housing & Hospitality Services: Emma Chartrand | Residence Life Manager 
  • School of Health and Exercise Sciences: Rebecca Frechette | Community Placement Coordinator 
  • UBCV Graduate Student Society: TBD | VP University and Academic Affairs  
  • University Neighbourhoods Association: tbc
  • UBCV Athletics & Recreation: Chris Rumary | Coordinator, Fitness Programs 
  • UBCV Campus & Community Planning: Debbie Yeh | Community Programs & Outreach Coordinator 
  • School of Kinesiology: Julia McKenna | Graduate Research Assistant, 24 Hour Movement Guidelines  ​​
Collaborative Leadership Committee
  • HR Health, Wellbeing & Benefits: Crystal Hutchinson | Senior Lead, Workplace Wellbeing Strategies *Co-Chair
  • HR UBCO: Amanda Swoboda | Wellbeing Specialist  
  • AVPS UBCO Health and Wellness: Melissa Feddersen | Wellbeing Specialist 
  • VPS Health Equity, Promotion & Education: Levonne Abshire | Director  
  • Office of Wellbeing Strategy: Sarah Carten | Planning and Evaluation Advisor *Co-Chair
     


For more information on committee membership and initiatives, visit the Wellbeing Priority Area pages.

Land Acknowledgement

UBC Wellbeing acknowledges the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) and Syilx Okanagan Nation Peoples, on whose traditional territories UBC campuses are located and where we are privileged to live, work, and play. 


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Resources to Support your Wellbeing 

UBC offers a number of resources and services to support your own wellbeing, including counselling, benefits information and health and wellness programs.  

For Students
For Faculty & Staff
For UNA Community Members
For Indigenous Community Members


Tools for Integrating Wellbeing

If you are looking for tools and resources to help better integrate wellbeing into your teaching, learning or workplace environment, please visit the Tools and Resources section for a variety of communication resources, workshops and classroom supports.

 

We all have a hand in shaping campus environments that support health, wellbeing, and sustainability. By championing wellbeing, we can build stronger and more inclusive communities at UBC and beyond.