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After achieving a series of milestones for mental health and well-being initiatives at ���㽶��Ƶ, Chief Health and Wellness Officer will leave Hanover this winter for a new role with .

Garcia has been appointed the next president and chief executive officer of Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington, Vt., health system leaders . His last day at ���㽶��Ƶ will be Jan. 18.

“I am incredibly proud of all we have accomplished for our students and our community,” says Garcia, who inaugurated the chief officer role in March 2024 as part of commitment to improve student mental health and well-being.

“Estevan has been a catalyst for positive change in the ���㽶��Ƶ community and a compassionate, talented leader; we wish him well,” says President Beilock. “We have made great strides in establishing a new baseline for the quality of support our students and community can expect, making ���㽶��Ƶ a leader in addressing youth mental health.”

First among those continuing initiatives is , the strategic plan supporting student mental health and well-being, which marked two years of progress with a gathering on campus last week. More than 60 of the 73 steps detailed in that plan are in progress or completed, and reviews of data and student surveys across ���㽶��Ƶ’s schools reveal the following positive trends:

• Student survey respondents at risk for moderate to severe depression decreased from 33% in 2021 to 24% in 2024.
• Student survey respondents at risk for moderate to severe anxiety decreased from 27% in 2021 to 23% in 2024.
• Student survey respondents agreeing that ���㽶��Ƶ prioritizes student mental health increased from 47% in 2021 to 73% in 2024.
• 93% of undergraduate survey respondents agree they know where to get professional help for their mental or emotional health, up 10 percentage points since 2021.

, director of the Student Health Service at Dick’s House and an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Geisel School of Medicine, has been named interim medical director for health and wellness, effective Jan. 19. Reed earned his medical degree from the University of Arizona.

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Mark Reed, director of the ���㽶��Ƶ Student Health Service, speaks at a community panel on mental health in 2022. (Photo by Eli Burakian ’00)

In his expanded role, Reed will oversee the Student Wellness Center, Time Away Office, employee wellness, and health- and wellness-focused student groups, among other duties. 

Reed will report to , senior vice president for community and campus life and chief student affairs officer. Rosales will assume responsibility for the —a joint initiative between Health and Wellness and ���㽶��Ƶ Athletics.

“Across all these areas, I look forward to working more closely with these talented colleagues who I know are committed to weaving health and well-being into the fabric of this community,” says Rosales. “I look forward to continuing—and accelerating where possible—the initiatives started by President Beilock and Estevan.”