Connie Foo (Brown 09) and Kemly Philip-Pandya (Hanszen 09 and 10) Awarded 2014-15 Albert Schweitzer Fellowships Connie and Kemly join a long line of Rice University alumni recipients, including Shehni Nadeem and Miel Sundararajan (2012-13), Achala Talati and Dennis Shung (2011-12), Josh Liao and Stina Salazar (2010-11), and Abhilash Krishna and Bhavika Kaul (2009-10). Congratulations! ********** Houston, April 28, 2014—The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF) announced the selection of its 2014-15 class of Houston-Galveston Albert Schweitzer Fellows — 13 graduate students who will spend the next year learning to effectively address the social factors that impact health, and developing lifelong leadership skills. In doing so, they will follow the example set by famed physician-humanitarian Albert Schweitzer, for whom their Fellowship is named. “Schweitzer Fellowships change lives, both of the individual Fellows as well as those of the many vulnerable community members they serve through their Fellowship projects,” said Jennifer Cook, Director of the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship – Houston Galveston. “Our Fellows learn to lead and innovate as they tackle complex health needs—skills they will use again and again throughout their professional careers. Meanwhile, their project participants learn information, skills, and behaviors that will assist them in leading healthier lives.” Schweitzer Fellows develop and implement service projects that address the root causes of health disparities in under-resourced communities, while also fulfilling their academic responsibilities. Each project is implemented in collaboration with a community-based health and/or social service organization. This year’s Fellows will address an array of health issues affecting a range of populations, including oral health awareness among people living with HIV; mindfulness training among people who are homeless; and nutrition classes for people with diabetes. “These Schweitzer Fellows are living Dr. Albert Schweitzer’s legacy of reverence for life,” said Dr. David S. Buck, Board Chair. “Their Fellowship year will help keep them connected to the ideals that led them to study health in the first place even as they are immersed in the demands of intensive course work. It will also leave them well-prepared to successfully face the challenges of serving vulnerable and underserved populations, whose health and medical needs are many and varied.” The 13 Houston-Galveston Fellows will join approximately 220 other 2014-15 Schweitzer Fellows working at 12 program sites, 11 in the US and one in Lambaréné, Gabon at the site of The Albert Schweitzer Hospital, founded by Dr. Schweitzer in 1913. Upon completion of their Fellowship year, the 2014-15 Houston-Galveston Schweitzer Fellows will become Schweitzer Fellows for Life and join a vibrant network of nearly 3,000 Schweitzer alumni who are skilled in, and committed to, addressing the health needs of underserved people throughout their careers. Fellows for Life routinely report that ASF is integral to sustaining their commitment to serving people in need. Since 2008, the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship – Houston Galveston has supported 61 Schweitzer Fellows. The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship – Houston Galveston is funded through the generosity of the Simmons Foundation; the Houston Endowment; the Frees Foundation; The Lyons Foundation; the John S. Dunn Foundation and many individual donors. They are also funded by the Professional Schools Consortium including Baylor College of Medicine, University of Houston Graduate School of Social Work, University of Houston Law Center, University of Texas Health Science Center, University of Texas Dental School and Rice University. About The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship: The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF) is improving the health of vulnerable people now and for the future by developing a corps of Leaders in Service—professionals skilled in creating positive change with and in our communities, our health and human service systems, and our world. Through community-based, mentored direct service and a multidisciplinary, reflective leadership development program, ASF is building community capacity and training a professional workforce that is: • skilled in addressing the underlying causes of health inequities; • committed to improving the health outcomes of underserved communities; and • prepared for a life of continued service. To date, nearly 3,000 Schweitzer Fellows have delivered nearly 500,000 hours of service to nearly 300,000 people in need. Additionally, more than 100 Fellows have provided care at the 100-year-old Schweitzer Hospital in Lambaréné, Africa. Through this work and through the contributions of Fellows whose professional careers serve their communities, ASF perpetuates the legacy and philosophy of physician-humanitarian Dr. Albert Schweitzer.
Posted on: Tue, 29 Apr 2014 21:29:06 +0000
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