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THE CHICAGO AREA SCHWEITZER FELLOWS PROGRAM



ABOUT US


Founded in 1996 as a program of ASF and the Health and Medicine Policy Research Group (HMPRG), the Chicago Area Fellows Program is one of eleven Schweitzer program sites across the U.S.

Since the program’s inception, Schweitzer Fellows in Chicago—competitively chosen from health-focused graduate student applicants in a variety of fields—have worked tirelessly to address health disparities and the social determinants of health throughout the greater Chicago area.

To read more about what being a Schweitzer Fellow in Chicago entails and to find out how to apply, please visit our application page. To see some Chicago Fellows in action in the community, click here. Click here to download an informational brochure about the Chicago Schweitzer Fellows program, which is funded entirely by charitable donations and grants. Make a gift, make a difference!

OUR IMPACT

Since 1996, 375 Schweitzer Fellows have provided over 75,000 hours of service to Chicago’s vulnerable communities. Partnering with area community-based organizations, these Fellows have addressed a wide variety of unmet health needs by creating and carrying out yearlong projects with direct service at their core. Examples include the following initiatives:
• Encouraging academic achievement in south side youth through a new tutoring/mentoring program
• Creating a social network among seniors to help reduce loneliness and isolation
• Teaching health education classes focusing on healthy foods and fitness for underserved groups
• Leading prenatal yoga classes to help expectant mothers combat stress and increase awareness and exploration of the mind-body connection
• Providing preventive dental services and oral health care education to underserved children
• Training hip-hop and spoken word artists to promote awareness of health care issues facing African Americans

Please see Fellows and Projects for a complete listing of Fellows’ service projects. When Fellows’ initial year of service ends, they carry their commitment to meeting the health needs of underserved people forward as members of the Schweitzer Fellows for Life alumni network, now more than 2,000 strong.

CHICAGO SCHWEITZER FELLOWS IN THE NEWS

June 11, 2010    New Video: Chicago Schweitzer Fellow Take Hands-On Approach to Childhood
                        Dental Care

May 17, 2010     ASF Lecture to Feature Commissioner of the Chicago Dept. of Public Health

April 23, 2010    New Class of Chicago Schweitzer Fellows Announced

OUR FELLOWS SPEAK

“This Fellowship has reinforced my desire to be involved in the community and to be a role model to young people.  It only takes one person that you can look up to for inspiration to challenge you to be a better person.  I’d like my academic achievement and desire to help others inspire young people to do even brighter things than I can.” –Schweitzer Fellow Mark Stoltenberg (Loyola University Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine)

“It seems simple – and the general idea is simple –this notion that one’s environment and circumstances dictate behavior.  But as a Fellow this year, and in my career as a physician, the complex part will be finding answers to how to overcome these barriers.  And if I learned anything this year, it’s that you have to be creative, patient, and willing to try and try again.” –Schweitzer Fellow Benjamin Preyss (University of Illinois Chicago, College of Medicine)

CONTACT US

Ray Wang, Program Director
Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows Program
Health and Medicine Policy Research Group
29 E. Madison Street, Suite 602
Chicago, IL  60602-4404   
T: 312-372-4292 ex. 24
rwang@hmprg.org


Janna Stansell, MPH, Program Associate
T: 312-372-4292 ext. 25
jstansell@hmprg.org