Physicians face unique health and wellness risks related to the practice of medicine, and changes in the nature of health care have further emphasized their challenges and stresses. A shift in the culture and care of physicians is necessary.
To help the GW medical community pursue healthy, happy, and fulfilling professional and personal lives in every stage of their medical career, the MD Class of 1985 started the Alumni Legacy Fund for Physician Wellness in honor of its 30th reunion.
Now endowed, the fund has supported individual grief counseling, safe spaces to process grief and bereavement, and other outreach and initiatives at the GW Resiliency & Well-Being Center:
- Burnout and depression
- Health promotion and health risk reduction strategies
- Relationships
- Career changes and planning
- Physician wellness residencies
- Navigation of changes to the health care system
All GW medical alumni and friends are welcome to contribute to the Alumni Legacy Fund for Physician Wellness. For more information on how you can support this fund, please contact smhsalumni [at] gwu [dot] edu (smhsalumni[at]gwu[dot]edu) or 202-994-7511.
The MD Class of 1985
Arriving at the Foggy Bottom campus in August 1981 from different backgrounds and with an array of experiences and perspectives, the Class of 1985 came together as a unified group, determined to make an impact on the health of communities.
Later, as physicians, they experienced illness and loss in their families and within their class. They were motivated to find ways to better care for themselves as they make a difference in the lives of their patients and communities.