INDIANA SCHWEITZER FELLOWS PROGRAM

ABOUT US

For nearly two decades, U.S. Schweitzer Fellows—competitively chosen from graduate student applicants in a variety of fields—have worked tirelessly to address health disparities and the social determinants of health in their communities. From launching LA's first micro-health clinic for post incarcerated female youth to empowering senior citizens with the tools to combat elder abuse, more than 2,000 Schweitzer Fellows have delivered over 400,000 hours of service—and they’ve carried the skills they sharpened and the lessons they learned forward into their professional careers as Schweitzer Fellows for Life (program alumni). 

Now, emerging professionals in Indiana have the opportunity to do the same.

Launched in January 2011 with major funding from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation and hosted by Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, the Indiana Schweitzer Fellows Program is the thirteenth and newest U.S. Schweitzer Program site working to address health disparities by developing Leaders in Service.

The Indiana Schweitzer Fellows Program is now working with its second class of multidisciplinary Schweitzer Fellows—each of whom will partner with a local community-based organization to create and carry out a yearlong direct service project that addresses an unmet health need.

LOOKING FORWARD

In Indiana, as at ASF’s 12 other U.S. program sites, the kaleidoscopic array of Fellows’ Schweitzer projects focus on health in a broad sense, reflecting the disparate perspectives brought to them by students from a wide range of disciplines.

Rooted in this holistic understanding of health, Schweitzer projects in Indiana address not only clinical health issues, but also the social determinants of health—defined by the World Health Organization  as the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age, and which are mostly responsible for health and social inequities. Accordingly, Schweitzer projects in Indiana focus on everything from improving the physical environment where people live, to promoting early-childhood literacy and parent engagement, to encouraging healthy exercise and nutrition habits, to launching and staffing community health centers and clinics.

Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation, a number of Schweitzer Fellows in Indiana are incorporating the 5-2-1-0 Healthy Kids Countdown, an initiative of The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship sponsored by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation aimed at addressing childhood obesity, into their Schweitzer projects.

To read more about what being a Schweitzer Fellow in Indiana entail and to find out how to apply, please visit our application information page.

The Indiana Schweitzer Fellows Program is funded entirely by charitable donations and grants.  Make a gift, make a difference!

INDIANA SCHWEITZER FELLOWS PROGRAM IN THE NEWS

May 31, 2012        Five IU Dental Students Named Indiana Schweitzer Fellows

May 30, 2012        Four Butler Students Named Schweitzer Fellows

May 24, 2012        Three UIndy Students Earn Schweitzer Honor

CONTACT US

Have questions about the Indiana Schweitzer Fellows Program, including how to get involved and how to become a sponsor? Please contact Douglas McKeag and cc Brian Hooley on all correspondence:

Steve Kirchhoff, Program Director
Indiana Schweitzer Fellows Program
Indiana University School of Medicine
VanNuys Medical Science Building, Room 166
635 Barnhill Drive
Indianapolis, IN 46202
317-274-8724
skirchho@iupui.edu

Brian E. Hooley
OurHealth
One American Square Suite 2610
Indianapolis, IN  46282-0004
(317) 522-1268, Ext. 2833
bhooley@ourhealth.org