Make a WISH — Wellness Initiative Supporting Health Mini-Grants in an Academic Medical Department

With rising burnout among health professionals, academic medical centers are faced with the challenge of sustaining well-being.

An academic medical department established the Wellness Initiative Supporting Health (WISH) small grant program to support locally developed wellness-related activities. This assessment describes the feasibility and early outcomes of implementing the WISH projects.

Between 2018 and 2022, 36 of 69 (52%) proposals received funding. Projects focused on individual wellness strategies, team-building activities, and networking events. Grant recipients reported enhanced wellness for activity participants and strong agreement that the program should continue.

Implementing low-cost, sustainable wellness initiatives at a “local” level of academic medical centers are feasible.