September 02, 2010 - ‘Makin’ Groceries’—and an Impact on Food Justice
With today’s news that an oil drilling platform has exploded off the Louisiana coast, all eyes are once again on New Orleans—which just last Sunday marked the somber five-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina (and the devastating levee failure and flooding that followed).
In the face of such dire and repeated challenges, it’s clear that
New Orleans residents have demonstrated more than their fair share of
resilience—and still face more than their fair share of health
barriers. One such barrier is access to fresh, healthy produce—a
problem that manifests itself in increased rates of obesity and related
chronic health issues.
That’s why Megan Burns—a Schweitzer Fellow in New Orleans and a
student at LSU Health Sciences Center School of Public Health—decided
to launch Makin’ Groceries (New Orleans slang for “grocery shopping”).
Click here to read this week's installment of Five Questions for a Fellow and learn about this community-schoolyard garden program —a
program Burns says, “is uniquely New Orleans by honoring and
incorporating the culture and traditions of our community while
focusing on nutrition, health, and social justice.”
August 31, 2010 - Moments That Matter: “Now I Want to Be a Dentist”
This week’s installment of Moments That Matter comes from Peter Franco, who as a Tufts-Schweitzer Fellow in Boston last year (along with partner Sarah Schlansker)
collaborated with the Pediatric Program at Tufts to provide dental care
to underserved children in a school environment. He says:
Franco with one of his young clients.
“I went to get a patient from his 2nd grade
classroom … he was so apprehensive and nervous about seeing the
dentist, as he had a bad experience a couple of years ago and ‘didn’t
want to get a needle.’
After I sat him down and reassured him that we weren’t going to be
giving him any novocaine, he calmed down and we were able to complete
all of the procedures. After we were finished, I was walking him back
to his classroom, and when we got to the door he walked right in and
sat down.
[Then] he turned around, walked back towards me, and said, ‘You
know, I used to want to be a firefighter, but now I want to be a
dentist.’
… Who knows whether or not this little guy will be a dentist or not
when he grows up, but even if I removed the nervousness that surrounds
the dentist, and he actually looks forward to [visits] — or at the very
least isn’t scared any more — that is what really made me happy and
proud to be a Schweitzer Fellow.”
About Moments That Matter
Each year, approximately 200 Schweitzer Fellows across the U.S.
commit themselves to creating and carrying out an intense yearlong
service project that addresses unmet health needs — all on top of their
typical graduate school responsibilities.
It’s an awe-inspiring commitment — and one that may at times seem thankless.
But for each Schweitzer Fellow, there are those sustaining
moments — the moments when things “click,” and you have instant,
inspiring proof that your Schweitzer project is making a difference
that’s rippling outward. These, like the Moment above, are the Moments
That Matter — and at ASF's official blog, Beyond Boulders, we are spotlighting them
every Tuesday.
August 26, 2010 - Taking STRIDES Towards Empowering Vulnerable Students
For Anne Sutkowi and Ashley Roberts, running is more than
just a hobby—it’s a passion that has sustained them through difficult
times, taught them the value of teamwork, and ultimately empowered them
to live confident, healthy lives.
So it’s no surprise that as Schweitzer Fellows, these UCLA Master of Public Health students are translating that passion into STRIDES—a
program that uses skill-building and 5k training sessions to decrease
suicide risk factors by increasing self-esteem and social support among
Olympic High School students.
Olympic is one of California’s continuation high schools—state
law-mandated programs that provide an alternative path to a diploma for
“students vulnerable to academic or behavioral failure.”
Click here to read this week's installment of "Five Questions for a Fellow" on ASF's official blog — you'll to find out the ways in which Roberts and Sutkowi’s STRIDES program (which
will officially launch on September 13th) will address risk factors for these students.
August 26, 2010 - New Documentary Spotlights Chicago Schweitzer Fellows
Approximately 750,000 Chicago residents are uninsured — and as a
result, they often delay seeking medical attention until their
condition forces an emergency room visit.
“These are challenging problems, but thankfully, there is a cadre of
creative and dedicated individuals who are trying to help to solve
them.”
That’s what Schweitzer Fellow for Life Dr. Rob McKersie says in a new documentary about the Chicago Schweitzer Fellows Program, viewable by clicking here.
Produced thanks to a generous grant from the Michael Reese Health Trust and shot by Two Parrot Productions,
the documentary presents an up-close look at the ways five Chicago
Schweitzer Fellows from diverse disciplines worked to address unmet
health needs and empower vulnerable populations.
From a dance/movement and discussion program for formerly homeless women at Deborah’s Place
by Columbia College dance/movement therapy and counseling student Sara
R. Van Koningsveld, to a cancer prevention program for uninsured
patients at CommunityHealth by UIC nursing student Michelle Ashley, the footage speaks for itself.
“CommunityHealth has been very successful in the past several years
in expanding our programs and services,” says CommunityHealth Director
of Clinical Relations Laura Michalski. “We would not have been able to
do that without the continued support from the Schweitzer Fellowship
Program.”
Watch the documentary to learn how, in the words of Dr. Caswell
Evans, Jr. of the UIC College of Dentistry, “the Schweitzer experience
provides an opportunity for students to really understand the
interconnectedness of the health professions, and how each complements
one another.”
August 25, 2010 - Travel Scholarships Now Available for FFL Conference!
You want to be there because of the phenomenal keynote speaker, the exciting breakout sessions, and the chance to network with leaders in the movement to address health disparities -- not to mention the chance to connect
withSchweitzer Fellows and Schweitzer Fellowship alumni (Fellows for Life) from across the country and world.
But what if the cost of traveling back and forth to Baltimore -- where the 2010
Schweitzer Fellows for Life Conference is taking place on October 16th --
has prevented you from registering?
Well, today is your lucky day: The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF) is pleased to offer a limited number of $100 Conference travel scholarships to
current Fellows and Fellows for Life who would like to attend the Conference.
To be considered for a scholarship, complete the brief online application by 5 pm on
September 8. Applicants will be notified by September 15.
Scholarship funds may be used to reimburse Fellows and Fellows for Life for
airfare and/or accommodations. They may not be used for the Conference
registration fee.
Click here
for more information on travel scholarships and other ways to attain funding
for FFL Conference attendance.
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