ASU Health Services Advisory Committee students talk Sun Devil wellness

February 6, 2020
3 minutes

New student members of the ASU Health Services Advisory Committee at ASU are advising the university on policies, programs, services and the future of student health initiatives at the university.

In the fall of 2019, Emma Lecarie and Halle Lefkowits were appointed to the ASU Health Services Advisory Committee.

Lecarie and Lefkowits say that the committee’s main goal is to advise students about tips, resources and lifestyle habits to help them maintain good health throughout their lives. Lecarie, a second-year graduate student in the clinical psychology doctoral program, said the group is composed of faculty, staff and students with the aim of addressing wellness issues and promoting increased access to wellness resources for all students.

Lecarie said the board wants to hear from students to get feedback about what they’d like to see on campus.

“We aim to best serve and represent students at ASU and are open to any student concerns that can be addressed by the committee,” she said. 

As director of wellness for the Graduate and Professional Student Association, Lecarie said she brings a keen interest and representative voice to the committee as they identify and develop health and wellness initiatives of interest to graduate students. 

“I felt that this committee would be a fitting place to bring up concerns and ideas from the graduate student perspective,” she said.

ASU student

Emma Lecarie

Lecarie hopes to continue working in research and practice in the future as a psychologist. She is specifically interested in adolescence and the importance of transitions: from childhood to adolescence or the transition to college.

Lefkowitz is a third-year student at ASU studying psychology. Lefkowitz said the Student Health Advisory Committee works alongside Dr. Aaron Krasnow, ASU Associate Vice President of Health and Counseling Services, and multiple other ASU faculty and staff members to advise on and discuss important services, policies, educational programs and goals for student health.

Lefkowitz wants students to know that the committee’s number one purpose is to help them. Past projects for the committee have included extending hours for counseling services, implementing self-pay options for sexually transmitted infections testing at ASU Health Services and advocating for a tobacco- and vaping-free campus.

“The focus is advisory and incorporating student feedback into decisions being made related to various health and wellness concerns on campus,” she said.

The committee is currently discussing health insurance options, adding a wellness portion to the ASU app and figuring out how they can increase student access to resources and willingness to seek out help when they need it.

“This committee plans on expanding students’ knowledge of all services ASU has to offer and what the best ways to reach students in order to accomplish this goal are,” she said. “Awareness is essential to student health, as students need to understand what ASU can provide for them, help them with and where they can go to for help.”

Being a psychology student, Lefkowitz is very passionate about people’s wellness. She wanted to find a way on campus for her to be involved in making a difference in student health. 

“By joining this board, I have been able to freely discuss and express concerns and ideas about student health,” she said.

Lefkowitz’s goal for the future is to attend ASU for graduate school and to obtain her master’s degree in counseling. She is also interested in pursuing ASU’s certificate program on substance abuse and addiction. 

“As an American Indian student, I want to take my degree and knowledge back to my community where I can then begin to work and hopefully make a difference there as well,” she said. 

Learn more about the ASU Health Services Advisory Committee.

Austin Davis, Sun Devil Storyteller