UBC Wellbeing

Contact & Support

To be a global leader in championing wellbeing for our faculty, staff, students 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 Wellbeing Steering Committee

Oversight for UBC Wellbeing is provided by the Wellbeing Steering Committee, a dedicated group of academic leaders, senior administrators, and student executives on both our Vancouver and Okanagan campuses. They represent senior leadership 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 steering committee typically meets quarterly.

Steering Committee Members

Gord Binsted, Dean, Faculty of Health and Social Development, UBC Okanagan  
Rob Boushel, Professor and Director, School of Kinesiology  
Joan Bottorff, Professor and Director, Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention, UBC Okanagan  
Gillian Henderson, Director, Human Resources, UBC Okanagan  
Deborah Buszard, Deputy Vice Chancellor, UBC Okanagan  
Barbara Meens Thistle, Vice-President, Human Resources  
Louise Cowin, Vice-President, Students  
Ian Cull, Associate Vice-President, Students, UBC Okanagan  
Taran Dhillon, President, Graduate Student Society
Matt Dolf, Director, Strategic Support, UBC Wellbeing  
Max Holmes, VP Academic & University Affairs, Alma Mater Society
Guy Faulkner, Professor, School of Kinesiology  
Sara-Jane Finlay, Associate Vice-President, Equity and Inclusion
Larry Frank, Professor, School of Population & Public Health  
Louise Nasmith, Associate-Provost Health  
Andrew Parr, Managing Director, Student Housing & Hospitality Services
Ben Pollard, Strategic Plan Implementation, Office of the President
James Tansey, Associate Professor and Director, UBC Sustainability Initiative  
Janet Teasdale, Managing Director, Student Development & Services  
Kavie Toor, Director, Facilities & Business Development, UBC Athletics and Recreation
Carole Jolly, Director, Community Development, Campus & Community Planning

UBC Vancouver Operational Committee

Members of the Operational Committee represent decision makers from a cross-section of operational units on the Vancouver campus. They meet bi-monthly to provide guidance, partnership, and expertise to ensure key initiatives in their portfolios align with wellbeing priorities.

Operational Committee Members

Pouya Rezaeinia, VP Students, Graduate Student Society
Matt Dolf, Director, Strategic Support, UBC Wellbeing
Patty Hambler, Director, Health Promotion and Education, Student Development & Services
Carole Jolly, Director, Community Development, Campus & Community Planning
Gilles Lepine, Managing Director, Athletics & Recreation
Loriann McGowan, Associate Director, Residence Dining & Mini Marts, UBC Food Services
Natasha Malloff, Director, Health, Wellbeing and Benefits, Human Resources
Jean Marcus/Alison Munro, Associate Director, University Sustainability Initiative
Tifanny Mintah, Assistant Director Residence Life, Student Housing & Hospitality Services
Marium Hamid, President, Alma Mater Society
Michael Tan, Director, Intramurals and Recreation, Athletics & Recreation
Jude Tate, Director, Equity and Inclusion
Kavie Toor, Director, Facilities & Business Development, Athletics & Recreation

UBC Okanagan Advisory Committee

Members of the UBC Okanagan Advisory Committee represent faculty and staff from a number of units on the Okanagan campus. They meet monthly to discuss opportunities and ensure key initiatives in their portfolios align with wellbeing priorities across both campuses.

UBC Okanagan Advisory Committee Members

Amal Alhuwayshil, VP External, UBCSUO
Carleigh Benoit, Manager, Work Re-Integration, Accommodation Program, UBC Okanagan
Joan Bottorff, Director, Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention, UBC Okanagan
Sabre Cherkowski, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, UBC Okanagan
Ian Cull, Associate Vice-President Students, UBC Okanagan
Tanya Forneris, Instructor, Health and Social Development, Health and Exercise Science, UBC Okanagan
Casey Hamilton, Dietician, Health and Wellness, UBC Okanagan
Chelsey Hartwig, Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention, UBC Okanagan
Gillian Henderson, Director, Human Resources, UBC Okanagan
Shelley Kayfish, Director, Campus Operations and Risk Management, UBC Okanagan
Stephanie McKeown, Director, Planning and Institutional Research
Bud Mortenson, Director, University Relations, UBC Okanagan
Melanie Reed, Clinical Associate Professor, UBC Division of Radiation Oncology, Assistant Dean Student Affairs - Southern Interior Medical Program
Nikki Reiter, Interim Manager, Special Projects and Wellbeing Initiatives, UBC Okanagan
Edward Taylor, Associate Dean, Faculty of Health & Social Development, UBC Okanagan
Sally Willis-Stewart, Instructor, Health and Social Development, Health and Exercise Science, UBC Okanagan
Roger Wilson, Director, Health & Wellness, UBC Okanagan

Strategic Support Team

Under the guidance of the Wellbeing Steering 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 Team Members

Matt Dolf, Director, Strategic Support, UBC Wellbeing
Patty Hambler, Director, Health Promotion & Education, Student Development & Services
Natasha Malloff, Director, Health, Wellbeing and Benefits, Human Resources
Nikki Reiter, Interim Manager, Special Projects and Wellbeing Initiatives, UBC Okanagan
Heather Quigley, Senior Advisor, Strategic Support Team
Lyz Gilgunn, Physical Activity Manager, Athletics and Recreation
Melissa Baker, Manager, Nutrition and Wellbeing, Student Housing and Hospitality Services
Michelle Herbert, Physical Activity and Wellbeing Strategist, UBC School of Kinesiology
Crystal Hutchinson, Workplace Wellbeing Strategist, Human Resources
Rachelle Delaney, Content and Engagement Strategist, UBC Wellbeing
Natasha Moore, Planning & Evaluation Advisor, UBC Wellbeing
Karen Selby, Planning & Evaluation Advisor, UBC Wellbeing

Working Groups

Working groups, comprised of student, faculty staff and community stakeholders from both campuses, have been formed to support four UBC Wellbeing priority areas. Each working group develops a "Framework for Action" to help guide goal setting and facilitate cross-cutting initiatives in each of the five priority areas. For more information on working groups, visit the priority area pages.

Join the Conversation!

Interested in learning more about championing and supporting wellbeing in your department or faculty?

For Vancouver campus, contact Matt Dolf

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 and Staff

For UNA Community Members

For Indigenous Community Members

First Nations House of Learning

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.

Sign up for Wellbeing News

The bi-monthly Wellbeing Round-up email contains wellbeing-related news from across our campuses. Contact rachelle.delaney@ubc.ca to sign up.