Health and Wellness Symposium: Thriving Together

10-10:50 a.m.

The Power of Focusing

Anna-Katharina Lenz, Entrepreneurship Department 

This interactive workshop introduces Eugene Gendlin’s Focusing method, an embodied approach to accessing inner clarity through attention to felt sense, with applications to emotional resilience and decision-making.

Location: Armstrong 1066

Serotype-Specific Impact of DENV NS1 on Endothelial Cell Dysfunction

Gejla Toromani, Department of Biology

This presentation examines how dengue virus NS1 proteins from different serotypes affect endothelial barrier integrity and contribute to vascular dysfunction.

Location: Armstrong 1080

Tackling Menopause Misinformation Using Evidence-Based Guides

Tanaya Bhatkar, Western College of Social Impact and Innovation

This presentation describes a menopause education curriculum developed as part of a senior project. The
curriculum covers stages of menopause, warning signs, and ways partners or allies can provide support, with a focus on addressing educational gaps in rural communities.

Location: Armstrong 1082

Rethinking the Commute: How Active and Assistive Transportation Improve Cardiometabolic Health

Kyle Timmerman (with Helaine Alessio and Paul Reidy), Department of Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Health

This presentation explores how cycling, e-biking, and scootering influence physical activity, cardiometabolic
health, and environmental impact, and discusses strategies to encourage adoption.

Location: Armstrong 1086

11-11:50 a.m.

Cultivating Wellbeing: Mindfulness and Intention-Setting for Faculty Who Do It All

Naaborle Sackeyfio, Global and Intercultural Studies Department

This interactive workshop explores mindfulness, intention-setting, gentle movement, and restorative practices

Location: Armstrong 1066

Physical Inactivity-Induced Vascular and Metabolic Dysfunction

Kevin Ballard (with Isaiah Stokes), Department of Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Health

This presentation examines how short-term physical inactivity, such as reduced daily steps and prolonged
sitting, impairs vascular and metabolic function. The session will describe methods used to assess vascular and metabolic health in humans and highlight recent Miami University research linking inactivity to cardiometabolic disease risk.

Location: Armstrong 1080

The Employee Assistance Plan: A Critical Resource for Well-Being

Natalie Skoumbros, Human Resources

This presentation focuses on the Employee Assistance Plan (EAP) as a critical but underutilized resource for
staff and faculty well-being. The session emphasizes program scope, confidentiality, and ease of access, with the goal of increasing awareness and utilization across the university.

Location: Armstrong 1082

The Bare Necessities: Helping Young People Reclaim Their Wellbeing

Jay Kimiecik, Department of Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Health

TThis session introduces a developmental framework emphasizing play, self-expression, and freedom as
essential components of wellbeing across the lifespan.

Location: Armstrong 1086

2:30-3:20 p.m.

Just Breathe: Using the Breath to Enhance Emotional Well-Being and Mindfulness

Terri L. Messman, Ph.D., Psychology Department

This interactive workshop examines the relationship between breathing, stress responses, and emotional
regulation, with guided breathing and mindfulness practices.

Location: Armstrong 1066

Designing Mental Health Interventions for Diverse Resettled Communities in Ohio

Saruna Ghimire, Department of Sociology and Gerontology 

This presentation reports findings from community listening sessions with resettled refugee groups in Ohio.
Results highlight the importance of culturally responsive language, trusted community settings, and peer
leadership in mental health intervention design.

Location: Armstrong 1080

Exploring the Intersection of Loneliness and Belonging

Brandy Reeves-Doyle (with Karly Geller and Paul Branscum), Department of Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Health

This presentation examines loneliness and belonging as related but distinct constructs among college students using validated measures and national survey data.

Location: Armstrong 1082

Weaving Wellness: Creative Making as a Path to Campus-Wide Mental Health

Megan Jaskowiak (with Sarah Nagle and Stefanie Hilles), University Libraries

This interactive session explores creative making as a strategy to reduce stress, foster resilience, and build
connections across campus roles through a guided weaving activity.

Location: Armstrong 1086

3:30-4:20 p.m.

Explore Your Creativity with Opening Minds through Art (OMA)

Meghan Brady (with Grace Sheridan and Makayla Burton), Scripps Gerontology Center

This workshop introduces the Opening Minds through Art program and engages participants in a hands-on
creative activity designed to support connection and well-being.

Location: Armstrong 1066

Therapy Dogs, Well-Being and More

Melanie Uy, Student Counseling Service

This session educates attendees on different classifications of working dogs and introduces Miami University’s therapy dog program. The presentation discusses the program’s connection to student well-being and includes opportunities to meet therapy dogs and handlers.

Location: Armstrong 1080

The Power of Peer Health Education

Brandy Reeves-Doyle (with Leslie Haxby-McNeill), Department of Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Health; Office of Student Wellness   

This presentation reviews peer health education as an evidence-based strategy for improving student
knowledge, attitudes, and health behaviors. Presenters share research, best practices, and insights from Miami University’s HAWKS Peer Health Educators program.

Location: Armstrong 1082

Understanding the Nervous System: A Polyvagal Theory Primer for Everyday Well-Being

Anna-Katharina Lenz, Entrepreneurship Department

This presentation provides an introduction to Polyvagal Theory and explains how autonomic nervous system
states influence stress, learning, communication, and emotional regulation.

Location: Armstrong 1086

4:30-5:20

Access In Motion: Making the Outdoors Accessible

Laurel Logemann (with Alex Staltzer), Student organization-Paws for a Cause 

This interactive session highlights barriers faced by individuals with disabilities when engaging in outdoor
recreation. Participants will engage in activities that simulate accessibility challenges and learn about a related fundraising initiative.

Location: Armstrong 1066

Art and Wellness: Therapeutic Drawing

Ari Glassberg (with Kiera Lewis and Shr-Shiang Moore), College of Creative Arts

This workshop introduces therapeutic drawing as a wellness practice and includes a guided art activity focused
on mindfulness and stress reduction, led by undergraduate art therapy students.

Location: Armstrong 1080

The student panel will talk about how they stay balanced while managing many priorities. They will have an honest conversation about balance and well-being, followed by a Q&A with Steve Large, assistant vice president of student health and wellness.

About the moderator:

Steve Large (moderator) has served as Miami University’s assistant vice president for student health and wellness since 2018. In this role, he provides leadership for Student Counseling Services, Student Health Services, and the Office of Student Wellness, with a focus on supporting student well-being through comprehensive, and student-centered care.

Prior to joining Miami, Steve spent nine years as the director of a combined health and counseling services department at Gannon University, and previously worked at the University of Dayton’s Counseling Center as a staff psychologist and coordinator of outreach.

Steve is a licensed clinical psychologist who earned his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from John Carroll University, and his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Wright State University. Outside of work, he enjoys real estate, the benefits of living in a small college town like Oxford, and spending time with his aggressively friendly dog, Joey.

About the panelist:

Arushi Agrawal is a junior from Dayton, Ohio, majoring in Spanish. She serves as a student trustee on the Board of Trustees, is a member of the Honors College, and is vice president of programming for PhiDE, Miami University’s premedical fraternity. She has also previously been involved in Residential Life as a resident assistant. Arushi has spent much of her time at Miami working to balance her various roles while also caring for her own well-being. As she prepares for medical school, she has been reflecting on how easy it is to lose that balance and how essential it is for sustaining meaningful growth and staying connected to others.

Rondale Carridine is a sophomore Psychology and Pre-Med major from Colleyville, Texas. He is involved in Track and Field, PhiDE and Brother2Brother. Managing these responsibilities can be challenging, which is why he focuses on his emotional well-being. Without that focus, he believes none of his commitments would receive the best version of himself.

Abby Meister is from Hilliard, Ohio, and is a senior Psychology major at Miami University. Throughout her time at Miami, she has been involved in Miami Hope, a campus mental health organization, where she currently serves as president. She also serves as a mental health peer educator with the Office of Student Wellness and as a social media associate for the Department of Student Life. She is a member of Miami’s Student Wellness Advisory Group, where she engages in conversations about well-being with her peers.

The topic of balance is important to her as someone deeply involved on campus, and she believes maintaining balance between classes and other responsibilities, while challenging, is essential to promoting emotional well-being among college students.

Peyton Morrow is a third-year Biology and Pre-Med major from Wooster, Ohio. His campus involvement includes serving on advisory councils alongside the dean of University Libraries and the assistant vice president for student health and wellness. He also served as a student trustee on the Miami University Board of Trustees from 2024 to 2026 and is an active member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity.

To Peyton, balance means setting and working toward ambitious goals without sacrificing personal well-being on a path to success that is rarely linear.