Apart, but Still Together: Social Wellness in the Department of Family and Community Medicine

Department of Family and Community Medicine Focuses on Social Wellness During Stay at Home Order

Social wellness is a key component of the wellness curriculum taught in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. Despite the need to maintain distance, the students, faculty and staff from the department are still finding ways to keep connected.

Stacey Gardner-Buckshaw, Ph.D., director of community engagement and assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, has been leading the charge for the faculty and staff to stay connected and active at a time when it’s not possible to go to the gym or meet up at The Bistro for lunch. Dr. Gardner-Buckshaw hosts daily lunch sessions via Zoom for the department, where they meet for about an hour. The discussion may involve some work-related matters, but will always include other topics like what they are binge-watching, or creative ways to keep their children occupied while spending so much time in the house.

Dr. Gardner-Buckshaw, an licensed  Zumba fitness instructor , also leads her colleagues in 30-minute late-afternoon fitness break by  Zoom. Faculty and staff connect for a short walk around their respective neighborhoods – apart, yet still together.

“It’s easy to become more sedentary while working from home,” Dr. Gardner-Buckshaw said. “You just don’t have the opportunities to move around as much, like walking across campus for a meeting or walking back and forth from your parking spot. It’s important to take 30 minutes to get away from your workspace, get moving and recharge your batteries.”