In-house experts help workers improve health

The concept behind Brown University’s wellness program is summed up in two words: think local.
Faculty members and staff play a role in carrying out Wellness at Brown!, a lifestyle-management and physical-activity program open to Brown University employees.
The program offers more than 30 classes, workshops, activities and events every year, working with on-site experts and vendors like Preventure and Wellness Workdays.
For example, Dr. Mary Flynn, an assistant professor of medicine and author of “The Mediterranean Diet” and “Pink Ribbon Diet,” presented a lecture on how diet can affect risks for breast cancer. Fred Jackson, director of the university’s greenhouse, offered a workshop on growing culinary herbs. The Dining Center and Faculty Club sponsor cooking demonstrations of healthy foods.
“One unique aspect of Wellness at Brown! is that we can tap into the local resource we have, which is faculty,” said Michele Wise, Brown’s senior benefits and special-programs coordinator.
Wellness at Brown! has grown in prominence over its 10 years of existence, said Wise. Hundreds of employees attend the university’s free yoga and Zumba classes, cooking demonstrations, lectures and flu clinics. Wise hopes to boost the program’s Internet presence and begin offering incentives to employees.
“We start out with small steps,” said Wise. “But those small steps lead to big results.” •