Health Education Office

Health and Wellness Educators smiling
2023-2024 Health & Wellness Educators

Mission Statement

The Office of Health Education supports student academic success through identifying wellness trends, planning wellness events, and creating awareness campaigns to the RWU student population on a wide variety of health topics. We strive to equip all students to make intentional, positive lifestyle choices for themselves as well as empower them to use bystander intervention strategies to prevent harm to others.

The health education department has a peer education model for it's prevention programming. The Director of Student Health Promotion and Wellness Education and the peer education group, the Health and Wellness Educators (HAWEs) work together to provide education and support to Roger Williams University students in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. We strive to motivate individuals to develop the physical, mental, social, intellectual and spiritual dimensions of self and make choices toward a more successful and healthier existence.

Health and Wellness Educators (H.A.W.E.s)

There are 8 stipend positions for students (plus 2 RA Internship positions) to work out of the Health Education Office. Students from all majors will find it a valuable experience that translates into many job skills.

Ten Things to Know

The Health Education Office:

  1. Serves the entire campus community
  2. Receive referrals for students experiencing alcohol and other drug use related problems
  3. Offers free alcohol and drug use assessments
  4. Provides individual health coaching sessions for a variety of health behaviors
  5. Collaborates with outside community partners and RWU groups on prevention initiatives
  6. Serves as a great resource for students
  7. Offers a range of programs including workshops/presentations to residence halls, campus clubs and organizations
  8. Provides smoking cessation consultations
  9. Distributes condoms free of charge
  10. Helps students with class projects, presentations and speeches on health topics.
Health and Wellness Educators smiling and sitting
The HAWEs presenting to incoming freshmen at Orientation on the importance of consent during sexual activity.

Professional Memberships

The Director of Health Education is a member of the American College Health Association (ACHA) https://www.acha.org/. Since 1920, the ACHA has served as the voice for student health and wellness. Through advocacy, research and education, ACHA stands at the forefront of issues that impact the health and wellness of college students. ACHA represents over 1,100 institutions of higher education, representing the collective health and wellness needs of 10 million college students. ACHA serves nearly 3,000 individual college health and wellness professionals and leaders of all disciplines united together to advance the health and wellness of college students. Membership in ACHA is key to unlocking tremendous vision and knowledge that can enrich campus health and wellness services, professional development, and efforts toward creating a culture of wellness on campus.

The Health and Wellness Educators are actively involved with the BACCHUS Initiatives of NASPA (https://www.naspa.org/constituent-groups/groups/bacchus-initiatives). The BACCHUS Initiatives of NASPA supports collegiate peer educators and advisors by empowering students and student affairs administrators to create campus environments which are healthy and safe.

Achievements

Through attending conferences the Health and Wellness Educators have been nationally recognized and awarded for their efforts as a peer health education group.

The RWU Health Education Program is a peer based education model. 10 Health and Wellness Educators are chosen to design and deliver health promotion to the entire campus community. The BACCHUS Peer EducationNetworkTM is a part of NASPA and is a university based, campus and community-wide leadership on health and safe lifestyle decisions concerning alcohol abuse, tobacco use, illegal drug use, unhealthy sexual practices and other high-risk behaviors.

Mary and Kayla
Health and Wellness Educators Mary Dinnean and Kayla Devin were awarded
the 2018 RWU Student Achievement Award for Title IX Recognition
Diana Perez
Health and Wellness Educator Diana Perez was awarded as
​​​​Outstanding Peer Educator of 2018 at the Bacchus Region 1 Conference
YearAward TypeProgram/
Recipient Name
1996(Northeast Region) Area 10 Program of the YearAlcohol Incidence Referral
1996General Assembly National Outstanding Creativity in Prevention EducationHappy 21 BD
1997General Assembly National Outstanding Creativity in Prevention EducationPassed Out
1997 (Northeast Region) Outstanding ProgramPassed Out
1998General Assembly National Outstanding AdvisorDonna Lynn Darmody
1999General Assembly National Outstanding Network AffiliateRWU Health Advocates
2000(Northeast Region) Outstanding AdvisorDonna Lynn Darmody
2007General Assembly National Outstanding AdvisorDonna Lynn Darmody
2007-2008Outstanding AOD Professional (Finalist) Outside the ClassroomDonna Lynn Darmody
2009(Northeast Region) Area 10 Outstanding Peer EducatorRenee Belotti
2009General Assembly National Outstanding Network AffiliateRWU Health and Wellness Educators
2010(Northeast Region) Area 10 Outstanding Peer EducatorHannah Freedman
2012General Assembly National Outstanding Research and EvaluationRWU Health and Wellness Educators
2013(Northeast Region) Outstanding AdvisorDonna Lynn Darmody
2013(Northeast Region) Area 10 Outstanding ProgramRootbeer: The Only Beer You Should Be Serving
2013General Assembly National Outstanding AdvisorDonna Lynn Darmody
2014Student Affairs Unsung Hero AwardDonna Lynn Darmody
2014Peter Broomhead award for supporting athleticsDonna Lynn Darmody
2014Bacchus General Assembly National Outstanding Program AwardFYE-This Is HAWE Do It!
2015(Northeast Region) Award for Best ProgramConsent Poster Campaign
2016Bacchus General Assembly Outstanding Peer Educator GroupRWU Health and Wellness Educators
2017Bacchus General Assembly Outstanding ProgramMessage on a Bottle
2018(Northeast Region 1) Outstanding ProgramMessage on a Bottle
2018(Northeast Region 1) Outstanding AdvisorDonna Lynn Darmody
2018(Northeast Region 1) Outstanding Peer EducatorDiana Perez
2018RWU Student Achievement Award for Title IX RecognitionMary Dinnean & Kayla Devin
2019Student Life Program of the Year Staff Award for Student Engagement & LearningPeer Body Project 
2019Peggy Deston Award Donna Darmody