THE CHICAGO AREA SCHWEITZER FELLOWS PROGRAM
*** Read a press release announcing the selection of the 2014-15 Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows here.***
ABOUT US
Founded in 1996 as a program of ASF and the Health and Medicine Policy Research Group (HMPRG), the Chicago Area Fellows Program is one of eleven Schweitzer program sites across the U.S. dedicated to developing a pipeline of emerging professionals who enter the workforce with the skills and commitment necessary to address unmet health needs.
Since the program’s inception, Schweitzer Fellows in Chicago—competitively chosen from health-focused graduate student applicants in a variety of fields—have worked tirelessly to address health disparities and the social determinants of health throughout the greater Chicago area.
To read more about what being a Schweitzer Fellow in Chicago entails and to find out how to apply, please visit our application page. To see some Chicago Fellows in action in the community, click here. Click here to download an informational brochure about the Chicago Schweitzer Fellows program, which is funded entirely by charitable donations and grants. Make a gift, make a difference!
OUR IMPACT
Since 1996, 495 Schweitzer Fellows have provided 99,000 hours of service to Chicago’s vulnerable communities. Partnering with area community-based organizations, these Fellows have addressed a wide variety of unmet health needs by creating and carrying out yearlong projects with direct service at their core. Examples include the following initiatives:
• Encouraging academic achievement in south side youth through a new tutoring/mentoring program
• Creating a social network among seniors to help reduce loneliness and isolation
• Teaching health education classes focusing on healthy foods and fitness for underserved groups
• Leading prenatal yoga classes to help expectant mothers combat stress and increase awareness and exploration of the mind-body connection
• Providing preventive dental services and oral health care education to underserved children
• Training hip-hop and spoken word artists to promote awareness of health care issues facing African Americans
Please see Fellows and Projects for a complete listing of Fellows’ service projects. When Fellows’ initial year of service ends, they carry their commitment to meeting the health needs of underserved people forward as members of the Schweitzer Fellows for Life alumni network, now more than 2,000 strong.
CHICAGO SCHWEITZER FELLOWS IN THE NEWS
Dec. 19, 2013 Ray Mendez (Stritch Class 2015) wins AAMC 2013 Herbert Nickens Scholarship
April 17, 2013 Helping Teens Impacted by Cancer
May 7, 2012 Dana Madigan of NUHS Is First DC Student to Be Awarded The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship
OUR FELLOWS SPEAK
“This Fellowship has reinforced my desire to be involved in the community and to be a role model to young people. It only takes one person that you can look up to for inspiration to challenge you to be a better person. I’d like my academic achievement and desire to help others inspire young people to do even brighter things than I can.” –Schweitzer Fellow Mark Stoltenberg (Loyola University Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine)
“It seems simple – and the general idea is simple –this notion that one’s environment and circumstances dictate behavior. But as a Fellow this year, and in my career as a physician, the complex part will be finding answers to how to overcome these barriers. And if I learned anything this year, it’s that you have to be creative, patient, and willing to try and try again.” –Schweitzer Fellow Benjamin Preyss (University of Illinois Chicago, College of Medicine)
CONTACT US
Ray Wang, Program Director
Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows Program
Health and Medicine Policy Research Group
29 E. Madison Street, Suite 602
Chicago, IL 60602-4404
T: 312-372-4292 ex. 24
rwang@hmprg.org