Topic 2: Alone Together – Finding Real Connection in a Digital World
Dimensions: Social, Emotional, Occupational
Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025
8:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. CT (9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. ET)
UT Martin, Boling University Center, Russell Duncan Ballroom
Or tune in by watching online from anywhere
Why This Matters
Social health is just as essential as physical and mental health. Recent surveys show that about half of U.S. adults report feeling lonely, with some of the highest rates among young people. In fact, time spent in person with friends for ages 15–24 has dropped nearly 70% over the past two decades.
Loneliness isn’t just an uncomfortable feeling — it’s a real health concern. Research shows that being socially disconnected carries health risks comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day and is linked to depression, anxiety, cardiovascular disease and even premature death.
That’s why this conversation is so important. By coming together, we can share strategies, break down stigmas and strengthen the connections that help our communities thrive.
About this Event
Join UT System Chief Wellness Officer Dr. Jessi Gold for the second Well Informed series session, which shines a spotlight on social health — an area of wellness often overlooked. Through keynote talks, panel conversations and interactive activities, we’ll explore the challenges of building genuine connection in today’s digital world.
What to Expect
- Keynote presentations from Diana Chao, founder of Letters to Strangers, and Lisa Smartt, author and wellness advocate living in West Tennessee
- Panel discussion with UT students and faculty on the impact of social media and building meaningful connections
- Interactive activities for both virtual and in-person participants
- Optional unplugged social hour with games and conversation (in-person only)
- Pop-up events on each UT campus to bring the conversation closer to you
Additional Details
The Well Informed: UT System Hybrid Wellness Series is an event designed to foster open conversations about wellness and address critical issues affecting students across the University of Tennessee System. Hosted in collaboration with UT Wellness, this series explores topics across the eight dimensions of wellness, with events rotating among UT campuses to ensure systemwide engagement.
Each session features expert speakers, success stories and actionable insights to equip faculty and staff with the tools needed to support student well-being. By creating a forum for meaningful discussions, breaking stigmas and educating on key challenges, the series aims to spark a culture shift across the UT System — one conversation at a time.
Agenda
Times below are in the Central Time Zone.
Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025
8:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. CT
8:30–9:00 a.m.: Better Together Breakfast
Check in, enjoy a light breakfast with coffee and tea, and take time to mix and mingle — whether you’re connecting face-to-face or chatting virtually via Zoom, it’s all about starting the day with meaningful connection.
9:00–9:15 a.m.: Welcome and the Why
Speakers: Dr. Jessi Gold, chief wellness officer, UT System; and associate professor, Department of Psychiatry, UT Health Science Center and Allison Castleman, director of Student Health and Counseling Services, UT Martin.
9:15–9:30 a.m.: UTM Chancellor Yancy Freeman
A brief reflection on the importance of relationships, connection and friendship in his life and leadership, and how these values create a stronger, more supportive community for UT’s students, faculty and staff.
9:30–10:30 a.m.: Keynote #1, Diana Chao (joining us virtually):
Dear Stranger: A Journey of Youth Mental Health: This presentation tells Diana’s personal story of hurt and healing, from growing up below the poverty line with parents who didn’t speak English, to the power that even the smallest acts of kindness have had on her life. A fusion of spoken word, conceptual art and letters written by young people around the world, this presentation is a testament to the power of second chances and the human connection. Incorporated within are actionable strategies for maintaining mental wellbeing for ourselves and each other gathered from over a decade of interviews and frontline interventions.
10:30–10:45 a.m.
Break (and Snack!)
10:45–11:15 a.m.: UT Voices: Social Media and Meaningful Connection Across the UT System, Panel Discussion
An open conversation exploring the positives and challenges of social media, with insights on fostering genuine relationships and avoiding common pitfalls in a digital world.
Moderator:
- Bernie Savarese, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Research and Student Success; UT System
Panelists:
- Colin Zimmer, student and UTK elf, UT Knoxville
- Michaela Gallian, student, UT Martin
- Hannah Stewart, Assistant Director of Marketing, UT Martin
- Kristen Black, PhD Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, UT Chattanooga
- Allison Ford, MD, Program Director, Child and Adolescent Fellowship, Department of Psychiatry, UT Health Science Center
11:15–11:45 a.m.: Interactive Session
Join UT Martin students and faculty for a fun, low-pressure session designed for both in-person and virtual participants. Through quick, playful activities, you’ll get energized, connect with others and enjoy a few spontaneous laughs along the way.
11:45 a.m. –12:00 p.m.: UTM+ Insights: Data-Driven Connection and Student Success
Speakers Kameron Echols, director of UTM Student Leadership and Campus Culture and John Abel, assistant vice chancellor of Student Affairs at UTM, explore how UTM is using UTM+ data to track student engagement — and how those insights reveal powerful links between connection, retention and academic success.
12:00–12:15 p.m.
Break (and Snack!)
12:15–1:00 p.m.: Keynote: #2 The Power of Positive Connection.
Local community member and speaker Lisa Smartt: An uplifting talk on building healthy relationships, meaningful friendships and the everyday impact of genuine human connection.
1:00–1:15 p.m.: Social Media and Mental Health on Campus: The Data and Some Practical Tips
Undergraduate researchers and social media experts, Oliver Huang and Sahana Nayak, join us from the University of California San Francisco to discuss the research they have worked on with the Jason Nagata lab. They will discuss what we know about social media — the good and the bad — and some tips for managing your use.
1:15–2:30 p.m.: Lunch and (Optional) Unplugged Social Hour
Step away from screens and reconnect over a delicious lunch, yard games and interactive activities designed to spark real conversation, laughter and meaningful connection. As an optional experiment, we are encouraging people to check in their phones — and see what it feels like to truly unplug and connect.
Letters to Strangers Pop Up Events
Join us for the launch of the UT systemwide Letters to Strangers campaign. This heartfelt initiative invites students, faculty and staff to write encouraging, handwritten letters to strangers in need. Each campus will offer writing prompts, stationery and a quiet space to reflect and connect through words. Completed letters will be collected and sent to help spread kindness and connection across communities.
More details for how to get involved on your campus will be added soon.
Keynote Speakers
Diana Chao
Diana Chao is a first-generation Buyi Chinese-American from California. Diana founded Letters to Strangers (L2S) at 14 years old after bipolar disorder and a blinding eye condition nearly ended her life. By beginning to heal through letters, she discovered that writing is humanity distilled into ink. Today, L2S is the largest global youth-for-youth mental health nonprofit, exchanging 60,000+ letters and impacting over half a million people in over 70 countries over the last ten years. L2S published the world’s first youth-for-youth mental health guidebook for free, currently taught in schools worldwide, and also operates the first toll-free 24/7 pan-African mental health hotline out of its Liberia office as part of the national budget.
Diana was honored by two U.S. Presidents at the White House, named a 2021 Princess Diana Legacy Award Winner, and 2020 L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth. She graduated from Princeton University in 2021 with Honors and pivoted from being a NASA astrophysicist and UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change researcher to recently completing an MBA at the University of Oxford as a Skoll Scholar. Having grown up below the poverty line with parents who don’t speak English, Diana learned firsthand how healing is a non-linear process that no one should have to approach alone.
Lisa Smartt
Lisa Smartt loves to laugh! She lives with her husband, Philip, in rural West Tennessee farm country where she loves to cook and have company. Feel free to plan a visit. She will make biscuits. Lisa travels around the country speaking about the joys and difficulties of the people business. She has made a ton of mistakes and uses those painful lessons learned to encourage others. She’s the author of four fiction books and two non-fiction. Philip and Lisa have two adult sons and two daughters-in-love. Her greatest desire is to love and encourage people in the midst of a sometimes painful and difficult world.
Hotel
We’ve reserved a block of rooms at the Hampton Inn Martin for UT Well Informed Conference attendees.
Address: 5575 Skyhawk Parkway, Martin, TN 38238
Phone: 731-587-5800 (mention UT Well Informed Conference for the group rate)
Or book your room online using this link.
Room Block Details:
- Rate: $110 + tax per night
- Rooms available: 8 Double Queens, 7 Kings
- Booking deadline: Oct. 1, 2025
After Oct. 1, the group rate and reserved rooms will no longer be guaranteed.
Event Parking
Attendees should park at the Boiling University Center or across the street.
Boiling University Center
554 University Street, Martin TN 38238
The University Center is marked as item 17 on this UTM Map. No parking passes required for the day of the event.
Event Contact
Jessi Gold, MD, MS
Chief Wellness Officer
University of Tennessee System
chiefwellnessofficer@tennessee.edu