Graduate School is hard. We're here to help.
SAS is pleased to announce the creation of Faculty Wellness Partners for Graduate Students—a new program that provides graduate students with the opportunity to meet privately with select faculty members who have been trained to discuss the particular challenges of graduate school and to refer students to Penn’s many wellness resources.
Faculty Wellness Partners are available to provide a sounding board for graduate students as they navigate relationships with advisors, issues within departments or labs, and a range of other concerns about graduate school life. They can offer support with the challenges of conducting research, time-management, balancing expectations, optimizing work/life balance, and problem-solving. Faculty Wellness Partners will be available to provide guidance for SAS students as they negotiate their academic and professional careers. Typically, we will meet with students from 1-3 times, for 30 minutes each.
These faculty members do not take the place of primary advisors nor are they professional counselors, but they are caring, knowledgeable and trained to support students and refer them to appropriate resources on campus when needed.
Faculty Wellness Partners take a team approach to providing the best assistance possible to SAS graduate students. Partners will respect your privacy, but we may discuss issues as a group in order to provide sound advice and guidance, and to consult with campus partners as needed. We will do so without sharing your name and identifying information, except, for example, in cases of imminent danger to self or others. Our goal is to help you solve problems, advocate for yourself, and thrive at Penn.
The following faculty members will be available to meet with graduate students. Please follow the link below to request an appointment. Only the faculty member with whom you request the appointment will receive this form.
Request an appointment
Professor Zachary Lesser, Department of English
Professor Lauren Ristvet, Department of Anthropology