Mallory Rowell at graduation
Recent graduate of Saybrook’s master’s program in Mind-Body Medicine, Mallory Rowell, imagines how she will use her new knowledge and skills to research and develop health promotion and self-care strategies for the communities of Central Ohio. Her current work as a clinical research coordinator at Nationwide Children’s Hospital has shaped her studies at Saybrook, as her awareness and curiosity around child and adolescent health has grown.
Mallory comments, “Each time we were asked to write a paper on an area of interest, I found myself coming back to developing a thorough understanding of the physiology of the stress response and analyzing the effect that disruption of normal functioning had on human development.” Mallory appreciated spending her time finding and analyzing research on the effects of childhood stress and is particularly interested in mindfulness as an intervention. Her capstone master’s project, A Discussion of Mindfulness Education in Schools: Current Research and Considerations, illuminated the current literature for mindfulness interventions in schools in terms of what things are working well and where studies can improve in research design.
Her interest in testing holistic intervention strategies to reduce chronic disease, she acknowledges, is more of a long-term endeavor. “Right now, my focus is in working directly with mind-body skills to assist patients and clients of all ages and backgrounds with discovering what wellness means to them.” She is trying to integrate her skills right away, and has signed up for some volunteer programs in her newly free time. Mallory also plans to continue her education with Saybrook, and hopes to complete the “health and wellness coaching certificate” program by the end of 2016. “During his address at graduation, Dr. Long (Saybrook President) challenged us to go out and begin bringing our expertise back to our communities, and I feel re-energized as I always do after attending Saybrook functions.”
Mallory is thankful for finding the program at Saybrook and feels that she has gained a great deal of personal growth. She remarks, “The Saybrook program focuses on self-care as an important factor in maintaining optimal health, and unlike some other graduate programs they have built that practice into the experience for the students.” Mallory makes self-care an important part of her daily life. She has developed a few contemplative practices and is also involved in many activities including running, soccer, yoga, and dance. “I now feel capable of giving myself authentically and openly to my work and I believe that this is the key to transforming my life and perhaps the lives of those around me”.