APPLICATION GUIDELINES

The Baltimore Albert Schweitzer Fellows Program (BSFP) is a one year interdisciplinary fellowship program focused on community service and leadership development.  Students from Baltimore city schools who are obtaining professional degrees in health-related fields may apply.  Fellows represent a wide variety of disciplines including: medicine, nursing, public health, pharmacy, social work, and law.

In addition to the four overall goals (insert link) of the U.S. Schweitzer Fellows Programs, the Baltimore Albert Schweitzer Fellows Program aims to help Fellows:

• Improve skills used for working with communities, including: approaches to community work, community outreach, community building, networking, publicity, fundraising, and advocacy 
• Gain exposure to the impact of health disparities and health policies on local communities
• Learn about other health-related professions
• Improve overall capabilities for leadership in service
• Participate in a voluntary network of over 1,000 Fellows for Life who seek to include service in their personal and professional lives

Orientation & Retreat:	Fellows must attend an overnight retreat in April 2009.
Service Project:	Each Fellow designs and carries out a health-related community service project of at least 200 hours in collaboration with a local community agency. Health, as defined by the World Health Organization, is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The 200 hours is separate from any school course requirement.
Reports & Evaluations:	Fellows submit monthly one-page reports about their activities, a written final report, and an evaluation about the Fellowship experience. Fellows’ site mentors also must complete a final evaluation.
Monthly Meetings:	Fellows are required to attend all monthly meetings.  Monthly meetings provide the Fellows with interdisciplinary discussions, time for reflection on community service, and an opportunity to network with professionals in service professions.
Public Outreach:	Each Fellow works in a small group to organize an outreach activity that may take the form of a public symposia or group service activity.
Recruitment:	In the fall of 2009, Fellows organize an information session on the BSFP and present on their Fellowship experience at their schools.
Other Fellowship Activities:	Several times a year, Fellows are invited to ASF events featuring Board members, guests of the ASF, and donors.

The community service projects of Schweitzer Fellows should address an unmet health need and support the nation’s public health agenda, Healthy People 2010.   Healthy People 2010 has 28 focus areas and numerous interventions designed to reduce or eliminate illness, disability, and premature death among individuals and communities. For more information on Healthy People 2010, please visit http://www.healthypeople.gov/

Fellows can choose to propose new projects that are of interest to an agency, or to continue an on-going project.  Fellows should be specific in their proposal about their exact roles in the projects as they foresee them, their short and long-term goals for the project, and any unique contributions they feel they can bring to any existing project or agency.

ELIGIBILITY

Students enrolled in degree granting graduate or professional program in a health-related field such as medicine, nursing, public health, law, physical therapy, pharmacy, social work, public policy, and others are eligible to apply.  Students must be enrolled from April 2009 - April 2010.

APPLICATION
Applications are currently being accepted for the 2010 – 2011 Fellowship year. The review process for the 2010 – 2011 Fellowship begins February 15, 2010 (deadline).  The application for the 2010 – 2011 service year is available at https://www.umaryland.edu/schweitzer/application.html.

For more information, please contact:
Dr. Mary L. Leach, Program Director
Baltimore Albert Schweitzer Fellows Program
University of Maryland, Baltimore
Saratoga Building, 220 N. Arch Street, 14th floor
Baltimore, MD 21201
T: (410) 706-7004
dl-schweitzer@umaryland.edu

Bob Kirk, Program Coordinator
T: 410-706-0611
dl-schweitzer@umaryland.edu