General | March 23, 2026

PHILADELPHIA – The Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of Pennsylvania has entered into a partnership with Onrise, a virtual, athlete-focused mental health provider, to expand the mental health resources available to its nearly 1,000 student-athletes. This collaboration enhances the Division's existing support and supplements the work of its on-site Head of Athletics Mental Health Services, Sonia Johnson.

Onrise offers three types of specialized care for student-athletes:

• Athlete Peer Support: Delivered by former collegiate and professional athletes who are trained to provide peer guidance, mental performance strategies, and support for navigating both sport and life.
• Therapy: Onrise's licensed mental health clinicians specialize in working with student-athletes and offer both therapeutic care and mental performance services. The clinical team is licensed in all 50 states.
• Licensed Psychiatric Care: Licensed psychiatrists are available to provide medication evaluation and management for student-athletes who need additional support.

Sonia Johnson will continue in her role as the division's in-house mental health and mental performance provider, available to student-athletes upon request or at the recommendation of their coaches. The addition of Onrise's services creates a more comprehensive support network, offering greater access to care both on and off campus.

"The Pottruck Center for Student- Athlete Success is excited to scale our athlete-focused mental health services through a partnership with Onrise," Denise Poole, Senior Associate AD, Student-Athlete Success said. "Onrise's comprehensive mental health care will provide Penn student-athletes with timely access to trained professionals who understand the unique demands faced by Division I student-athletes."

"I am very excited for this partnership with Onrise," Johnson said. "When looking for additional mental health resources for student-athletes, Onrise stood out not only with their 48-hour scheduling promise and 24/7/365 availability but with their staunch commitment to providing the highest level of mental health care to student-athletes. They boast several partnerships with various professional sports players' associations such as the MLBPA, MLSPA, USWNT Players Association and more. I am confident that Onrise can reach the student-athletes who would otherwise not seek out services due to lack of availability or their own perceptions of what traditional mental health care looks like. I look forward to working closely with Onrise to ensure that our student-athletes receive the highest level of care."

"The dedication Sonia Johnson and Denise Poole bring to supporting student-athletes is evident in how thoughtfully they've approached this agreement," Onrise CEO Kim Quigley, MD said. "With Sonia's own experience as a former student-athlete, there's a clear understanding of what athletes actually need. Penn is expanding access to support that works after hours, beyond campus boundaries, and for students who value the privacy and fit of specialized telehealth. That's how you bolster a mental health support system that meets the needs of student-athletes in today's athletic environment."

About Onrise 
Onrise is a mental health care platform purpose-built for athletes and high performers. Combining peer mentorship, sports performance, therapy, psychiatric care, and telehealth convenience, Onrise makes stigma-free support accessible, when and where it's needed most. Learn more at www.onrise.care.