Makenzie Peterson

Focus Areas

As an organizational wellbeing and strategy consultant, Dr. Makenzie Peterson provides subject-matter expertise on preventative, systems-based wellbeing initiatives that positively impact people’s lives. She helps organizations address the root causes of distress to improve overall well-being through evidence-based practices and strategic organizational change initiatives. 
 
In her previous roles, she led efforts to improve the professional well-being of students, staff, and faculty and conducted national research on mental health, wellbeing, and organizational culture, providing data-driven organizational recommendations for program development and implementation. Peterson speaks on a variety of wellbeing-related topics to drive positive change. 
 
Her previous roles include being a health specialist for a joint MIT/Harvard-sponsored start-up at Harvard Business School’s Innovation Lab, at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine as their first Wellbeing Program Director, Wellbeing Committee member for the New York State Veterinary Medical Society, and later as the first Director for Wellbeing at the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges. Dr. Peterson also founded the Wellbeing Coalition within the Federation of the Allied Schools of the Health Professions to encourage cross-disciplinary efforts and resource sharing across health professions. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Women’s Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative and is a member of several working groups at the National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being. 
 
Born and raised in Alaska, Dr. Peterson completed her master’s degree from the University of Utah in Health Promotion & Education and her Doctorate of Social Work from the University of Southern California.