The U.S. Schweitzer Fellows Programs provide community service fellowships for graduate students in health-related professional fields who are dedicated to addressing unmet health needs in their local areas.
Since being launched in 1991, the U.S. Schweitzer Fellows Programs have grown to include programs in Baltimore, Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, Greater Philadelphia, Los Angeles, New Hampshire/Vermont, New Orleans, North Carolina, and Pittsburgh.
The U.S. Schweitzer Fellows Programs have four overall goals:
- Provide direct services that address health-related needs of underserved communities;
- Influence the professional development of students in health-related fields in ways that strengthen their commitment to, and skills in, public service;
- Alter the culture of professional schools so they more effectively address needs of surrounding disadvantaged communities;
- Support program alumni who continue in lifelong community service and who, as Schweitzer Fellows for Life, are influential role models for other professionals.
| SCHWEITZER FELLOWS AT A GLANCE: STATISTICS THROUGH 2007-2008 |
| |
| Baltimore |
153 Fellows |
|
> 30,000 Hours of Service |
Since 1999 |
|
Bay Area
Boston |
11 Fellows
381 Fellows |
|
> 2,000 Hours of Service
> 76,000 Hours of Service |
Since 2006
Since 1992 |
| Chicago |
318 Fellows |
|
> 63,000 Hours of Service |
Since 1996 |
Greater Philadelphia
NH/VT |
11 Fellows
258 Fellows |
|
> 2,000 Hours of Service
> 51,000 Hours of Service |
Since 2006
Since 1996 |
| North Carolina |
248 Fellows |
|
> 49,000 Hours of Service |
Since 1994 |
| Pittsburgh |
151 Fellows |
|
> 30,000 Hours of Service |
Since 1997 |
| New York |
48 Fellows |
|
> 9,000 Hours of Service |
1998-2001 |
| TOTAL |
1,579 Fellows |
|
> 312,000 Hours of Service |
| |
HEALTHY PEOPLE 2010
The U.S. Schweitzer Fellows Programs have designated Healthy People 2010 as a framework for Fellows' activities. Healthy People 2010 is the third in a series of decade-long national health priorities and goals set by the Office of the Surgeon General. It identifies two overarching goals for health in the US:
- Increase the quality and years of healthy life
- Eliminate health disparities
Healthy People 2010 identifies 10 leading health indicators as the markers of national health, in addition to 28 focus areas with 467 specific objectives. The goals of the U.S. Schweitzer Fellows Programs in adopting Healthy People 2010 are to:
- Increase Fellows' knowledge of national health objectives
- Improve the structure of Fellows' projects so that they meet specific health needs at local levels
- Allow better measuring of project outcomes against national standards
- Further link Fellows across programs and years, by the subject areas of their work
In many locations, the Schweitzer Fellows Programs now include a core curriculum that provides materials and resources on health disparities, as well as seminars at monthly meetings on skills such as community organizing, fundraising, and sustaining a commitment to service.
For questions or more information regarding the U.S. Fellows Programs, please contact:
Meghan L. Kalinich, M.S.
National Program Director
T: 617-667-3115
E: mkalinic@bidmc.harvard.edu
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