Dartmouth President Sian Leah Beilock

The diminishing mental health of young people is one of the most urgent crises of our time, as U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has rightly pointed out. The Dartmouth community is honored to be joined by him and his six living predecessors to examine what it will take from our institutions, our communities, and ourselves to rapidly improve the well-being of our youth. It is my hope that this discussion will help frame a holistic approach to developing scalable solutions for preparing our students to navigate the challenges, discomfort, and uncertainty that characterize the world they will inherit. We have an opportunity—and a responsibility—to reimagine the university experience with wellness at its center. This means leveraging our integrated health system to pursue and share new research that will deepen our understanding of what’s driving the mental health crisis, fostering a deep sense of community, and providing students with the tools they need to feel healthy and connected, now and throughout their lifetime. There will be no single or one-size-fits-all solution, so I invite our own community, our peer institutions, fellow researchers, clinicians, and students to join us in this ongoing conversation, and in doing the critical work needed to change the way we care for our mental well-being.