Imagine an environment to slow down, reflect and connect with colleagues—not as resources but as fellow human beings. That’s the vision behind The Anchor Program, where Wake Forest University School of Medicine faculty say they’re improving their ability to manage stress while building meaningful connections.
The program launched in early 2023 by Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Well-Being Suzanne Danhauer, PhD, ACC, and is funded by The Duke Endowment and the School of Medicine’s Office of Faculty Affairs and the Center for Integrative Medicine. The purpose was to support faculty and leaders by fostering connections, community and well-being. Open to any faculty member across Advocate Health (currently offered in the North Carolina & Georgia Division and soon to include faculty in Illinois and Wisconsin), Anchor embodies our Commitment to Think Boldly Together.
“It’s a bold idea to realize that slowing down to pause and self-reflect with your colleagues can actually help you become more creative, collaborative and productive,” said Dr. Danhauer, who is also a clinical psychologist and has researched positive psychology and emotions and why they matter—from cancer patient recovery to physician burnout prevention.
Anchor includes a variety of mind-body exercises like mindful walking, guided imagery and creative expression through drawing and journaling. It also shares strategies and tools for faculty to make mindfulness part of their daily life. Faculty participate by signing up to attend one of several sessions offered in Winston-Salem or Charlotte. Each session includes 10 faculty participants and two facilitators.
“Faculty are given an opportunity to really feel heard, understood and supported within a smaller group,” Dr. Danhauer said. “It’s a space for sharing stresses, but also moments of joy—the difficult and the positive in the same space. They hear others’ experiences, and it normalizes the cultivation of self-compassion and self-care.”
In a recent activity, participants painted smooth stones with words or art reflecting what they were each getting out of the program. They wrote words and phrases like Peace, Grateful, Hope, Presence, Connect, Belong and Community.
“There’s a lot of depth and vulnerability in what's discussed in Anchor,” said Abigail Gleason, Program Manager, Office of Faculty Affairs, School of Medicine. “It’s the perfect foundation for collaboration and opening up new possibilities in the workplace.”
The program is replacing a sense of isolation with one of connection. According to Dr. Sydney Primis, Associate Dean for Faculty Well-Being in the Office of Faculty Affairs, “Participants realize they’re not the only person struggling with difficult challenges and emotions,” she said. “Anchor gives them an opportunity to develop some really meaningful connections and support for one another.”
As of October 2025, 70+ faculty have participated in the program. In follow-up surveys, they say Anchor has significantly impacted both their professional and personal lives, helping them better manage stress and decrease reactivity. The program has positively influenced their personal lives through mindfulness tools and skills they use for self-care and well-being.
“Anchor helps support our initiative to be the Best Place to Care, recognizing that clinicians taking care of themselves and each other is critical to their ability to take the best care of their patients,” Suzanne said. “At the same time, Anchor fulfills our faculty’s strong desire for connection and community.”
Last year, Anchor leaders offered a facilitator training in Winston-Salem where local participants joined faculty from Chicago, Charlotte and the state of Georgia. “It was awesome to hear the people who came to this training say they felt even more connected across this whole organization,” Abigail said.
As one Anchor participant shared, “To be seen as one’s authentic self is a powerful thing. I feel seen. I see you all too.”
To learn more about The Anchor Program, contact Abigail.Gleason@advocatehealth.org or nana.danquahduah@advocatehealth.org.
