Course Syllabus

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Instructors

Izumi Yamamoto
Izumi Yamamoto is a leadership trainer, facilitator and executive coach with two decades of experience working alongside leaders across cultures and sectors. Her professional background spans four continents which brings a diverse perspective to her work integrating inner and outer leadership practices and matters of the soul. She coaches senior leaders and executive teams globally to elevate their effectiveness of leadership and collaborations in their work. An ardent practitioner of meditation and yoga, she has guided leaders in integrating their inner wellbeing practices to lead with greater awareness and aliveness. As the co-founder and President of Perennial, she shapes the organizational vision, designs program curricula, and serves as the lead trainer for transformational programs for social sector leaders in Africa, America, Asia, and the Middle East. In addition to this work, she serves as a trainer and coach for multiple social change organizations and initiatives. Izumi also worked in India as the Country Director for the International Training & Education Center on Health, an experience that inspired her to dedicate herself to the work of wellbeing for leaders. She is a visionary and highly regarded for her ability to guide people to tap into their own wisdom and is anchored in the intersection of leadership and wellbeing.  

Britt Yamamoto
Dr. Britt Yamamoto is the co-founder and CEO of Perennial where he manages operations, builds partnerships, and facilitates trainings. He finds great joy and meaning from being part of a global community working to transform the inner and outer spaces of our lives. Britt has also been an organic farmer on two continents, a full-time professor, and the founder of an international nonprofit and several social enterprises. Growing mixed annual crops on six acres, he fed thousands of people through farmer’s markets and partnerships with local cooperatives and supermarkets, and also advanced farm-to-school leadership programs in elementary schools. For ten years he was Core Faculty in the Center for Creative Change at Antioch University Seattle, where he led seminars and advised graduate students in social change and leadership. In 2008, Britt founded iLEAP, an international nonprofit creating a new generation of social leaders and global citizens throughout the world. In 2016, iLEAP was recognized as a “leadership development pioneer” in the social sector by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.

TA

Dewa Shrestha Greenleaf (she/her) is a Student Support Specialist in the Department of Global Health e-Learning at the University of Washington. Born in Kathmandu, Nepal, Dewa immigrated to the US as a child. She completed her Master’s degree in Health Promotion at the University of Iowa. Her graduate work focused on understanding how researchers examine health issues in immigrant and refugee populations. She also worked on a longitudinal study to examine the impact of physical activity on the bone development of children.

Description

Wellbeing for Health Professionals is a course designed to help those who are experiencing challenges related to their wellbeing and sustainability in their work. The course introduces the concept of wellbeing, clarifies its importance, and details how it intersects with one’s work. It also presents a refined, practical methodology for advancing wellbeing in individuals. 

At the core of the program is the Wellbeing Practice—a methodology that increases one’s wellbeing and grounds them more deeply in the work that they do. This approach was developed in collaboration with Perennial, a community-based leadership non-profit organization in Seattle. University of Washington faculty, Britt Yamamoto, PhD, and Izumi Yamamoto, MA are course instructors and co-founders. 

The course is intended as a practical intervention to expand professionals’ capacities for being present, to increase their wellbeing, and to reverse the alarming negative patterns of disillusionment and burnout that are experienced by workers in the healthcare sector. Participants will learn new perspectives, skills, and tools, including how their physical and emotional states are influenced by external stimuli. They will acquire a new language for understanding patterns of behavior. All participants will complete the course  with a Wellbeing Practice that is designed uniquely for them and their circumstances. 

 You can also download the course syllabus.

Target Audience

Participants are from countries around the world and include health care workers, early to mid-career clinical and public health managers, and program directors. Participants completing all assignments are awarded a Certificates of Completion from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, USA.

Learning Objectives

After completing this course, you will be able to:

  • Explain the purpose of wellbeing and the impact it has on your work and life.  
  • Identify key factors that contribute to workplace burnout and sustainability.
  • Create and implement a personal wellbeing practice.
  • Develop strategies for refining your wellbeing practice and continuing your commitment to the practice as circumstances in their lives change. 
  • Connect your Wellbeing Practice to the larger socio-cultural, political, and professional contexts in which you work.

Format

This is a self-paced, online, modular course divided into 9 weeks, with one week for an introduction. 

Participants are expected to review the pre-recorded weekly lectures; complete activities, reflection questions, and readings; and participate in discussion via the Discussion Board.

Unique to this course, participants will need to build time into their weekly schedule for engaging in wellbeing practice activities. Starting in Module 3 participants will begin a breath practice for 5-minutes at least once a day. Following Module 5, they will also incorporate a personal wellbeing practice into their daily lives.

Most participants will also meet with a local study group that is led by a site facilitator. This is meant to increase opportunities for discussion about the relevance of the material to the local setting. Completion of a final course assessment (course evaluation) is required for successful completion of the course. Participants will receive the Certificate of Completion upon confirmation from the site facilitator that all course requirements have been met.

This course will be delivered entirely online through a course management system named Canvas.

Materials

All reading materials for this course are provided, in PDF form, or by linking to online sources.

Assignments and Expectations

To be successful in the course you will need to complete all of the learning activities listed above. 

To receive a Certificate of Completion from the University of Washington, USA, you must pass the course, which means getting a final score of 70% or higher on all graded activities. Your final score is calculated as:

  • Wellbeing Practice Journal (WPJ) (50%): As you watch the videos and engage with course materials each module, you will be asked guiding questions to help you to reflect and make connections with how wellbeing and burnout impact your own personal life. You can download the journal here. This journal will be turned in two times during the course for a grade—at the end of Module 3 and Module 9. 
  • Discussion Board (10%): Discussion questions allow students to reflect on the topic and learn from other students. Each discussion post is worth 1 or 2 points and is due the Sunday of the week that they are assigned at 11:59 pm PT.

While it is not required, it is recommended that you also respond to your classmates' posts—use this board as on opportunity to engage in meaningful discussion. Did something they say spark an idea or resonate with you? Let them know.

  • Quizzes (30%): There are six quizzes that correspond to modules 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, and 9. Each quiz is due the Sunday of the week they are assigned at 11:59 pm PT. 

  • Wellbeing Practice Log (5%): This item is due at the end of Module 4.

  • Wellbeing Practice Inventory (5%): This item is due at the end of Module 5.

  • Wellbeing Practice: In addition to the activities above, participants are expected to build time into their weekly schedule for engaging in wellbeing practice activities. Starting in Module 3 participants will begin a breath practice for 5-minutes, at least once a day. Following Module 5, they will also incorporate a personal wellbeing practice into their daily lives.  

Course Completion

Active participation is required in order to receive a Certificate of Completion for the course. Detail on all assignments can be found on the course website and seen by clicking the "Modules" link located in the top left-hand side of the page.

Late Work Policy

Assignments will be due at the end of each Module. If you are unable to submit your assignment by the due date, you may still submit it up to one week late without penalty. After the one-week grace period, the assignment will close and it can no longer be accepted for grading.

UW Disability Statement

The Disability Services Office aims to help make the UW community more accessible for all. If you are seeking accommodation for a permanent or temporary disability, contact eDGH@uw.edu or dso@uw.edu for more information and assistance.

Commitment to Academic Integrity 

As a student in this course you are expected to maintain high degrees of professionalism, commitment to active learning and participation in this class and also integrity in your behavior in and out of the classroom.

University of Washington's Academic Honesty Policy & Procedures

Plagiarism, cheating, and other misconduct are serious violations of your contract as a student. We expect that you will know and follow the UW's policies on cheating and plagiarism. Any suspected cases of academic misconduct will be handled according to UW regulations. More information, including definitions and examples, can be found at the UW webpage.

Definitions

“Plagiarism is defined as the use of the words, ideas, diagrams, etc., of publicly available work without appropriately acknowledging the sources of these materials. This definition constitutes plagiarism whether it is intentional or unintentional and whether it is the work of another or your own, previously published work. Plagiarism is a very serious offense that the University of Washington does not tolerate.”

Enforcement

Corroborated reports of plagiarism, cheating, or other misconduct will result in no credit on that assignment and may result in suspension from the course and ban from participation in future courses.

Religious Accommodations

“Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (Links to an external site.). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (Links to an external site.).”

Copyright Statement

All content associated with this course is copyrighted. This includes the syllabus, assignments, reading lists, and lectures, as well as any material generated by your fellow students. Within the constraints of "fair use", you may copy these materials for your personal use in support of your education. For example, you may download materials to your computer for study, but you may not copy the materials and distribute or upload to a website. Such “fair use” by you does not include further distribution by any means of copying, performance or presentation beyond the circle of your close acquaintances, student colleagues in this class and your family. If you have any questions regarding any use violates the creator's copyright interests, please feel free to email edgh@uw.edu.

Schedule

 

Course Summary:

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