Jonathon Sikorski, Ph.D., is not entirely new to campus, despite joining the psychiatry department on Jan. 1 as UNMC’s new director of wellness education.
Dr. Sikorski recently worked as a post-doctoral research faculty member at the Munroe-Meyer Institute. Prior, he was a behavioral pediatric intern in the institute.
Now, as director of wellness education, he helps students in all colleges navigate the stresses associated with health care education and training, an area UNMC has emphasized for more than a year.
“Jon brings a strong clinical focus on stress management techniques and has a vision for taking those skills to our students, residents, faculty and patients,” said Steven Wengel, M.D., chair of the department of psychiatry. “He also brings a strong research interest to the table, and I am confident he will help the program develop and grow in wonderful new directions. He also is extremely collaborative and will work effectively with the other dedicated faculty, staff, residents and students on campus who already work in this important area.”
A licensed mental health practitioner, Dr. Sikorski succeeds Jennifer Yalof, Psy.D., and serves as an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry. His work focuses on assessing the wellness and well-being needs and interests of each UNMC college, and he provides proactive preventive outreach services in stress management and resiliency training for students, residents, faculty, staff and patients.
Dr. Sikorski also is developing wellness and well-being lines of research that emphasize building resiliency, improving patient outcomes, and reducing educational and vocational burnout. In addition to research, he teaches students and residents within the department of psychiatry. He is actively seeking ways to build collaborations between colleges, and hopes to develop a mind-body medicine clinic within the psychiatry department to assist students, residents, faculty, and the greater Omaha area.
“I am thoroughly impressed with how invested the university and administration are in supporting wellness and well-being initiatives across campus,” Dr. Sikorski said. “They have become a central focus in building resiliency of our students, residents, and staff; and will positively impact the educational and vocational climate of our university moving forward.”
A Hudson, Wis., native, Dr. Sikorski earned his Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He received his undergraduate and master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
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