Three University of Iowa staff, faculty, and students will receive the 2026 Mental Health Champion Award during the Faculty and Staff Awards ceremony on Tuesday, May 5th.
The fourth-annual Mental Health Champion Award celebrates outstanding members of the University of Iowa community who help create and support a positive culture of mental health and well-being. Their commitment to care motivates others to prioritize mental health in their own lives.
“A safe, open, and positive mental health and well-being environment requires leadership and advocacy from every corner of campus,” says Barry Schreier, College of Education professor of Counseling Psychology and director of the higher education program for the Scanlan Center for School Mental Health. “These three honorees exemplify what it means to cultivate belonging, accessibility, and compassion for oneself and others."
The award also celebrates honorees’ commitment to advancing “Campus Mental Health” within the greater UI Strategic Plan.
Congratulations to this year's honorees:
Officer Alton Poole, UIPD Community Outreach Specialist
As the University of Iowa Police Department (UIPD) Community Outreach Specialist, Alton’s impact is reflected in systemic changes, expanded visibility of mental health, and strengthened trust between UIPD and the university community. Alton is a core member of the campus Suicide Prevention Coalition and led efforts to update crisis signage at high-risk campus locations. He provides continual prevention-based programming, office safety assessments, and is a mainstay in student mental health events such as Fresh Check Day and Wholistic Week of Wellness, where his presence is noted as “reframing policing as relational and aligned with mental health advocacy and community outreach.”
"As a Community Outreach Specialist, Officer Poole builds partnerships across campus and has been observed to prioritize proactive engagement over reactive enforcement. He has also been involved in teaching personal safety and self-defense trainings for students, helping to ensure that students on campus receive accessible, practical safety education within a supportive environment. Through his leadership in his Community Outreach Specialist role, he has demonstrated that he understands community-based policing and transparency, all of which help to reinforce trust, connection, and ongoing dialogue between law enforcement and the campus community. -Dr. Marie Adams, Assistant Director of Training, University Counseling Service
Bram Elias, Clinical Professor, College of Law
As a clinical law professor, Bram Elias is known for his "Just making sure you're doing okay…Let's talk" approach to ensuring both a safe space and a listening ear for both colleagues and students. Not a day goes by that Bram doesn't discuss mental health in his classes or in the law clinic he supervises, working tirelessly to destigmatize the negative rhetoric about therapy, depression, and anxiety in the legal field. One of his students stated: "The law school and legal community are better every day because of his efforts, and I struggle to think of anyone who deserves the UI Mental Health Champion Award more."
"Bram supervises students in our legal clinic who are representing clients in immigration proceedings. The work they are doing is always hectic, and can be traumatic at times. Bram ensures that his students are taking care of themselves, including a strong emphasis on their mental health. During their weekly seminars, Bram starts the class with a time for each student to discuss a "high and low" from the week, how they're feeling in the moment, and request any support they might need. In addition, multiple times a semester, Bram has the College of Law's embedded therapist attend his classes to check-in with students. Bram incorporates the students' mental health and overall well-being into their law school experience and stresses the importance of self-care. - Ashley Peterson, Administrative Services Coordinator, College of Law
Bethany Walczak, School Psychology Doctoral Student, College of Education; Mental Health Director, Graduate and Professional Student Government
As a doctoral student and Mental Health Director for the UI Graduate and Professional Student Government, Bethany has advocated for embedded therapists, especially for higher need colleges. Her advocacy for embedded therapists exemplifies her commitment to removing barriers by making sure those from lower socio-economic classes have reliable access to mental health services. Her advocacy extended to the Iowa Board of Regents, which approved $1 million dollars for mental health at all three regent universities. Bethany’s systemic and advocacy improves not only at the University of Iowa, but across the state of Iowa. Her fervor for a holistic approach to well-being comes across in everything she does.
"Bethany has focused so much of her time at the University of Iowa investing in systemic changes that will surely have an everlasting impact on the way the University approaches mental health resources. She has advocated for better peer to peer mental health resources, which will not only provide more access to mental health resources but will also better equip students to help others. Bethany's passion for accessible mental health resources and improving the systems through the University is one of a kind. Her work speaks for itself, but I cannot emphasize enough how much she applies this same passion to making sure those around her have access to resources and support."- Josie Welker, Doctoral Student, Department of Chemistry