At the 5th Annual Schweitzer Fellows for Life Conference featuring keynote speaker Dr. George Thibault, The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF)’s interdisciplinary pipeline of Fellows and alumni (Fellows for Life) deepened their understanding of the role they play in the broader movement to achieve health equity.

Earlier in 2011, the government launched its first-ever National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities—a call to action emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary, cross-community collaboration and coordination. When it comes to achieving health equity, it’s not just going to take doctors, nurses, and dentists; it’s going to take coordinated, comprehensive, and culturally competent efforts from health providers, social workers, lawyers, politicians, community organizations, and community members themselves—all working together, across strata and sectors, toward the same goal.

At the 5th Annual Schweitzer Fellows for Life Conference, discussions involving everything from health care reform, cultural competency, and the principles behind community-based participatory research  illuminated the myriad perspectives and “pieces of the puzzle” involved in bringing about large-scale change.

Thanks to the conference’s blend of practical programming and networking opportunities, attendees emerged knowing that they are valuable members of an increasingly vibrant and diverse community dedicated to achieving health equity together.  

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION & PREVIOUS NEWS COVERAGE

Each year, The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF) supports nearly 250 Schweitzer Fellows at 13 program sites across the U.S. and one in Africa. These Fellows annually deliver more than 40,000 hours of direct service to vulnerable communities -- and they continue their journeys of service as members of the Schweitzer Fellows for Life alumni network, now more than 2,000 strong.

At ASF's annual Fellows for Life conferences, this growing cadre of professionals who are dedicated and skilled in addressing unmet health needs has a unique opportunity:

• to partake in dynamic, interdisciplinary dialogue about our nation’s most pressing health needs;
• to engage with leaders who are advancing the movement to eliminate health disparities; and
• to come away with both a deepened commitment to meeting the health needs of underserved people, and sharpened skills that make living up to that commitment possible.