The Penn Mental Health Wellness Series is generously sponsored by the Matthew Y Wang Memorial Fund.
Matthew Y. Wang’s Memorial Fund was established on Nov.19, 2021 in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at The School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania. This fund was founded by his family to honor Matthew Yumeng Wang.
Matthew joined the Penn Bio-Dental Program in 2017. He passed away on May 3, 2021, just 2 weeks prior to his graduation day for his bachelor’s degree. Matthew’s family and friends were devastated by the loss of Matthew. The Penn community, the local Chinese community from Matthew’s hometown and his Penn dental class of 2024 donated actively to show their support. Matthew’s family received donations of more than $50, 000, and matched the same amount to establish this fund in memory of Matthew.
This memorial fund is used to improve Penn student mental health wellness by funding education and training workshops through the Heritage Language curriculum at the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations. Since its inception, the fund has sponsored ten well-attended lectures/workshops with invited speakers who are Penn alumni from all over the country.
This fund is managed by Grace Wu, senior foreign language lecturer (Senior LFL) of East Asian Languages and Civilizations Department. The mental health wellness series is moderated by Yong-Tong Li, MD, FAPA, counseling psychiatrist and the Penn Wellness (Previous CAPS), and is designed to support the initiative of implementation of mental health education into classroom.
Daily Pennsylvanian Article, go to https://www.thedp.com/article/2021/05/matthew-wang-biology-dental-student-died
For donations, go to https://giving.aws.cloud.upenn.edu/fund?program=SAS&fund=605176
For more information, please contact gracewu@sas.upenn.edu
Past Event
Mental Health Wellness Series #10
The Uses of the Blue: A Conversation with Alum
Date: 2/28/2024
Time: 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Location: Cohen Hall 402
*Dinner will be provided
More information about mental health wellness events, please contact Grace Wu @ gracewu@sas.upenn.edu
Speakers
Michelle Lyu
Michelle Lyu is a Wharton ’19 alum. She’s originally from the San Gabriel Valley in California, works for the School District of Philadelphia and is an organizer of Lotus at Penn. As an undergrad, she was in PennQuest, Wharton Leadership Ventures and Penn Appétit. She loves good music and her friends, studying and learning to know the world, and is a darkroom photographer.
Nuri Yi
Nuri Yi is a 2nd year graduate student in Biology and a Cornell ‘20 alum, where she studied Comparative Literature and Asian American Studies, and was part of a traditional Korean drumming group. She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and Seoul, South Korea. Outside of school, she enjoys running, journalling, and getting to know the city of Philadelphia. At Penn, she is an organizer of Lotus.
Mental Health Wellness Series #9
Mental Health Workshop “De-stress during stressful time“
Date: 12/11/2023
Time: 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Location: Annenberg 110
Seven nurse practitioner students will lead sessions on meditation, sleep hygiene, mindfulness, nutrition, and self-care for students. Engage in Kahoot games with the chance to win exciting prizes! Join us for delightful desserts and refreshing bubble tea.
More information about mental health wellness events, please contact Grace Wu @ gracewu@sas.upenn.edu
Facilitators
Rachael Kinmartin
MSN Adult-Gerontology Primary Care
To de-stress I like to read a book, bake sweet treats, or watch ASMR videos on Youtube.
Mahnoor Allawala
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program
To de-stress, I like to watch The Office, bake, and go on long walks.
Nicole Rivera Rodríguez
MNS – Family Nurse Practitioner Program
To de-stress I like to go on runs, listen to music, and try new restaurants around the city.
Aman Uppal
MSN – Family Nurse Practitioner Program
To destress, I like to play with my dog, take walks around the city, and watch Suits!
Hannah Dario
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program
To destress, I like to watch tv shows, explore a new cafe, and bake!
Rebecca Wu
MSN – Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program
To destress, I like to watch wholesome cartoons and play cozy games on my Steamdeck!
Sherry Huang
MSN Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program
My favorite de-stressing activity is hitting the gym and going for a run!
Mental Health Wellness Series #8
Two-Part Series:
Part 1: Failing Forward: Normalizing Failure And Understanding Its Role In Your Path To Success
Part 2: Mastering Failure To Make It Work For You: Hands-On Tools & Exercises
Date: Wednesday, October 11, 2023
Time/Location:
1:00-1:45 (ARCH 208)
The first session is TED-talk style where both speakers will share personal stories around how they dealt with perfectionism and overcoming failure.
5:30-6:30 (COHN 402)
Interactive workshop with hands-on exercises and tools that the students can walk away with.
Food/bubble tea will be provided for attendees
More information about mental health wellness events, please contact Grace Wu gracewu@sas.upenn.edu
Speakers
Alice Yeh
Alice Yeh (WG’14 G’14) is a Life & Career Fulfillment Coach, helping high-achieving working professionals take calculated risks to break free from burnout in order to feel fulfilled, balanced, and excited in their careers and lives again. She leverages her 15+ years of corporate experience at J.P. Morgan, Google, and early and late-stage startups plus a year-long sabbatical and 5+ years as an expat abroad in Hong Kong, London, and Singapore.
Alice received her MBA from the Wharton School and an MA in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Arts and Sciences through the Lauder Institute. She also holds a BS in Engineering from Princeton University.
Alice has a huge passion for travel, having visited 50+ countries. After many pivots in her career and life, she now lives in San Francisco, where she enjoys being a foodie, practicing yoga and pilates, and skiing in Tahoe to take advantage of that zen California dream lifestyle. Find her at AliceYehCoaching.com or @heyaliceyeh on Instagram.
Atthena Breitton
Atthena Breitton (W’ 08) is a former Investment Banker and Venture Capital / Growth Equity Investor. She left the corporate world in 2015 and has been running her own business in the wellness space ever since.
She is a Yoga Alliance E-RYT 500 and Continuing Education Provider with thousands of hours of teaching experience. She ran her own yoga & meditation studio, AtthenaYoga, in Midtown Manhattan and has taught and presented at some of the top institutions including, Ernst & Young, HSBC, U.S. Bank, GAP Inc., and Facebook. She has even served high-profile individuals such as NFL football player, Jordan Matthews, of the San Francisco 49ers.
Atthena is passionate about self-development and has spent the last few years delving deeply into her own personal growth journey, having taken over 15 courses (and counting!) and learned from some of the most reputable and seasoned life coaches around the country.
She is a Health & Wellness advocate and a Pain & Injury Healer. Atthena loves authentically connecting with people, and her hobbies include biking up & down the west side of Manhattan, crocheting cute, little animals for her loved ones, and finding vegan restaurants her partner will like.
Event 7- Mental Health Workshop “De-stress during stressful time -Afternoon of Button making, Chair Yoga & Desserts”
Date: Wednesday, April 26
Time: 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Place: College Hall 200
Facilitators:
Grace (Seung In) Cho
RN; Penn Nursing
Grace (Seung In) Cho is a recent grad of Penn’s ABSN (Accelerated Bachelors of Science of Nursing) in December 2021 and currently pursuing the MSN- PMHNP track (class of 2023). She has worked in human resources for 5+ years prior to becoming a nursing professional. Currently she works per diem as a RN working with people living with eating disorders.
Yong-tong Li
MD FAPA Student Health and Counseling, Penn Wellness
Event 6-Mental Health Lecture “From Burnout to Helping Out and What I learn about Wellness in Between”
Date: Thursday, March 2, 2023
Time: 12-1 p.m.
Location: College Hall 200
Speakers: Xinshu She, MD, MPH, FAAP
Clinical Associate Professor
Stanford University School of Medicine
Dr. Xinshu She is a Global Health pediatrician with 15 years of experience working in low-resource communities. She speaks 5 languages and is committed to creating interdisciplinary solutions for all vulnerable children to reach their full potential. She graduated from U Penn in 2006 with a BA in Biochemistry and completed her medical training at Albert Einstein and Harvard. She also holds an MPH from Johns Hopkins University in Epidemiology. She has published on youth mental health epidemiology and prevention, early childhood development, health inequity and malnutrition in global settings. She has presented nationally and internationally on Global Health, mental health, and professional development. She has collaborated with multidisciplinary partners in inner city US, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Haiti, DR Congo and China. She has mentored more than 100 students and researchers globally. She is a certified mindfulness instructor, Master Professional Coach and Reiki Master.
More information about mental health wellness events, please contact Grace Wu @ gracewu@sas.upenn.edu
Event 5 – Mental Health Workshop “De-stress During the Stressful Time – Let’s Have Tea and Desserts”
Date: 12/12/2022
Time: 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Place: Annenberg 110
Speakers: Grace (Seung In) Cho, Aleksandr Kasyanchuk, Julie Nguyen, Helen Rizaldi, Cathy Nam, Anas Ahmed.
6 NP students will teach students a few tricks, like point pressure— to help relieve headaches, promote relaxation… lightly touch on sleep issues and etc.
More information about mental health wellness events, please contact Grace Wu @ gracewu@sas.upenn.edu
Grace (Seung) Cho
Grace (Seung In) Cho is a recent grad of Penn’s ABSN (Accelerated Bachelors of Science of Nursing) in December 2021 and currently pursuing the MSN- PMHNP track (class of 2023). She has worked in human resources for 5+ years prior to becoming a nursing professional. Currently she works per diem as a RN working with people living with eating disorders.
Aleksandr Kasyanchuk
Aleksandr Kasyanchuk RN, BSN moved to Philadelphia from Seattle to pursue the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner track at Penn. His nursing background is in oncology, hospice, and complex pain management.
Julie Nguyen
Julie Nguyen RN, BSN is from Denver, Colorado and is currently a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner student at Penn. Her nursing background includes working with medical/surgical/cardiac patients
Helen Rizaldi
Helen Rizaldi BSN, RN, PMHN-BC is from Delaware. She is currently a PMHNP student at Penn, class of 2023. Her background includes head and neck surgery, cardiothoracic stepdown, psychiatric emergency service, drug and alcohol rehab, and inpatient psychiatry.
Cathy Nam
Cathy Nam, BSN, RN is originally from Maryland and moved to Philadelphia last year for graduate school. She worked as a high-risk labor and delivery nurse for about two years and currently works on inpatient psychiatric units.
Anas Ahmed
Anas Ahmed BSN, RN is a nurse currently working in a cardiac surgery PCU at the new pavilion. He is currently a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner student at Penn. Prior to this, he worked at an acute psychiatric hospital and a medical surgical hospital as a tech in Massachusetts.
Lecture 4 “Game-changing Tricks to Combat Stress in College”–Hear from your alumni, what they wish they knew
Date: Wednesday, October 5, 2022
Time: 12-1 p.m.
Location: College Hall 200
Date: Wednesday, October 5, 2022
Time: 1:45-2:45 p.m.
Location: DRLB A2
Speakers: Dr. Yong-tong Li, Mr. Ryan Komori, W‘07 and Atthena Breitton, W’08
Dr. Yong-Tong Li, MD
Dr. Yong-Tong Li is a board certified psychiatrist and a fellow of the
American Psychiatric Association. She is a counseling psychiatrist at the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) of the University of Pennsylvania for more than 17 years.
Ryan Komori, W’07
3rd-time founder & Inc 30 Under 30 recipient
Grew prior mobile gaming company to >$100MM revenue with only $10K in funding
Current company, Savor Lining, is pioneering Organizational Mental Fitness https://www.savorlining.com/
Like most Asian Americans, he worked himself to death, but to the point where he suffered from over a decade of unrecognizable depression and psychological trauma. It almost took his life, and he ended up in the ER and spent 8 weeks in UCLA’s neuropsychiatric hospital.
Below is a short video that describes his journey and the story behind Savor Lining:
Atthena Breitton, W’08
Former Investment Banker
Yoga & Meditation Teacher
Healer & Wellness Advocate
Lunch will be provided for attendees.
More information about mental health wellness events, please contact Grace Wu gracewu@sas.upenn.edu
Lecture 1 “Navigating Cross-cultural Conversation in the AAPI Community” (February 10, 2022, 12-1 p.m.)
Lecture 2 “Open Conversation with Alumni on Navigating Cross-Cultural Mental Health” (March 17, 2022, 12-1 p.m.) * Free lunch will be provided.
Lecture 3 “Interactive & Real-Time Exercises with Alumni on Managing Stress and Navigating Cross-Cultural Mental Health” * Free lunch will be provided.
Date: Thursday, April 7, 2022
Time: 12-1 p.m.
Location: FAGN Auditorium
Description:
Join us for an interactive discussion and real-time exercises to gain quick, easy, and effective tricks to bring joy into daily life and to cope with anxiety during finals.
*For in-person attendees, lunch will be provided
Virtual Option:
Meeting ID: 929 0318 4756
Passcode: 127862
