Hello AMS Community!
September is National Suicide Awareness Month. Talking about suicide is difficult, but necessary. Physicians have one of the highest suicide rates of any profession. More than half of physicians know a physician who has either considered, attempted, or died by suicide in their career. It’s estimated that one million Americans lose their physician to suicide each year.
I share these statistics with you because these are numbers we can change. Together, we can shift the paradigm from a system where physicians, trainees, health care providers, and our community think that burnout, depression, or suicidal thoughts are something they can, or must, overcome by themselves, to one where they see the support system around them willing to help them seek mental health care.
We have a support system at Alpert Medical School that we are building and growing. Additionally, we are working to build a culture of wellness. My hope is that you are taking advantage of the resources available to you.
You are not alone! Reach out for support early & often.
- Peer Support via Student Health Council
- Medical School Embedded Therapist - Laurice Girouard, LICSW
- Counseling via Brown Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
- The opportunity to consult or check in on your wellness - Kelly D. Holder, PhD
- Resources to locate off-campus counseling:
- Crisis/Immediate Support:
- CAPS On Demand (24/7): 401-863-3276
- Brown Sexual Assault Response Line: 401-863-6000
- Physician Support Line (for medical students, residents & physicians): 1-888-409-0141
- Crisis and Suicide Lifeline: 988
- Crisis Text Line: text ‘HOME’ to 74174
- GLBT Hotline: 888-843-4564
- Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860
I’m excited to share that we will mark our first National Physicians Suicide Awareness (NPSA) day on September 17th. Attached to this message is a flyer with the day's events. NPSA day is a reminder and call to action. It’s a time to talk – and to act – so physicians’ and trainees’ struggles don’t become mental health emergencies. Our student speaker will be John Johnson who is a 4th-year medical student. I invite you to come out and participate in this inaugural event.
Wellness Offerings
Below you will find wellness programs, information, and opportunities. As always, I encourage you to do the things that work best for you.
But first, a poem…
A House Called Tomorrow
You are not fifteen, or twelve, or seventeen,
You are a hundred wild centuries,
And fifteen, bringing with you,
In every breath and in every step,
Everyone who has come before you,
All the yous that you have been,
The mothers of your mother,
The fathers of your father.
If someone in your family tree was trouble,
A hundred were not:
The bad do not win - not finally,
No matter how loud they are.
We simply would not be here
If that were so.
You are made, fundamentally, from the good.
With this knowledge, you never march alone.
You are the breaking news of the century.
You are the good who has come forward
Through it all, even if so many days
Feel otherwise. But think:
When you as a child learned to speak,
It’s not that you didn’t know words,
It’s that, from the centuries, you knew so many,
And it’s hard to choose the words that will be your own.
From those centuries we human beings bring with us
The simple solutions and songs,
The river bridges and star charts and song harmonies
All in service to a simple idea:
That we can make a house called tomorrow.
What we bring, finally, into the new day, every day,
Is ourselves. And that’s all we need
To start. That’s everything we require to keep going.
Look back only for as long as you must,
Then go forward into the history you will make.
Be good, then better. Write books. Cure disease.
Make us proud. Make yourself proud.
And those who came before you? When you hear thunder,
Hear it as their applause.
~Alberto Ríos (1952)
National Suicide Awareness Events
Tuesday Morning Meditation hosted by Med^2
8:30 am, Tuesday, September 6
AMS, Terrace - Pastries and Coffee will be provided.
Wellness Wednesday, Lunch & Learn Series: Surviving vs. Thriving
12 noon, Wednesday, September 7
Dr. Olivia Richman, Author of “The Thriver’s Guide to Medical School”
Lecture Hall 160 or via Zoom - https://brown.zoom.us/j/99636452617
Student Health Council “Meet & Greet” Lunch
11:30 - 12: 30pm, Thursday, September 8
As part of National Suicide Prevention Week, the SHC is holding a casual meet & greet with a few of our student counselors. Fill out this RSVP form if interested. Food will be provided, too, so stop by and hang out!
National Physician Suicide Awareness Day
Saturday, September 17
10 - 11 a.m.
Out of the Darkness Northern RI Walk, Butler Hospital Campus
Join our Warren Alpert Medical School team
11:45 a.m - 12:30 p.m.
National Physician Suicide Awareness Day Luncheon, Warren Alpert Medical School
RSVP by September 12 to attend the luncheon - RSVP via email to Dean_of_biology_and_medicine@brown.edu
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
National Physician Suicide Awareness Day Program, Warren Alpert Medical School
Speakers: John Johnson, MD23 and Dr. Edward Feller
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Rhode Island
Throughout the month of September, NAMI will highlight “Together for Mental Health,” which encourages people to bring their voices together to advocate for better mental health care, including a crisis response system. NAMI wants any person experiencing suicidal thoughts or behaviors to have a number to call, and a system to turn to, that would connect them to the treatment and support they need.
Consortium for Research Innovation in Suicide Prevention (CRISP)
CRISP is a Consortium of nearly 30 BioMed faculty members across the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, the School of Public Health, and other departments such as Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine. CRISP collaborates with a number of local and national community partner affiliates to achieve our mission of education, research, and advocacy, all with a focus on suicide prevention. Several of CRISP’s members serve on the National Association for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) Scientific Advisory. More about CRISP can be found on their website.
Knitting Group
September 19 @ 6pm
Come learn to knit from our former Learning Specialist, Diane Green, who has over 50 years of knitting experience! This class is geared towards complete beginners, but seasoned knitters are welcome to bring a project and knit along with the group. No need to bring anything with you to the class, supplies will be provided! Register here.
Wellness Website
Our wellness website is live! Visit and bookmark to easily find wellness information and resources.
Wellness Checks
Opt-out Wellness Checks have been scheduled for MD26. Please accept the appointment if you would like to attend. For students in the MD25, MD24, or MD23 classes who would like to have a wellness check. Please use this link to schedule an appointment with me, and just indicate in the comments that it is for a wellness check.
Wellness checks represent a wellness effort by the Alpert Medical School Office of Student Affairs to give medical students an opportunity for a brief conversation, just 15 minutes, about mental health & wellness. Medical school is an exciting but challenging experience. Research demonstrates that medical students experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, burnout, substance abuse, and suicidal thoughts than the general population and that students sometimes have a difficult time reaching out for support. AMS is committed to taking active steps to address this stigma and offer support to medical students.
Wellness Checks are brief assessments. They are not considered mental health treatment or psychotherapy. These meetings are confidential. Wellness Checks are performed by AMS Chief Wellness Officer, Dr. Kelly D. Holder, who is a licensed clinical psychologist.
October Wellness Wednesday Lunch & Learn
We are excited to have you present for our Wellness Wednesday Lunch and Learn Series on Wednesday, Oct. 12th at noon. Come experience the power of Movement in Medicine: learn how movement can impact the management of medical conditions such as chronic pain and Parkinson's disease. Understand the evidence behind the power of movement/dance in medical conditions and experience some of the movements yourself!
Speakers: Dr. Mariah Stump and Rachel Balaban
Join us in person for a "watch party" in LH160 or via Zoom. Zoom links will be emailed before the session. Please register with your preference here.
BWell On the Go Station - Tools to stay healthy & thrive at Brown
This station provides health empowerment resources for easy access to tools for wellness and self-care. This station will be in the Blue Academy for the month of September starting on Sept. 6th.