Make a WISH - Wellness Initiative Supporting Health Mini-Grants in an Academic Medical Department

Joslyn W Fisher; John C Berens; Sandra B Haudek

doi:10.1007/s40670-024-02135-4

Make a WISH - Wellness Initiative Supporting Health Mini-Grants in an Academic Medical Department

Med Sci Educ. 2024 Aug 10;34(6):1301-1304. doi: 10.1007/s40670-024-02135-4. eCollection 2024 Dec.

Authors

Joslyn W Fisher^{1

2}, John C Berens¹, Sandra B Haudek¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX USA.
² Section of General Internal Medicine, 1504 Taub Loop, Houston, TX 77030 USA.

PMID: 39758457
PMCID: PMC11698697 (available on 2025-12-01)
DOI: 10.1007/s40670-024-02135-4

Abstract

Background: With rising burnout among health professionals, academic medical centers are faced with the challenge of sustaining well-being.

Activity: An academic medical department established the Wellness Initiative Supporting Health (WISH) small grant program to support locally developed wellness-related activities. This assessment describes the feasibility and early outcomes of implementing the WISH projects.

Results: Between 2018 and 2022, 36 of 69 (52%) proposals received funding. Projects focused on individual wellness strategies, team-building activities, and networking events. Grant recipients reported enhanced wellness for activity participants and strong agreement that the program should continue.

Discussion: Implementing low-cost, sustainable wellness initiatives at a "local" level of academic medical centers are feasible.

Keywords: Burnout (professional); Health workforce; Professionalism; Well-being; Wellness.