June 15, 2022 | Glendale, AZ

May was National Mental Health Awareness Month, so Midwestern University Physician Assistant, Class of 2024 students Jacqueline Loutzenheiser, Allison Tanner, Jill Zdan, Amanda MacLeod, and Jessica Spontak came together to host a series of student lunch-and-learns to promote better mental healthcare and wellbeing.

In Ms. Zdan’s lunch-and-learn, she discussed recent research that shows the measurable beneficial effects that meditation and mindfulness have on the body. Previously, meditation benefits were restricted to subjective testimonials of participants, but new studies have shown improvements in participants’ brainwave patterns and heart rate variabilities. Ms. Zdan’s goal was to inform her audience of the measurable benefits one can receive from practicing meditation and mindfulness, and encourage them to incorporate these practices into their own self-care routines.

The lunch-and-learn events were well attended, and many audience members asked questions to better understand how they can look after their mental health and wellbeing. As the month of May came to a close, the students’ hope was for attendees to continue to nurture their mental health with the help of the tools and strategies learned during these events.