Congratulations to Our 2025 Well-Being Hero Award Winners!

Thank you for your applications and nominations for this year's Well-Being Hero Awards! As part of our third annual Well-being Week in June, we selected our 2025 Well-Being Hero Award winners—individuals and teams who have gone above and beyond to promote health, wellness and a culture of care in our workplace.

This year, we received an inspiring number of nominations highlighting creative, impactful initiatives that have made a real difference in the lives of our colleagues. After careful review by our panel of judges, we are thrilled to recognize the following winners and their well-being accomplishments.  

Congratulations to all the winners!

Well-being Hero Individual Awards 

These awards are given to individuals who champion the well-being of others through exceptional leadership, creativity and dedication.

Gold: Mark Greenawald, MD, Interim Chair, Family and Community Medicine, Medical Director, Institute for Leadership Effectiveness; Vice Chair for Academic Affairs, Well-being and Professional Development

• Dr. Greenawald created PeerRxMed™, a free, nationally recognized and peer-supported program designed to help physicians and others care team members thrive both personally and professionally.  Clinicians create relationships built on trust when they sign up with a buddy, each making a commitment to support the other because "No One Cares Alone."  Weekly reminders to check in with each other are sent to participants that include thought-provoking topics designed to stimulate meaningful conversations, helping to remove traditional barriers in seeking support. 

Silver: Sarah Kress, Child Life Specialist, CRMH

• Sarah developed "Heart Cart," a place where Pediatric and PICU staff can process their feelings and create art in remembrance of patients who have passed.  Activities include painting, sculpting, beading, reflective writing and more. The project honors the grief that healthcare workers carry with them in their daily work and provides them with space to reflect and integrate grief into their lives.

Bronze: Abronique Berger, Unit Director, Nursing Support Services – Resource Pool

• Abronique demonstrates compassion for her staff by sharing a "Wellness Wednesday" email that includes healthy recipes, encouraging quotes, information about local events and more. She encourages a good work/life balance among team members and invites staff to nominate their co-workers for employee of the month, encouraging everyone to strive to be the best version of themselves. 

Honorable Mention: Stephanie Sparozich, Social Services Manager, Mental Health

• Stephanie advocates for the well-being of psychiatric inpatient staff by spearheading a Morale Committee. The committee strives to have a presence and interact in real time when Rehab staff are dealing with a challenging situation. Stephanie uses Wellness at Work and Robert L.A. Keeley Healing Arts resources to help employees manage stress during the workday. 

Well-being Hero Team Awards 

These awards are given to departments or units that have implemented outstanding wellness initiatives that positively impacted their teams.

Gold: Family and Community Medicine
Roger Roper, Vice President; Logan Doughty, HR Specialist; Susan Sine, HR Consultant; Trish Frazier, Senior Director of Operations; Dr. Mark Greenwald, Interim Chair; Anissa Brown, Regional Practice Director; Dr. Beth Polk, Family Medicine Physician and FCM Well-being Director 

• This team launched "The Power of One," a one-day workshop that supports well-being. The workshop focuses on the employee experience, with the goal of increasing employee engagement and decreasing turnover. Topics covered during the workshop include: the experience of caring; emotional, self and financial well-being; customer service basics and how to manage difficult situations. Since the launch, 167 employees from 30 different departments have attended the class. 

Silver: 6 South Preop/PACU
Lindsay Young, Unit Director, 6 S PST, PAPA and PACU; Maleena Williams, RN, Team Lead; Denise Tallant, RN; and Maura Kloski, RN 

• This team's dedicated planning committee offers compassionate support and improves team morale. One of the standout efforts of the year was Perianesthesia Nurse Awareness Week—an entire week of wellness-oriented activities that reflected the care and dedication the team brings to patients every day. Activities during the week included Pet Pals visits, EAP and Chaplaincy support, daily raffles, food and a team-bonding event at a Railyard Dawgs hockey game. This team's efforts have reinforced a culture of positivity and elevated unit morale. 

Well-being Warrior Awards

These awards are given to individuals who have made significant strides in their personal well-being journey. Self-nominations were encouraged for this category.

Gold: Charlotte Clark, Quality Improvement Facilitator Clinical Advancement and Patient Safety

• Charlotte's personal goal to lose weight and improve her health evolved into a team-wide initiative that inspired collective action. She launched a 12-week step-tracking challenge where coworkers logged their daily steps. Charlotte converted their steps into miles and mapped a virtual journey across Carilion. This initiative not only encouraged physical activity and accountability but also fostered team spirit and sparked meaningful conversations about well-being. Charlotte's personal achievement—losing 118 pounds—served as a powerful example of how individual wellness efforts can positively influence an entire team.

Silver: Oksoon Kwon, RN, Infusion Center

• Oksoon lost 20 pounds and found increased energy and happiness!  She prioritized hydration and consistently walked 3 miles on the greenway after work. She wakes up 30 minutes early each day to incorporate a stretching session before work. Both her patients and coworkers have recognized the positive impact of her well-being achievements. 

Bronze: Taylor Medley, Manager, Volunteer Services

• Taylor invested in her health by pursuing healthy/clean eating and implementing a workout plan with the help of FitRx through Carilion Wellness. She stays active on the weekends by hiking and playing pickleball. As a result of her dedication to her healthy lifestyle, she has lost 75 pounds!

 Honorable Mention: Cara Spivey, Research and Development Systems and Project Manager; Dustin Spivey, Physical Therapy

• Cara and Dustin are passionate about their own health, as well as the health of their community. They established "The Wausau Track Club" to promote healthy living through positive movement. Their community is invited to join them weekly for walks or runs, as well as wellness challenges and events to promote well-being. 

We applaud all nominees and winners for their commitment to fostering a healthier, more supportive workplace. Your efforts inspire us all to prioritize well-being—for ourselves and for each other!