About the Chief Wellness Officer
Dr. Benoit Dubé is the University of Pennsylvania’s inaugural Chief Wellness Officer, a first in the Ivy League. He is also a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine.
Dr. Dubé earned his medical degree from the Université of Montreal in 1997, and a BSc in psychology from Concordia University in 1992. He began his career at Penn in 1997 as a resident and then chief resident in psychiatry. He also completed fellowship training in psychosomatic medicine before joining the ranks of faculty at the Perelman School of Medicine. There, Dr. Dubé served as the Director of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry, was appointed as an Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, and chosen as their first Director of Wellness Initiatives.
Now, as Associate Provost and Chief Wellness Officer at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Dubé directs wellness initiatives across the University, and oversees the creation of a new, integrated Wellness division.
Wellness, as an organization, has a clear vision: creating a campus that integrates the science, theory and practice of wellness. It will do so by infusing wellness across its eight domains throughout the Penn experience, through inclusive, innovative and impactful initiatives. These initiatives will be fueled by compassion, accessibility, respect and empowerment.
Wellness is built around two pillars: Student Health and Counseling and Public Health and Wellbeing. Student Health and Counseling brings together two previously siloed clinical entities to form an integrated, student-centered holistic organization whose purpose is to support students' physical and emotional needs as they navigate their academic journey at Penn. Public Health and Wellbeing brings together various existing entities into a reorganized structure whose goal is to create a community of care.
The Wellness at Penn initiative, which Dr. Dubé leads, affirms wellness as a central priority of campus life. It offers opportunities to reflect and engage on issues of wellness, stress, mental health, resilience, happiness, personal and academic goals, and the meaning of success. It aims to define and help members of the Penn community understand wellness as an ongoing holistic process encompassing numerous areas of life.