University of California Davis School of Medicine

At the University of California, Davis (UCD) School of Medicine, we strongly believe that student wellness is the result of multiple converging factors, including institutional culture. Over half (52%) of all students enrolled in 2010-11 and 57% of the class of 2014 are of diverse ethnic backgrounds. We propose to improve student wellness, lower burnout, and reduce risk factors for suicidal ideation, in particular by targeting two vulnerable populations, military and under-represented minority students and their families. Our proposal has two aims:

Aim 1: Offer support and education to military students, including veterans. We will develop a comprehensive strategy to support military students, including one-on-one meetings with active or retired military men and women faculty mentors, support groups, and a listserv. This intervention will address approximately 10 military students of both genders, in years 1-4.
Aim 2: Develop a culturally sensitive educational intervention for students families. We will design a culturally sensitive workshop for incoming students families, to be presented at the first year orientation (family participation will be voluntary) and a pamphlet to educate families on student mental health. We will follow the students’ Maslach Burnout Inventory scores longitudinally and compare students whose families attended the workshop with students whose families did not participate. Thus we hope to establish the effectiveness of the family educational intervention, as translated in lower student burnout scores. This intervention will address approximately 100 students and their families each year (at least 50% of whom are of diverse ethnic backgrounds).

Throughout the project’s lifetime, approximately 300 students and their family members will be served. After the grant funding ends and the effectiveness of our interventions has been demonstrated we plan to incorporate these interventions in regular activities of the Office of Student Wellness, already in existence at UCD School of Medicine.