The rate of obesity in some parts of the U.S. is thirty-nine percent and increasing at a rate of five percent per year. Undeniably, this contributes to the rising cost of healthcare as twenty-three percent of the world's population is estimated to be insufficiently active and as much as forty-five percent of deaths from cardio- metabolic disease can be linked to people’s diets.

Physician suicide is also on the rise; we lose 300-400 physicians a year, or in other terms a doctor a day. Of all occupations and professions, the medical profession consistently hovers near the top of occupations with the highest risk of death by suicide.

Therefore, we are proud to spearhead an elective that seeks to help each student develop a well rounded approach to wellness both in their own lives and the lives of their patients. We aim to  cultivate an understanding of food as medicine, mindfulness as stress relief, exercise as resilience, societal structure as determinants of health and more.