About Us

What We Do

The Stanford BeWell Program promotes a culture of wellness at Stanford, serving benefits-eligible Stanford University employees and their spouses and registered domestic partners.

BeWell is part of Stanford Benefits and supports and inspires Stanford community members to lead healthy lifestyles. BeWell provides evidence-based classes, workshops and services to help Stanford community members achieve optimal well-being.

Our History

BeWell launched in 2008 and was originally powered by both Stanford Recreation & Wellness and the former Health Improvement Program (HIP). Born out of the School of Medicine in 1983, HIP was a pioneer in developing methods of workplace health education and promotion.

In 2019, BeWell and HIP merged under the umbrella of Stanford Benefits to support Stanford’s mission of fostering a productive work environment where people feel valued.

BeWell continues to evolve to meet the needs of the Stanford community. With a robust wellness program and nearly 300 health education classes offered each year, BeWell creates a culture of wellness that touches the lives of over 70% of university employees, with 91% reporting making healthy changes or maintaining healthy behaviors.

Our Milestones

1983: Stanford Health Improvement Program (HIP) began based on research showing that workplace wellness programs could positively impact the health of employees. HIP hosted its first annual Stanford Alumni Retreat and educational and restorative weekend with Stanford and Bay Area health experts. The annual retreat successfully continued for 25 years.

2002: HIP initiated Living Strong Living Well™ (LSLW), a 12-week small-group program designed for adult cancer survivors to improve functional ability and quality of life. LSLW was absorbed into various  health centers across the US.  

2007: Campus leaders convened to create a coordinated and collaborative wellness program, which would be the basis for BeWell. The first Cardinal Walk was held.

2008: BeWell began offering employees incentives to complete the Stanford Health and Lifestyle Assessment (SHALA). HIP initiated LeadWell, a program designed to bring wellness classes to workgroups at various University or hospital locations.

2009: BeWell introduced Berries and the first Sharing Wellness event was held.

2010: BeWell launched biometrics screenings. Originally administered by Kaiser Permanente, BeWell Screenings were brought in-house in 2011.

2012: HIP partnered with Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children’s Health to create HealthySteps to Wellness, a program designed to help hospital employees adopt and maintain healthy lifestyle behaviors. BeWell expanded participation to spouses and registered domestic partners.

2015: BeWell expanded to include an Engagement portion of the Wellness Profile, encouraging employees to continue maintaining their wellness behaviors throughout the year. The first BeWell Harvest Festival was held.

2018: BeWell added three Engagement offerings: Class, Commitment to Family or Community, and Healthy Work Environment.

2019: HIP and BeWell moved to University Human Resources as part of Stanford Benefits.

2020: HIP was integrated into BeWell, and Healthy Living became a BeWell offering.