M.D. Student Wellness
We're focused on you.
The School of Medicine seeks to affirm and support your development into physicians. Programs and initiatives tailored to M.D. students are complimentary to resources available to all OHSU students through the Joseph B. Trainer Health & Wellness Center (JBT).
First-year students
- Wellness at Orientation: Dr. Furnari greets the incoming class with strategies on maintaining wellness through medical school along with featuring resources unique to OHSU to help students on their journey.

- Student Wellness Committee: First year medical students assist Dr. Furnari with program development and execution based on class needs and talents. The committee is large, thus students are divided into subcommittees including nutrition/food access, mental health, community building, physical exercise, financial wellness, and mind-body medicine. Student meet monthly all together and then between meetings coordinate events for their peers like healthy cooking demos, yoga classes, runs, education on local community sponsored agriculture (CSA) food options, and themed potlucks.
- Enrichment Week Wellness: The bulk of wellness activities are scheduled the week following exams when students are able to pick from a buffet of activities. SWC and Dr. Furnari coordinate the events listed above during this time. It's perfect for students to rest, relax, and rejuvenate with their peers after completing exams.
- College Wellness: Dr. Furnari coordinates the "Resiliency Workshops" given three times during the year as part of the college experience. Students pick two, 1hr long workshops to learn new skills in areas of their choosing. The topics for 2018-19 include: container gardening, peer to peer suicide prevention, physical therapy to reverse poor posture and habits from studying, and sleep hygiene. The workshops are co-lead with or by an OHSU medical student to further the relevance and connection to the medical school community. The hope is that the information learned will improve our students' abilities to thrive using these skills for the rest of their careers.
Second-year students
- The Nourish Program is in its pilot year and was created to help 2nd year students succeed and feel supported during the Step 1 Study Process. The program features weekly tutoring sessions on high yield topics, runs, yoga, guided relaxation, affirmations and gratitudes to build community and minimize feelings of inadequacy and loneliness during this process. There are 50 students in the program currently, roughly 1/3 of the 2nd year class. Our goal is to help these students get through the process, stay nourished and feel ready to take and pass their Step 1. Dr. Furnari created and runs this program with the assistance of Nishad Sathe (co-creator of the program idea and head tutor, Med20 Student) and Grace Clark (Yoga Teacher, Med22 Student).

Transitions to Clinical Experience (TTCE) Wellness Workshop: Dr. Furnari does a presentation on staying well in the 3rd and 4th year with Dr. Sydney Ey (Residency and Faculty Wellness Program Director). This is part of the orientation that 2nd year students go through in preparation for their transition into clinical years. The presentation features background on why it's important to have a wellness routine, coping strategies to combat burnout, along with background on how the medical establishment is working hard to improve burnout in the profession.
Meet Dr. Furnari
Megan Furnari, M.D., M.S., is the Director of Medical Student Wellness and Leadership in the School of Medicine. Learn more about her and her role in undergraduate medical education.