In March 2025, HR and OIT collaborated to refresh and revitalize SMU’s version of its employee wellness program, Wellpower, this time, fully integrating it into the familiar my.SMU platform. The initiative, led by Barbara Goss, Senior Benefits Specialist in Human Resources, and Priyanka Nigam, Senior Business Analyst in OIT, marks a significant step forward in making wellness more accessible, engaging, and holistic for faculty and staff.
Previously hosted through third-party vendors like Share Care and Navigate, Wellpower was given a refresh. The HR team envisioned a platform that was intuitive, easy to navigate, and capable of supporting a comprehensive wellness experience. The goal? Aligning the program with six key pillars of Wellbeing: Personal & Professional Growth, Health Wellbeing, Physical Activity, Financial Wellness, Mental Wellbeing, and Community Engagement.
Priyanka came to the table with a game-changing idea: why not build the new Wellpower directly into my.SMU? As a platform already widely used across campus, it offered familiarity and ease of access. With that vision in mind, the HR and OIT teams got to work.
The implementation took about three months, followed by a few weeks of testing. Behind the scenes, Priyanka tackled complex challenges like activity validation, reward triggers, and error handling. Her deep working relationship with Barbara, built over years of collaboration, proved invaluable. Many of their planning sessions took place on Barbara’s whiteboard, sketching user workflows and interface ideas to ensure the platform would be as seamless as possible.
The result? A user-friendly, in-house wellness hub that is already seeing increased engagement. Employees can now log activities with ease and choose from rewards they value, such as extra vacation days, paid parking, or a Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports membership.
Beyond the technical wins, the new Wellpower platform reflects a deeper commitment to employee wellbeing. It empowers individuals to take charge of their health and growth in a way that’s integrated into their daily work life. Barbara shared, “One of my favorite moments is hearing from employees on campus mention to me how much they love the new system and how easy it is to use!”
Thanks to Barbara and Priyanka’s shared vision and teamwork, Wellpower is not just a program; it is a thriving part of SMU’s culture of care.
