Blue Week, a mental health and well-being initiative run by the ANU Medical Students’ Society (ANUMSS), saw a series of student-focused activities unfold from 1–5 September.

Led by the ANUMSS’s Wellbeing Officer, Ms Elma Islam, and supported by a team of enthusiastic student volunteers, the week brought together students across all years with a simple goal: to remind future doctors to look after themselves and each other.

“This time of year, is extremely stressful for medical students,” Ms Islam explained. “Fourth years are coming off their exams, second years are buried in research projects, and first and third years have their own academic pressures. I really wanted to create something that brought everyone together, that reminded them to take a step back and just breathe.”

Backed by generous funding from Doctors for Doctors (Drs4Drs) ACT and the Australian Medical Association (AMA) ACT, Blue Week was designed to promote mental health and connection within the medical student community.

Ms Islam was quick to point out that Blue Week was a team effort. “Each event was run by a different student,” she said. “It wouldn’t have happened without the efforts of Hannah Ryder, Trisha Nangia, Katriel Tan, Jithmi Perera, Zach Biles, Rachael Lu, Brendan Navaneethan, and Luke Meogrossi.”

Activities for the Mind, Body and Spirit

The week launched on Monday with a calming yoga session at ANU Sport.  On Tuesday, students gathered for a tranquil morning walk around Lake Burley Griffin - dogs and coffee included.

“It was so peaceful and a great way to start the day,” Ms Islam said. “It was wonderful to be supported by Associate Professor Brett Scholtz, Chair of the Student Welfare Committee, who joined us for the walk.”

Wednesday was one of the most popular days of the week, featuring therapy dogs outside the Florey building. “We had incredible turnout, especially from the fourth years who had just finished exams,” Ms Islam said. “The feedback was amazing. So many people told me it helped them de-stress and reconnect.”

The events continued Thursday with a paint-and-sip evening at Badger & Co. featuring paint-by-number kits, relaxed conversation, and a visit from Dr Marisa Magiros from Drs4Drs ACT, who spoke about the importance of mental health in the medical profession.

Friday wrapped up the week with a movie night screening Everything Everywhere All at Once, accompanied by a talk from Dr Kerrie Aust, President of AMA ACT.

Throughout the week, student participation was incentivised with a raffle, a direct benefit of the funding provided by AMA ACT and Drs4Drs.  Prizes ranged from a voucher to the high-end Inka Restaurant, to general entry to the National Zoo & Aquarium, and even some MedSoc merchandise.

But as Ms Islam noted, it’s not about the number of participants but the impact.

“Something Dr Aust said to me at the movie night has stuck with me,” Ms Islam shared. “I was worried because people were trickling in and we didn’t have a huge crowd.  But Dr Aust said to me, ‘Even if two people show up, that’s two people who’ve had a chance to connect.’  That meant a lot and made me see our efforts in a different light.”

Student Sentiments

The feedback from students was overwhelmingly positive. At the therapy dog session, students described the experience as ‘a much-needed reset.’  At the paint and sip, many spoke of entering a ‘flow state’, deeply immersed in the relaxing activity of painting without any academic pressure.

“People came up to me and said, ‘Thank you so much for Blue Week. It was something we really needed,’” Ms Islam shared. “That meant a lot to me. Even if they don’t talk about what’s going on in their lives, they feel the support.”

Ms Islam’s passion for her role as Wellbeing Officer and for fostering support among her peers is evident. “The role resonates with me,” she said. “It combines everything I love about bringing people together in a low-pressure, fun setting. It’s been such a meaningful and rewarding part of my year.”

As she prepares to hand the baton to the next Wellbeing Officer, Ms Islam and colleagues have left an inspiring example: a week that not only reminded medical students to care for their own well-being but also proved that teamwork and community-focused activities, when supported by sufficient funding, can have a lasting positive impact.

“It’s not always about money,” she added, “but when you’re a student-run organisation, a little bit of funding can go a really long way. The AMA and Drs4Drs made this possible, and we’re incredibly grateful.”