Fisher Institute for Wellness and Gerontology The Fisher Institute for Wellness and Gerontology sponsors two distinct but related programs in Wellness Management and Applied Gerontology. Each program has academic, research, and service components. Academic programs include a master's degree in Wellness Management and a master's degree in Applied Gerontology, an undergraduate minor, and certificate programs in Applied Gerontology. Services include wellness residence halls, faculty and staff health assessment and screening, and campus and community health screening and educational programs. One such community educational program is the annual Kirkpatrick Memorial Conference on Aging.
Graduate students assist in the provision of all services offered through the institute.
The research mission of the institute is to assist corporations, community agencies, and health care facilities in designing, implementing, and evaluating programs dedicated to lifespan wellness. Major research topics of the institute include development and investigation of a multidimensional systems model for lifespan wellness and the application of the Ball State Model for Wellness in assessment of individuals, worksite programs, health care facilities, and community organizations. Research interests also include effective techniques for reducing health care costs, motivating people to practice wellness-related activities, and the effects of health behaviors on longevity, morbidity and mortality. In general, the institute is concerned with the processes of maintaining well-being for people, organizations, communities, and societies. Both faculty and student research is related to this broad focus on keeping people well and developing techniques for achieving higher levels of functioning across the lifespan.