Duke Physician Assistant Wellness Garden Mini Grant

Timeline

2025

Description

Affiliated program: SCALe Mini Grant

Summary

A vinyl yard sign with yellow flowers and a bluebird outlining details of the Physician Assistant Program Wellness Garden.

This project was designed to establish a wellness garden on the Duke Physician Assistant (PA) Program campus, with the goal of enriching the environment using North Carolina’s local flowers and promoting ecological sustainability. By supporting local wildlife and enhancing pollination services, the garden contributed to the PA program’s long-term environmental objectives. In addition to its ecological benefits, the garden created a tranquil space that fosters mental well-being and offers the community an opportunity to reconnect with nature.

To engage students and promote experiential learning, the student team organized a multifaceted Planting and Education Day event. Students, faculty, staff and community volunteers participated in planting the garden and took home pollinator-friendly native seed packets.

The garden now serves as a permanent educational resource. Signage with QR codes provides visitors with detailed information on plant species and tips for pollinator-friendly gardening.

Goals

Two people wearing their hair in a pony tail pose with small plants in one hand and a shovel by their knees in the dirt.

Enhance Local Biodiversity: Establish a pollinator garden to support and increase local pollinator populations, thereby enriching the ecosystem near Duke's PA campus.
Promote Environmental Stewardship: Encourage sustainable practices among students and staff by providing hands-on experience in planting and maintaining flora that supports pollinators.
Foster Community Engagement: Organize educational events, such as the Planting Day, to actively involve the Duke community and local organizations in environmental initiatives.
Provide Long-Term Educational Resources: Install permanent signage with QR codes linking to information on pollinator-friendly practices and sustainability, ensuring ongoing learning opportunities.

Experience and Learning Outcomes

People gather around a wheelbarrow and a person talking into a microphone

"As students in the Duke Physician Assistant Program, our experience developing the pollinator garden was both hands-on and deeply collaborative. Our team worked together key stakeholders, including local botanists, sustainability experts, faculty and community partners—to create a shared vision for the garden. We conducted site visits to assess the space, evaluated soil conditions, and carefully selected North Carolina plants to ensure ecological compatibility and seasonal diversity. We coordinated with vendors for supplies such as mulch and plants and prepared the site by spreading mulch and marking planting zones.

Through this project, we gained valuable skills in project planning, stakeholder collaboration, community outreach, environmental education, and content development. We learned how to effectively manage logistics, communicate sustainability principles, and create a meaningful educational space. The garden became not only a symbol of ecological commitment but also a peaceful area to promote mental well-being.

The Duke PA Program’s social media team documented the planting process and will continue to share updates on the garden’s growth, extending the project’s educational reach. This experience provided us with a strong foundation in sustainability practices and demonstrated how future healthcare providers can positively influence community and environmental health. The project also set a precedent for similar green initiatives at other campus sites, strengthening Duke’s broader commitment to environmental stewardship."

Student Leaders

Grant Writing Team

Lindsey Zipperer; Veronica Quiroz Olivares; Skyler Gubbels; Grace Pulliam

Student Project Team

Lindsey Zipperer – Head Coordinator
Maguette Seye – Outreach & Sponsorships
Skyler Gubbels – Event Planning & Logistics
Veronica Quiroz Olivares – Event Planning & Logistics
Victori (Tori) Falconer- Spending Officer

Outreach Volunteers

Signage: Sarah Markantonis
Website: Samantha Fortier and Ava O’ Reilly
Social Media: Kyla Fisher; Temitope Ogunnaike; Kiera Brown
Sponsorships and Community Outreach: Daren Solis; Kianna Lawrence; Alexander ‘Tram’ Whitehurst

Event Day Volunteers

Hamed Akrami; Marissa Mattys; Melia Pavelek; Emily Hobus; Jeannie Nghiem; Tarra Taylor; Janis Tsai; Emily Walden; Bree Kushneski; Mariel Gampe; Sarah Markantonis; Haejin Lovelace; Samson Wu; Ethan Schlotterbeck; Tram Whitehurst; Maguette Seye; Veronica Quiroz Olivares; Skyler Gubbels; Jackson Goddard

Supporters

Jody Crabtree - Facilities Support and Staff Advisor
Annabel Renwick - Curator, Blomquist Garden of Native Plants
Fiona Matthews– Botanist Leaf & Limb
Roger Conner – Superintendent of Tree Management for Duke Facilities
Chris Chandler – Facilities Support
Emily Bilcik - Assistant Director Office of Climate & Sustainability
Lauren Smith Hong – Duke Gardens Communications
Kyla Fisher - PA Program Communications and Recruitment Coordinator

Thank you to all supporters who contributed their time, donations, supplies and other valuable support to bring the garden's vision to life:

Duke Office of Climate and Sustainability; Keep Durham Beautiful; Durham Co-op Market; Durham Produce Farm; LeWell; DuWell; Taylor’s Nursery; Hoffman’s Nursery; Adcock’s Nursery; Deep Roots Native Nursery; Plantworks Nursery; Cooper Murray of Ruppert's Landscaping