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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 
  • Sara Kozicky | Wellbeing Strategic Initiatives Project Manager | Vancouver Campus
  • Mandy MacRae​​​​​​ | Wellbeing Engagement Strategist | Vancouver Campus
  • Kerstin Walter | Wellbeing Strategic Initiatives Planner | 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
  • Michelle Berner | Managing Director | Total Rewards, Health & Wellbeing, Human Resources | Vancouver Campus
  • Matt Dolf | Director | Office of Wellbeing Strategy | Vancouver Campus
  • Noorjean Hassam | Associate Vice-President, 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
  • Simon Bates | Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President, Teaching and Learning | Vancouver campus
  • 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
  • Adam Charania | Interim VP, Human Resources | Vancouver campus
  • Ainsley Carry | Vice-President, Students | Vancouver campus
  • Matt Dolf | Director, Office of Wellbeing Strategy | Vancouver campus
  • Guy Faulkner | Professor | School of Kinesiology | Vancouver campus
  • Drédyn Fontana | AMS VP Academic & University Affairs | 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
  • Dale Mullings | Associate Vice-President, Students | Okanagan campus
  • Linda Nowlan | Executive Director | UBC Sustainability Initiative | Vancouver campus
  • Andrew Parr | Associate Vice-President | Student Housing and Community Services | Vancouver campus
  • Samantha Reid | Associate Vice-President, Students | Vancouver campus
  • Arig al Shaibah | Associate Vice-President, Equity and Inclusion | Vancouver campus
  • Kavie Toor | Managing Director | UBC Athletics & Recreation | Vancouver campus
  • Patricia Unung | GSS VP University and Academic Affairs | Okanagan 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
  • 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

  • VPHR Health, Wellbeing & Benefits: Miranda Massie *Co-Chair
  • VPS Health Equity, Promotion & Education: Daksha Jadhav *Co-Chair
  • 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 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
  • AVPS UBCO Health and Wellness: Melissa Feddersen 
  • UBCO Campus Health: Lauren Airth 
  • UBC Health: Carrie Krekoski 
  • Office of Wellbeing Strategy: Matt Dolf 
    ​​
Food Systems Committee

In 2024, the UBC’s Food System Committee (FSC) launched as a multi-stakeholder and interdisciplinary hub comprising students, operational staff, community partners, academics, and researchers from across the UBC Vancouver and Okanagan campuses. It aims to catalyze transitions towards sustainable, healthy, secure, and just food systems at UBC and beyond.  The FSC emerged from discussions among long-standing committees - the UBC Food System Project and the Food & Nutrition Committees that merged into a united partnership. The consolidation represents an opportunity to strengthen collaboration and realize greater collective impact across interconnected university priorities around food-related health & wellbeing, food systems sustainability, and food security. Co-chaired by UBC SEEDS Sustainability & UBC Food Services the initiative scales collaborations and applied research, utilizing the "Campus as a Living Lab.” It works to lead and inspire collaborative action to further advance UBC’s transition towards a sustainable, healthy, secure, and just food system.

  • UBCV Food Services: David Speight | Executive Chef and Culinary Director *Co-Chair
  • Campus Community + Planning: Liska Richer | Manager, SEEDS Sustainability Program *Co-Chair
  • Members representing various student, faculty and staff groups, units, and departments from UBC Vancouver and Okanagan campuses
     
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 | Manager, Campus Wellness & Education
  • UBCV Athletics & Recreation: Mike Tan | Director, Intramurals and Recreation 
  • Office of Wellbeing Strategy: Mandy MacRae | Wellbeing 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 *Chair
  • HR UBCO: Amanda Swoboda | Wellbeing Specialist  
  • AVPS UBCO Health and Wellness: Melissa Feddersen | Manager, Campus Wellness & Education
  • VPS Health Equity, Promotion & Education: Levonne Abshire | Director
Built & Natural Environments Committee
  • Office of Wellbeing Strategy: Matt Dolf | Director
  • Office of Wellbeing Strategy: Sarah Carten | Planning and Evaluation Advisor
  • Campus + Community Planning: Gabriella Scali | Manager, Community Programs and Outreach
  • Campus + Community Planning: Penny Martyn | Manager, Green Building
  • Infrastructure Development: Natalie Walliser | Director, Infrastructure Development
  • SEEDS Sustainability Program: Georgia Stanley | Climate Response Applied Research Coordinator
  • Campus + Community Planning: Melissa Tang | Sustainable Transportation Program Lead
  • Campus + Community Planning: Renée Lussier | Landscape Architect/Planner
  • HR: Kelly McIntosh | Director, Workplace Health Services
  • Campus + Community Planning: Jake Li | Green Infrastructure Engineer, Municipal Engineer
  • Finance & Operations: Shelley Kayfish | Director Campus Operations & Risk Management
  • Sustainability Hub: Angelique Pilon | Director, Urban Innovation Research
  • SEEDS Sustainability Program: Jenalee Kluttz | Project Developer, SEEDS Sustainability Program
  • Faculty of Arts: Deb Pickman | Special Projects, Arts & Culture District
  • Campus + Community Planning: Benjamin Johnson | Director, Campus Planning
  • Climate Hub: Meghan Wise | Climate Hub Coordinator
     

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.