Faculty Wellness in Action: Collaboration That Makes a Difference

The Wellness Program wishes to highlight The Office of Faculty Affairs & Development (OFAD) Wellness Committee*, who has been an invaluable partner in advancing wellbeing across UTHealth Houston, particularly in FY26. During this period, the committee envisioned and championed the institution’s first Wellness Week, helping to market the initiative, host, and lead programming on topics such as resilience, AI and workplace wellbeing, and reflective writing. The Committee’s contributions have extended beyond Wellness Week, as committee members identified an opportunity to add Wellness to the university’s Quick Find digital directory and provided thoughtful recommendations that helped shape the reimagining of the Wellness landing page. We are grateful for their ideas, advocacy, and hands-on partnership in helping create a culture where wellbeing is increasingly visible, accessible, and woven into the UTHealth Houston experience.

If you are interested in learning more about the OFAD Wellness Committee, please contact 713-486-4532.

*OFAD FY26 Wellness Committee members: Lisa Cain, Olasimbo Chiadika, Robin Dickey, Gurur Biliciler-Dentkas, Ralph Cooley, Morgan Fredell, Jeffrey Frost, Riza Mauricio, Nicole Hare-Everline, Babatope Natuyi, Deborah Pearson, Julie Van Orden

Preventive Care Incentive Program (PCIP)

Effective May 2027 an additional $50 premium differential applies to each UTHealth Houston employee and/or spouse without a preventive care exam by February 28, 2027.

What You Need To Do

For the 2026-2027 UT SELECT plan year, employees and their spouses must have a preventive exam on file by February 28, 2027, in order to waive a $50 monthly premium differential. If your preventive exam is on file for a date of service between February 2026 and February 2027, you will not incur the $50 premium differential assessed starting in May 2027. You should continue to have an exam every 12 months in order to remain in good standing and waive the premium differential applied at a future date.

To make it easier to practice self-care, UTHealth Houston provides 8 hours of Preventive leave per year as an incentive for faculty and staff to take advantage of their free preventive care appointments.

September focus

Physical Wellness

Physical wellbeing includes fitness, nutrition, and rest.

Between work, family, and everything in between, taking care of your health can feel like just another thing on the to-do list. That's where Wondr™ comes in. Offered by UT Benefits at no cost to you, Wondr™ is a digital weight-loss program designed for real life—even the busiest ones.*

Space is limited. Sign up ends September 7, 2026.

*The Wondr program starts September 14, 2026. The Wondr program is available to all UT SELECT and UT CARE Medical Plan members age 18 and above, including employees, retirees, spouses and dependents who have not started a class within the last 12 months. Learn more at wondrhealth.com/livingwell.