Well at UF

In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, our October Wellness Talk features UF EAP counselor Massiel Snow, Psy.D., who discusses mental health issues within the Hispanic-American community and how we can overcome pervasive stigmas.

In this Wellness Talk episode, Dr. Laurence Morel, Dr. Erika Moore and Tracyio Roach join us to discuss lupus and ongoing research efforts to address this autoimmune disorder.

Laurence Morel, Ph.D., is a professor and the Vice-Chair for Research and Academic Affairs in the Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine at UF. Her research is centered on the mechanisms of lupus pathogenesis.

Erika Moore, Ph.D., is the inaugural Rhines Rising Star Assistant Professor in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering at UF. Moore’s work broadly focuses on understanding how immune cells can be leveraged to enhance tissue regeneration.

Tracoyia Roach is a doctoral student in microbiology and cell science and a Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Florida.

In this Wellness Talk episode, Mark Segal, M.D., Ph.D., joins us to discuss the outcomes and prognosis of patients with lupus.

Segal is an associate professor and Chief of the Division of Nephrology, Hypertension, and Renal Transplantation in the UF College of Medicine. As part of his research, Segal’s laboratory is interested in understanding the mechanism of increased cardiovascular risk in special populations. These populations include patients with chronic kidney disease, patients with lupus nephritis, patients receiving high doses of erythropoietin, and women who have complicated pregnancies.

In this Wellness Talk episode, Catherine Striley, Ph.D., joins us to discuss mental health awareness and the stigma associated with mental health as it relates to depression and anxiety.

Striley is a psychiatric epidemiologist and associate professor at the UF Department of Epidemiology. She received a Master of Social Work in 1989 and a doctorate in philosophy in social work from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis in 2002. She also holds a Master of Science in Epidemiology from the Washington University School of Medicine. As part of her research, she aims to increase recognition of the need for health screening, mental health and behavioral health services, and to decrease barriers to those services. Striley has experience in community-engaged research, including recruitment and retention of diverse community members, and in drug use, abuse and misuse epidemiology.

In this Wellness Talk episode, we talk with Jonathan Vredenburg about healthy eating in a world of flavors.

Jonathan is UF Health’s Employee Wellness Program manager, has served as the wellness program coordinator for the City of Jacksonville and was a consultant dietitian for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator, in addition to being a board-certified specialist in sports dietetics. He previously served on the Florida Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and in his spare time is a freelance writer and stand-up comedian performing in clubs throughout Florida.

In this Wellness Talk episode, we talked with GatorCare Wellness Manager Mallory Rubek about creating and sustaining healthy habits.

Rubek has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Health Education and Behavior from the University of Florida. She is a Certified Health Education Specialist and a Certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor with over five years of experience in the worksite and community wellness fields.

You are encouraged to take time every day to be mindful of your health and wellness. To help you on your wellness journey, we are sharing this guided meditation, done in partnership with UF Department of Psychiatry Associate Professor Lisa Merlo Greene, Ph.D., M.P.E.

You are encouraged to take time every day to be mindful of your health and wellness. To help you on your wellness journey, we are sharing this guided meditation, done in partnership with UF Department of Psychiatry Associate Professor Carol Lewis, Ph.D., M.P.H., CPH.

You are encouraged to take time every day to be mindful of your health and wellness. To help you on your wellness journey, we are sharing this guided meditation, done in partnership with UF Division of General Internal Medicine Assistant Professor Marika Alois, M.D.

You are encouraged to take time every day to be mindful of your health and wellness. To help you on your wellness journey, we are sharing this guided meditation, done in partnership with UF Department of Psychiatry Associate Professor Carol Lewis, Ph.D., M.P.H., CPH.

You are encouraged to take time every day to be mindful of your health and wellness. To help you on your wellness journey, we are sharing this guided meditation, done in partnership with UF Department of Psychiatry Associate Professor Lisa Merlo Greene, Ph.D., M.P.E.

You are encouraged to take time every day to be mindful of your health and wellness. To help you on your wellness journey, we are sharing this guided meditation, done in partnership with UF Department of Psychiatry Associate Professor Carol Lewis, Ph.D., M.P.H., CPH. 

In this episode of Wellness Talk, Dr. Joseph Munson joins us to discuss suicide prevention, warning signs and the resources available for those who may need help. Munson is a licensed mental health counselor and serves as UF Health’s director of clinical services at Shands Psychiatric Hospital. He serves as a member of the senior leadership team overseeing services provided by case management, counseling, occupational therapy and recreational therapy. Munson has more than 20 years’ experience specializing in areas including crisis intervention, suicide prevention, and inpatient treatment.

In this episode of Wellness Talk, Dr. Lisa Merlo Greene discusses stress and burnout health outcomes and prevention. A licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Merlo Greene currently serves as the director of wellness programs for the UF College of Medicine. She is active in the education of medical students, residents and other health professional students. Dr. Merlo also serves as the director of research for the Professionals Resource Network, Inc., the State monitoring program for distressed and impaired healthcare professionals.

Start your year off on the right foot, by establishing a healthier relationship with food. In this Wellness Talk episode, we talk with Jessie Furman, RDN, about intuitive eating, dieting and red flags within nutritional trends.

Furman is a registered dietitian and assistant director for nutrition at UF’s Department of Recreational Sports.

Additional resources to explore:

In this Wellness Talk episode, we talk with UF Innovation Academy Adjunct Lecturer Taylor Williams — who is also the lead facilitator and creative director of Guts and Glory Gainesville — about grief and coping with loss. As part of the discussion, we aim to normalize grief and share some valuable information and resources. 

Resources mentioned in the video:

In this Wellness Talk episode, we discuss the concept of Health Literacy with Maggie Ansell, nursing and consumer health liaison librarian at the UF Health Science Center Libraries. Through our discussion, we learn about health literacy and identify ways we can improve our literacy and take control of our health. Find out about the 5 W's that can be used to evaluate health information you come across online. 

Resources mentioned in the podcast:

David Fields, Executive Director of the UF Health Florida Recovery Center, talks with UFHR Wellness about the importance of National Recovery Month. In our discussion, we discuss the principles of recovery and how everyone can relate even if they don’t struggle with addiction.