Kati Cordts, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry, has been named director of wellness education and research at UNMC.
Dr. Cordts’ appointment adds the additional element of research to the position, previously held by Jonathan Sikorski, PhD, and Jennifer Yalof, PsyD.
While there are many published studies on rates of burnout, depression and stress in health care students and providers, there is little research on how to address these problems, said Steven Wengel, MD, assistant vice chancellor for campus wellness for UNMC and the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
“We want to ensure the things we do are successful and effective, so we are exploring ways to incorporate research into our initiatives and existing programs,” Dr. Cordts said.
“I could not be happier that Dr. Cordts is joining the wellness team,” Dr. Wengel said. “Her research experience and skills, on top of many other professional attributes, will dovetail nicely with the UNMC and UNO wellness programs as they continue to evolve.”
Dr. Cordts is trained as a pediatric psychologist and specializes in behavioral health care of kids, working with children with and without special health care needs. Her research focuses on the intersection of key health behaviors and children’s outcomes with a specific emphasis on sleep and chronic pain.
She’s published on studies spanning childhood obesity, physical activity promotion, parent physical health, transmission of chronic pain in families, and pediatric sleep behaviors.
“Sleep is at the core of all wellness activities,” Dr. Cordts said. “When we get enough quality sleep, it allows us to more fully engage in our lives.” Her research on the relationship between sleep and wellness was “how I got into this work,” she said.
But the final piece or pieces to the wellness puzzle may be different for each individual. There are eight different dimensions to wellness, Dr. Cordts said.
And UNMC now has many wellness resources to fit those needs: “Our marching order going forward is to get the word out and let people know about the services and programs that are available,” Dr. Cordts said. “That is one of our biggest priorities for the next year.”
She also hopes to infuse wellness even more deeply into UNMC’s culture.
“It starts with our faculty and staff,” she said. “If they are feeling well themselves, it will trickle down to the students and positively impact their educational experience.”
Dr. Cordts asked that the UNMC community go to the Wellness web page to see the resources available and get a sense of what is to come.
Congratulations Dr. Cordts!