Wayne Katon Behavioral Health Education and Wellness Fund

The Wayne Katon Behavioral Health Education and Wellness Fund is a way for friends of the residency to financially support the wellbeing of current residents in honor of CHFM Faculty Emeritus Dr. Wayne Katon. Residency is a physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging experience, and the Cherry Hill program is no exception. With grueling, twelve-hour days (and nights!) in the hospital and the daily complexities of caring and advocating for the most underserved patients in our communities, training to be a family doctor makes an impact on every resident’s mental health.

The COVID-19 pandemic has added a new layer of strain to residents’ wellness. While our residents became frontline workers in an unprecedented pandemic, social support and wellness activities became fewer and farther between due to quarantining, social distancing, and travel restrictions. Since the class of 2020, residents are graduating with training experience unlike any before.

As a residency, we have recognized the need for significant, meaningful wellness programming for years. With the establishment of the Wayne Katon Fund, we invite our extended community near and far to help us turn these plans into reality. Gifts will go directly towards activities such as hiring a consultant to offer wellness services to residents, group counseling, anti-racism support, and other wellness events. Our longer-term goals include developing a wellness curriculum, mental health resources, and more for current and future residents.

We welcome suggestions or ideas for our wellness efforts. Please share any thoughts by emailing us.

About Wayne Katon

The Wayne Katon Fund is a memorial to Dr. Wayne Katon, one of our beloved past faculty members. Trained as a psychiatrist, Wayne’s mission was to get the best quality mental healthcare to the most people.

We also remember Wayne with one of our graduation awards, the Wayne Katon, MD, Therapeutic Interviewing Award. Wayne modeled the privilege of listening to the story of each patient. In that spirit, every year the core faculty give the award to a member of the graduating class for their outstanding commitment to the art of patient-centered therapeutic interviewing and behavioral health in family medicine.