APPLICATION GUIDELINES

The Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows Program, a program of The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship™ and the Health and Medicine Policy Research Group, provides service opportunities and support for aspiring health professionals who seek to help the underserved in Chicago and its surrounding communities.  With the generous help of Chicago-based contributors, the Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows Program proudly announces its twelfth year of uniting a diverse range of health professions students, faculty, and community-based providers who share a commitment to public service. 

In the spring of 2009, thirty Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows will be selected from applications submitted by students in a diversity of fields, including but not limited to medicine, nursing, dentistry, public health, social work, psychology, pharmacy, physical therapy, law, nutrition, art therapy, dance/movement therapy, and acupuncture.

Students are welcome to submit proposals for an original project that reflects Dr. Schweitzer’s ethic of Reverence for Life or for the continuation of a project initiated by a previous Schweitzer Fellow.  (The Program Director can be a resource for information on the latter.)

No prescribed format or setting is essential for a successful application, in the spirit of Dr. Schweitzer’s teaching to find your own special place or way to serve and to make your life your argument.

Fellowship projects include the following:

• a minimum of 200 hours of direct service through an existing community based organization in the Chicago area;
• a supervisor, or Site Mentor, at the host organization and a Faculty Mentor at the student’s school;
• monthly progress reports on the Fellow’s project;
• a written report at the conclusion of the project, including recommendations for ways in which the most valuable aspects of the Fellow’s project and experiences can be replicated or sustained
Please note: The Fellowship experience is not only about individual service but is also an opportunity to be part of an interdisciplinary group of students committed to work in underserved communities.  In addition to the service project, Fellows work in groups to organize public symposia on pertinent public health topics, and they are required to attend monthly meetings, all symposia and service days, a weekend orientation in April 2009, and the annual Schweitzer Fellows Celebration Event in May 2010. 

Fellows receive a stipend of $2,000 (paid in three installments) both to underscore the seriousness of their work and to ensure that students who are already struggling financially are not discouraged from participating.

Eligibility: 
Any student enrolled at least part-time for the 2009-10 academic year in a health related, graduate level degree-granting program in the Greater Chicago area is welcome to apply.  Please note:  The one exception to this is medical students who will be entering their third year of medical school.  Medical students who will be in their first, second or fourth year during the 2009-10 academic year are eligible.

Prior to Applying: 
Interested students should investigate and reflect on the unmet health-related needs that exist in Chicago and its surrounding communities and on the ways in which their own energies and talents might contribute, even in small ways, to ameliorating one or more of these problems.  In proposing a project, then, keep in mind how your idea addresses those unmet health needs and might be of enduring value to the community.  For guidance on national and local health priorities as established by Healthy People 2010, please visit: http://www.healthypeople.gov

Prospective applicants are invited to an information session.  Many information sessions will be held at university campuses beginning in fall, 2009.

Applications must include the following:

1. Cover Sheet
-Your name, permanent and current addresses, phone number, and e-mail.
-Your school, program, year in program, and anticipated date of graduation
-A description of the time frame in which you plan to complete the project,
   including the possible start date/time of year (academic year, summer, or both)
-A list of three references (no letters are required), including telephone numbers
   and email and street addresses.  References should include a faculty member of
   your academic program who is willing to serve as a mentor during your year as a Fellow.
2. A brief résumé (no longer than 2 pages)
3. A personal statement of TWO PAGES MAXIMUM that discusses your
  motivations for applying and the ways in which participation as a Schweitzer
  Fellow would be meaningful to your personal and professional development. 
  The statement should also include a description of a potential project you
  might implement as a Schweitzer Fellow, the target population and setting,
  and the anticipated benefits to the community that you would serve. 

DEADLINE TO APPLY:
Applications must be received in our office by 5:00pm (CST), Friday, Feb. 6, 2009, preferably by e-mail attachment (e.g., Microsoft Word or pdf).  Please send to rwang@hmprg.org.  Applications may also be hand delivered or mailed but must be received by the 5:00pm deadline on Feb. 6.  The address is:
The Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows Program
Health and Medicine Policy Research Group
29 E. Madison St., Suite 602
Chicago, IL 60602 

For further information, please contact:
Ray Wang, Program Director, at rwang@hmprg.org or call 312 372-4292 ext. 24
Or
Andrew Udofia, Project Assistant, at audofia@hmprg.org or call 312 372-4292 ext. 25