Supporting the health & well-being of our community

Dear Alumni and Friends,

With Winter Term classes now complete and this year’s wonderful Spring Commencement behind us, this is a season when many in our university community can pause for a moment, reflect on the past academic year and just take a deep breath. With warmer weather and the beauty of spring returning to our state, hopefully you are finding some time to do the same.

These moments are important for finding balance in our often hectic lives. While May is traditionally observed as Mental Health Awareness Month, the health and well-being of our community is a top priority throughout the year at the University of Michigan. Our Well-being Collective was established specifically to address that priority, and takes a holistic approach to the development and wellness of the whole person and the whole community.

U-M also was one of the first U.S. schools to adopt the Okanagan Charter, which commits us to promoting the health and well-being of each person across our three campuses. At a time when a generation of young people is facing increased rates of anxiety and depression disorders, this work is critical to our success as an institution of learning.

I would encourage you to read more about our progress toward making U-M an even better place to live, work and learn.

Sincerely,

Santa J. Ono
University of Michigan President

View the May 2023 Michigan Impact newsletter

University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University partner with state to address opioid epidemic 
Michigan’s three largest public research universities will work together to establish a Technical Assistant Collaborative to coordinate the opioid settlement strategy with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Leadership Q&A: Advancing mental health resources 
U-M’s chief mental health officer Lindsey Mortenson, MD, outlines ways in which expanding mental health services improves the lives of community members and discusses opportunities for continued support of the mental health landscape in Michigan.

COVID-19 stigma and mental health impacts among Michigan adults
More than a third of Michigan adults who have had COVID-19 report being treated badly because of the infection, according to the Michigan COVID-19 Recovery Surveillance Study which explored experiences focused on social stigma.

U-M and state of Michigan launch Electric Vehicle Center
To cultivate a robust electric vehicle ecosystem, U-M and the state finalized the contract for the $130M center to accelerate collaborative research, develop a highly skilled workforce and establish advanced campus infrastructure and facilities.

Mental Health Awareness Month: Michigan Minds special series
Faculty experts from the Michigan Medicine Department of Psychiatry, the Department of Sociology at the U-M College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, and the School of Nursing joined Michigan Minds to talk about different factors that impact mental well-being.

U-M dentistry student returning to U.P. hometown to serve community
Rebecca Larson is returning to the west side of the U.P., near her hometown of Baraga on the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community reservation, to practice with her dental license at the Lac Vieux Desert Health Center in the village of Watersmeet.

Michigan Road Scholars Tour connects faculty with communities
Through the five-day traveling seminar, 32 faculty members learned about different issues by talking with community leaders in a variety of cities including Detroit, Lansing, Ionia, Traverse City, Suttons Bay, St. Ignace, Alpena and Bay City.

Preventing mental health crises
Through the MC3 service based at the U-M Department of Psychiatry, doctors across Michigan can reach U-M psychiatrists by telephone or via an online form for rapid and confidential advice on treating a patient’s mental health needs. Many of the patients are in crisis and from areas of Michigan that lack enough local mental health providers. VIDEO

Strategic Vision 2034: Share your ideas for our shared future

Michigan in the News

• MLive: Saginaw friends create clothing line to raise mental health awareness
• Flint Beat: Flint vending machine is helping combat opioid overdose deaths, stigma
• Traverse City Record Eagle: United Way dental clinic will address systemic lack of pediatric care
• Michigan Chronicle: New poverty research could bring more clarity to charter school comparisons
• Michigan Radio: Teaching conference at UM-Flint will focus on the COVID pandemic’s impact on schools
• Dearborn Press & Guide: Dearborn Heights woman named Truman Scholars at University of Michigan
• Crain’s Detroit Business: University of Michigan innovation hub gives $1M to 6 biomedical research projects
• MLive: First-ever A2 Climate Teach-In builds on legacy of 1960s Vietnam War protests
• Detroit Metro Times: Detroit’s unemployment rate drops below 6% for first-time in 23 years

Congratulations, Class of 2023. The world is your canvas. 

More Michigan Impact

• April 2023: U-M’s Continued Commitment to Combating Climate Challenges
• March 2023: Sharpening Michigan’s Impact
• February 2023: In Tragedy, Our Enduring Commitment
• January 2023: Committed to Cultivating Creativity, Driving Diversity and Enhancing Equity