What does it take to solve the world’s most urgent health challenges?
Tackling today’s health challenges requires care that sees the whole person and integrates science, prevention and well-being.
HealthEU, a holistic framework built on six dimensions of well-being, is redefining wellness and health promotion at Elon.
A rendering of what the new HealthEU building will look like as viewed from the Innovation Quad
From upgraded facilities and new academic programs to innovative peer education, HealthEU ensures every member of our community builds the skills to flourish. The new 130,000-square-foot HealthEU Center, opening in 2026, will bring together academics, recreation, counseling and wellness in one state-of-the-art hub designed to support the whole campus community.
The three-story facility will feature:
- New classrooms, student-faculty research and engagement spaces
- A gymnasium and climbing center with spaces for team and individual recreation
- An aquatics center with a collegiate competition-sized pool
- Fitness, weight training and exercise space for groups and individuals
- An indoor track and an outdoor fitness center
- The Mark and Kim Tyson Counseling Center, made possible by alumni Mark ’98 and Kim ’99 Tyson, a space for individual and group therapy, workshops and outreach.
As director of HealthEU initiatives, Anu Räisänen brings expertise in public health and program design, leading work that integrates all six dimensions of well-being: physical, emotional, social, spiritual, financial and community. Her collaborative approach and strategic leadership position HealthEU as a national model for campus well-being.
True well-being is about creating an environment where people feel connected, capable and supported. HealthEU weaves that mindset into the fabric of the university.
FACULTY PERSPECTIVE
Preparing Students for Real-World Care
The School of Health Sciences’ Interprofessional Education Committee helps students build the teamwork and decision-making skills essential in today’s health professions. Through the Interprofessional Simulation Center and immersive activities such as Friday Night board game at the ER, students learn to navigate pressure, collaborate across disciplines and think critically. This experiential approach prepares future clinicians to deliver compassionate and coordinated care.
Students play Friday Night board game at the ER to learn critical thinking skills
Health care is a team sport. Students must learn to communicate, collaborate and respond with confidence.
ALUMNI IN ACTION
Healing Through Movement
Danielle Martinelli-Taylor ’12, therapist and founder of Animo Counseling and Combat
As founder of Animo Counseling and Combat, Danielle Martinelli-Taylor ’12 helps clients process trauma by blending licensed mental health counseling with no-contact boxing. Elon helped the strategic communications major and religious studies minor develop the empathy, critical thinking and global perspective that now shape her innovative, whole-person approach to healing. “We’re interconnected beings,” she says. “Our bodies hold just as much of our story as our minds do, and healing happens when we learn how to listen to both.”
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Stretch, Breathe, Wag
When Naomi Lockamy DPT’26 received the inaugural Andrew G. Bennett ’08 Student Wellness Innovation Grant, she put her idea into action: Puppy Yoga for Campus Calm. Her student-led event combined yoga and canine therapy to ease stress and nurture community well-being. “Wellness can be simple,” she says. “Sometimes it’s as easy as a mat, a stretch and a puppy by your side.”
Puppy therapy provides students with the opportunity to unwind and practice self-care