February 02, 2012 - Supporting Oncology Patients and Their Families
According to the Institute of Medicine and the American Cancer Society,
individuals “who are poor, lack health insurance, or otherwise have
inadequate access to high-quality cancer care typically experience high
cancer incidence and mortality rates and low rates of survival from
cancer.”
By partnering with Gilda’s Club Chicago to bring their cancer support programming to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County (a hospital that serves diverse and low-income populations) and Rush University Medical Center, Schweitzer Fellow and Rush University College of Nursing student Elizabeth Martin is doing her part to address that disparity.
CLICK HERE to read a Five Questions for a Fellow interview with Martin on ASF's official blog.
January 27, 2012 - Educating and Empowering Young Mothers
As a Schweitzer Fellow and a student at the MGH Institute of Health Professions School of Nursing,
Katie Seamon is addressing the challenges of adolescent pregnancy and
parenthood in Chelsea, Massachusetts by developing a class on infant
health and well being for young mothers at Roca. (She is incorporating the class into Roca and Americorps’ Youth STAR program, which trains young people to become mentors, educators and outreach workers in the community.)
In today’s interview, Seamon shares the story of her Schweitzer
project—which she hopes will serve the dual purpose of educating the
young mothers of Youth STAR and also enhancing their role as community
resources.
CLICK HERE to read a Five Questions for a Fellow interview with Seamon on ASF's official blog.
January 25, 2012 - "Moving From Talk to Action": An Interview with Health Equity Expert Dr. Roderick K. King
Dr. Roderick K. King believes in transformational moments—and he
believes that when it comes to achieving health equity and building
healthy communities, we’re in the middle of one right now.
As the health disparities expert told the audience at The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF)’s annual conference last October,
we’re in the midst of “an unprecedented confluence of drivers for
change, including our country’s changing demographics and pressures to
improve quality of care and reduce cost.”
As one of the newest members of The Albert
Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF)’s Board of Directors, King is working to
help Schweitzer Fellows, Fellows for Life (alumni), and other emerging
and established professionals leverage this moment in ways that improve
health and well-being in vulnerable communities.
King is Senior Faculty at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)
Disparities Solutions Center and an Instructor in the Department of
Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS), as well as President of
Next Generation Consulting Group.
Among other roles, he has served as the Director for the Health
Resources and Services Administration, Boston Regional Division and as a
Commander in the US Public Health Service, US Department of Health and
Human Services.
We spoke with King about his personal journey, his belief in
results-based leadership models, and the steps emerging professionals
can take to help achieve health equity without burning out along the
way.
Click here to read the full interview with King on ASF's official blog.
January 19, 2012 - Community Gardens as a Life-Preserver for Health
Earlier this month, the American Medical News
reported that “85% of primary care physicians and pediatricians say
their patients have health concerns caused by unmet social needs” — but
only 20% of physicians feel equipped to address those needs.
That gap is a big part of the reason that The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF)
is so passionate about developing health professionals who have the
skills and confidence to address not only clinical health issues, but
also the social determinants of health (like poverty, the environment,
and education).
And that gap is exactly what University of Texas Medical Branch student David Darrow faced as he helped to run St. Vincent’s Student Clinic in Galveston, Texas.
“Since Hurricane Ike in 2008, we’ve seen see an exorbitant number of
diabetic patients,” Darrow says. “I found myself growing increasingly
frustrated as I watched my patients suffer enormously—we’d struggle for
months to normalize blood sugar, but most of the time the root of the
issue remained hidden behind layers of social barriers.”
So Darrow took action to break down those social barriers—through
community gardening. With the support of the Houston-Galveston
Schweitzer Fellows Program and other friends and allies in the Galveston
community, Darrow has established two gardens
in Galveston’s low-income neighborhoods that will serve as the lynchpin
of an interactive, culturally competent curriculum and training program
on nutrition and health behaviors—and that will, he hopes, ultimately
reverberate back to the examination rooms at St. Vincent’s Clinic.
CLICK HERE to read a Five Questions for a Fellow interview with Darrow on ASF's official blog.
January 12, 2012 - Call for Nominations: Regional Schweitzer Leadership Awards Will Honor Community Health Champions
The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF) today announced the launch of its Schweitzer Leadership Awards, which will recognize individuals local to ASF’s
13 U.S. Program sites whose life examples have significantly mitigated the social determinants of health in their communities, and whose commitments to service have influenced and inspired others. The award bears the name of Nobel Peace Laureate Dr. Albert Schweitzer, a pioneering physician-humanitarian who was one of the 20th century’s most admired global citizens.
“Especially with the hundred-year anniversary of Dr. Albert Schweitzer’s iconic
hospital in Africa approaching in 2013, we are thrilled about this opportunity to honor individuals who are following in his footsteps at a local level,” says ASF President Lachlan Forrow, MD, Director of Ethics and Palliative Care at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. “We look forward to honoring leaders who have taken great strides towards achieving health equity in their communities, and who are inspiring our Schweitzer Fellows and many others as they work to do the same.”
Schweitzer Leadership Award nominations are open to the public. To submit an online nomination, please visit http://svy.mk/SchweitzerLeadershipAward (the nomination period closes on March 1, 2012). Local ASF program directors and their advisory boards will make final selections. Only individuals who live and/or work in the regions where ASF has program sites (Baltimore, MD; San Francisco Bay Area, CA; Boston/Worcester, MA; Chicago, IL; Columbus/Athens, OH; Greater Philadelphia Area, PA/NJ; Indiana; Los Angeles, CA; New Hampshire/Vermont; New Orleans, LA; North Carolina; and Pittsburgh, PA) are eligible for nomination and selection.
Each year, approximately 250 multidisciplinary graduate student Schweitzer Fellows at 13 ASF program sites throughout the U.S. partner with community-based organizations to develop and implement yearlong, mentored service projects that sustainably address the social determinants of health (including poverty, the environment, and education). That service experience—coupled with ASF’s reflective leadership development programming—equips Fellows with the confidence and skill to address not just the clinical health needs of underserved people, but also the underlying social factors.
The Schweitzer Leadership Award will be presented at each program site’s Celebration of Service (the event marking the culmination of the Fellowship year). Exact details will vary by location, but in general, the Award package will include:
• The opportunity to deliver a brief keynote speech at the Celebration of Service;
• Special recognition at ASF’s annual national conference (to be held in Boston on Nov. 2-3, 2012).
• A physical Schweitzer Leadership Award plaque/trophy;
• A day of service at the recipient’s chosen nonprofit/charity organized by the local 2012-13 class of Schweitzer Fellows; and
• Coverage across ASF’s communications platforms.
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About The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF)
Originally founded in 1940 to support Dr. Albert Schweitzer’s medical work in Africa, ASF is a national nonprofit organization that improves the health and well-being of vulnerable populations by developing Leaders in Service: individuals who are dedicated and skilled in meeting the health needs of underserved communities, and whose example influences and inspires others.
These Fellows — primarily university graduate students — partner with community-based organizations to identify an unmet health need, design a yearlong 200-hour service project with a demonstrable impact on that need, and bring that project from idea to implementation and impact. Rooted in a holistic understanding of health, Schweitzer projects address not only clinical issues, but also the social determinants of health. Annually, approximately 250 Schweitzer Fellows deliver more than 40,000 hours of health-related community service at thirteen locations across the U.S. A number of Schweitzer Fellows also work at the Schweitzer Hospital in Lambaréné, Africa, collaborating with hospital staff to help provide skilled care through over 35,000 outpatient visits and more than 6,000 hospitalizations annually for patients from all parts of Gabon.
Upon completion of their initial year, Fellows carry their commitment to meeting the health needs of underserved people forward as Schweitzer Fellows for Life—members of a vibrant network of nearly 2,500 Schweitzer alumni who are skilled in, and committed to, addressing the health needs of underserved people throughout their careers as professionals. 99 percent of Fellows for Life say that their ASF experience is integral to sustaining their commitment to serve the underserved.
ASF’s national office is located in Boston, MA and hosted by
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
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CONTACT:
Patrice Taddonio
Communications Manager
The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship
patrice.taddonio@schweitzerfellowship.org
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