About Nature Rx at the University of Michigan
Nature Rx at U-M is a university-wide initiative to highlight opportunities for spending time in nature, to promote the scientific evidence for nature's many benefits and to encourage the U-M community to engage with the nature around them. Nature Rx at U-M is part of a national movement to find synergies between college campuses and nature for wellness.
Many thanks to our sponsors and collaborators for their support of Nature Rx!
Nature Rx Project Team Members
Katie Stannard
Voices of the Staff & Project Lead
Catriona Mortell-Windecker
MBGNA
Chris Hedly
MM Dept. of Communication
Erin Himrod
Michigan Medicine
Chris Eagle
ITS
Lindsay Hendricks
ITS
Amy Holland
Kevin Jeong
ITS
Theresa Maddix
MM Dept. of Communication
Julia Rubel
MM Urology - Admin Specialist
Samuel Kocurek
SEAS Graduate Student
Teshia Sopher
ITS
Brianna Solberg
MM Office of EVPMA
Joshua West
OVPR - CS Monitor
Madalyn Wolfgram
Aerospace Engineering
Kelly Jones
Graham Sustainability Institute
Julie Piazza
Office of Patient Experience
Nature Rx History
The act of prescribing time outdoors can be traced all the way to Ancient Greece and the philosopher Hippocrates.
Beginning in 2019, a Nursing student interning with Matthaei Botanical Gardens took note of how nature can help students bolster their mental wellbeing. Following her foresight, a coalition of students mapped out 100 locations around U-M in ArcGIS. These locations were centers of nature and relaxation.
Since this program was supported by Voices of the Staff during the COVID-19 Pandemic, our team, with much additional help from the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum, ITS, and Michigan Medicine, we released a NatureRx App in the Michigan app.
This app comprises 100 locations in and around Ann Arbor where community members can immerse themselves in nature.