Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows Program
The Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows Program fosters the leadership abilities of aspiring health professionals, who design and implement service projects that promote health equity.
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Overview
Founded in 1996, Health & Medicine’s Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows Program cultivates aspiring health and human services professionals to be informed, concerned, and involved with addressing health inequities. Each year, the Schweitzer Program provides 30 exceptional students with opportunities to design and implement projects to improve the health and well-being of underserved Chicago communities. Fellows’ projects often address the social determinants of health, and their activities frequently include tutoring, violence prevention, health education, healthy lifestyles promotion, and outreach to vulnerable and marginalized groups. Our “Fellows for Life” alumni program supports our graduates’ further development as leaders in service, and provides them with continuing networking, skill-building and community service opportunities.
- Since 1996, over 600 Chicago Schweitzer Fellows have completed more than 120,000 hours of community service, at more than 150 community-based sites.
- Over 4,100 Chicago residents were served by our Fellows’ projects in 2017-18. A majority of residents were low to moderate income.
- In spring 2016, we marked the 20th anniversary of the Chicago Schweitzer Fellowship Program with a weekend of activities that drew over 200 alumni, current Fellows, community members, program partners, and supporters, including a conference focused on the theme of “Improving Community Health Together.”
- Visit our resource library to see our newsletter archive and other resources.
