Wellness Committee

There has been a growing awareness in the veterinary community around the importance of wellbeing and its role in both effective professional performance and career satisfaction. An increasing number of veterinary colleges have opened dialogue about wellbeing concerns, and started making wellness-minded changes at curricular and student services levels. Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine joined these initiatives by creating a Wellness Committee (WELCOM) in 2015 with a commitment to advocating for the health and function of our community including faculty, staff, and students.

WELCOM is charged with initiating programming to reduce the stigma related to mental health concerns and help-seeking, implementing wellness events for the PVM community, consulting with students, faculty, and staff regarding wellness practices and resources, and collaborating with other departments within PVM, on Purdue’s campus, and national organizations which serve to promote personal and professional wellbeing.

Committee Members

  • Colleen Maguire Jackson, PVM Lead Therapist
  • John Christian, Associate Professor of Veterinary Clinical Pathology, Lab Director and Section Chief, Clinical Pathology
  • Mindy Cotton, Veterinary Hospital Behavior Technician
  • Jennifer Dehn, Veterinary Hospital Social Worker
  • Lynn Guptill, Associate Professor, Small Animal Internal Medicine
  • Geoff Lossie, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pathology; Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory; Director, Veterinary Extension
  • Jennifer Smith, Instructional Technologist, Veterinary Nursing
  • Levi Smith, Resident, Ophthalmology
  • Margie Veverka, Accesioning Clerk/Receptionist, Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory
  • Andrew Woolcock, Associate Professor, Small Animal Internal Medicine

Student Wellness Subcomittee

Student wellness representatives are members of WELCOM and focus their planning efforts on programs aimed to support DVM and VN students. If you have suggestions regarding student wellness initiatives, feel free to reach out to your student wellness cohort representative.

Learn more about our student wellness subcommittee.

 

Wellbeing Resources for Veterinary Professionals

Wellbeing is just as important for professionals and support staff within the veterinary medicine field as it is for students. WELCOM is invested in sharing resources to all individuals in our college, so we put together a list of helpful wellness resources.