On June 16, 2019, Loma Linda University (LLU) named our founder, Dr. Don Hall, Alumnus of the Year as part of the Conferring of Degrees for the School of Public Health, and the Wellsource team couldn’t be prouder.
Health education has been Dr. Hall’s life work. He developed one of the first corporate wellness programs in the United States, programmed the first computerized health risk assessment, and spearheaded major health campaigns addressing health and wellness. It seems fitting that Dr. Hall’s passion for health and wellness is recognized this year as Wellsource celebrates its fortieth year of providing innovative health risk assessments.
Throughout his school years, Dr. Hall had a sharp mind, strong faith, and an indomitable will—all of which were put to the test when muscle weakness in his early elementary years led to a diagnosis of muscular dystrophy. At that time, Dr. Hall was told that within six months he would be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. However, Dr. Hall became a health fighter and wellness champion. By high school, double scoliosis of the spine served as a lingering reminder of his childhood diagnosis. He started a mountaineering club, ran marathons, and even biked across countries.
Dr. Hall graduated from Walla Walla University with a bachelor’s degree in religion and minors in biology and chemistry. He then attended LLU for his Master of Public Health degree in nutrition and his Doctor of Public Health in preventive healthcare. While at LLU, Dr. Hall founded the Loma Linda Lopers, a running club that is now one of the largest running clubs in Southern California.
As a master’s student, Dr. Hall created the algorithm for his Health Age Assessment based on the Alameda County study on longevity. He bought his first personal computer in 1977 and programmed his assessment on it, creating the first computerized health risk assessment. By 1978—the year Dr. Hall earned his Doctor of Public Health degree—he had created eleven other computerized assessments. Time magazine included him in its 1983 Machine of the Year issue for his innovative use of technology. By 1996, he was selling online health risk assessments to organizations around the world through his company, Wellsource.
When Dr. Hall decided to blend his love of computers with his love of health and wellness, no one could have guessed that he would impact millions of lives. Over the course of his career, Dr. Hall has provided health risk assessments and health education classes to hundreds of corporations and trained thousands of individuals to live healthier lives. He and his wife, Trish, “walk the talk” with an active lifestyle that includes daily walks, swimming, biking, and weight training. As Wellsource board chair, Dr. Hall continues to be a visionary in an era when being healthy is not just a good idea; it’s good business.
In conferring the award, LLU recognized Dr. Hall for “his invaluable contributions” through his “exemplary leadership, modeling of health and fitness, his generosity,” and promoting the university’s motto, “To make man whole.”
Learn more about our founder's legacy here.
