Cancerwise

Ask Jennifer Bickel, M.D., about wellness, and you’ll quickly learn that she doesn’t think of it as a perk or a nice-to-have benefit that involves rolling out a yoga mat or an occasional visit to the gym. 

Bickel, a neurologist and experienced health care leader, joined MD Anderson as our inaugural chief wellness officer in January 2025. She arrived with a strong passion for tackling new challenges and bringing a unique perspective on strengthening our wellness culture.   

“As an academic physician, I have held many roles in education, research and clinical development where I was the first, so I think of wellness quite differently than others might,” she says. “Wellness is at the core of how our brains function, and it is only now considered to be a relatively new field because the health care culture has kept us from realizing how important it really is.”  

Driven to support employees’ mental health and well-being

As workforce wellness continues to shift into a public health priority, Bickel is focused on leading collaborative efforts and aligning strategies that enhance and support the mental health and well-being of all MD Anderson employees. Her leadership will also be integral in developing and launching a new Wellness and Mental Health Institute at MD Anderson.

“I was drawn to MD Anderson because of its mission and the extraordinary and impactful work that happens here each day,” says Bickel. “I was also impressed by its leaders’ vision to improve our workforce environment and use MD Anderson’s talent and reputation to influence the way we deliver health care across the nation. It is an amazing opportunity, and I had to be a part of it.” 

Improving wellness to enhance patient care

Bickel shares that the strategic approach to wellness will: 

• implement evidence-based programs guided by literature and expert frameworks, 
• provide opportunities to showcase how mental and physical health is essentially brain health, 
• educate our workforce on risks like burnout that require tailored preventive and supportive strategies, and 
• ensure that wellness is prioritized in MD Anderson systems and decision-making so that our teams can deliver high-quality care to patients in a complex and ever-changing health care setting.  

“At the heart of our wellness goals is to ensure we are taking care of ourselves to improve the care we provide to others,” she says. “Patients and families place their trust in us at a very vulnerable time in their lives, and prioritizing wellness enables us to provide the most compassionate and cutting-edge care and ultimately deliver a more enriching patient experience.” 

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