Student Well-Being

Yale School of Medicine (YSM) fosters a holistic approach to student well-being and promotes wellness, in all its forms, as one of the principal elements of student and scholarly life at Yale. Student well-being permeates our formal curriculum, extracurricular opportunities and support services

Student well-being is inherent to the philosophy of the Yale System of Medical Education, which cultivates a supportive, non-competitive community. At YSM, there is a recognition that the structure of the entire educational experience must reflect and be responsive to a commitment to all students’ well-being. Therefore, this commitment is built into our approach towards learning and the formal curriculum.

YSM’s extracurricular opportunities are extensive and varied. Because we are part of a vibrant University, our students have access to an even broader set of possibilities to explore and people to engage with from all different backgrounds and disciplines, expanding well-being resources.

New Haven, a culturally-rich, diverse city, adds even more opportunities for promoting student well-being. Because of its relatively small size, New Haven has a strong sense of community and provides many avenues for active engagement.

We recognize that each person will find different opportunities that appeal to them to enhance their well-being – whether, for example, it is the arts, exercise, volunteering, spirituality, nature, service, family and friends, sports of all kinds, different activities at different times, and sometimes, simply relaxing.

A central tenant of student well-being at YSM is that everyone is part of our community. We all benefit from every student feeling a part of the community and wanting to be engaged, in whatever capacity is fulfilling to that individual.

From a support services perspective, both YSM and Yale University have people, programs, and processes dedicated to ensuring students have the support needed to enhance access, success, and well-being.