|
 With
new program in
Columbus, Schweitzer
Fellowship comes
to Ohio University
Unique,
interdisciplinary
program will address
health disparities
in Columbus and
Athens by
developing Leaders
in Services
The Ohio University
College of
Osteopathic Medicine
joins the
Ohio State
University College
of Medicine as
academic partners
and sponsors in the
newest site for the
Albert Schweitzer
Fellowship, the 12th
such program in the
nation.
Funding from Anthem
Blue Cross and the
Blue Shield
Foundation helped
make possible the
program’s expansion
to Columbus and
Athens.
“We’re proud to be
partners in this
prestigious program.
It’s a great fit for
us,” said Jack
Brose, D.O., dean of
OU-COM. “Service to
the region is a
large part of our
mission, and we’ve
long provided
programs that meet
unfulfilled health
care needs in
Southeast Ohio. The
Schweitzer
Fellowship provides
an important avenue
for students with a
passion for serving
the underserved to
build their
leadership
experience in
health-focused
community service.”
“We provide
incredible
opportunities for
our medical students
and other Ohio
University students
to serve our
community – it’s
part of our mission
as the Area Health
Education Center,”
said Trace. “This is
exciting because
this is only the
second Schweitzer
site in the Midwest
and only the 12th
in the country,”
said Kathy Trace,
director of OU-COM’s
Area Health
Education Center and
Community Health
Programs.
The Albert
Schweitzer
Foundation (ASF) is
a national nonprofit
organization whose
mission is to
address health
disparities by
developing what they
term “Leaders in
Service.” According
to their web site,
these are
“individuals who are
dedicated and
skilled in meeting
the health needs of
underserved
communities, and
whose examples
influences and
inspires others.”
Every year, ASF
selects and supports
approximately 200
new fellows from the
nation’s top
professional
schools. Each fellow
partners with a
local organization
to create and carry
out a yearlong
200-hour service
project that
addresses an unmet
health-related need
in the area that
program serves.
These fellows
deliver more than
40,000 hours of
service annually.
In October, the
Columbus site will
begin recruiting its
first class of an
estimated 12
fellows. OU-COM
medical students and
graduate students in
nursing, psychology
and social work are
eligible to apply
for the fellowships,
as are Ohio State
students in
dentistry, medicine,
nursing, optometry,
pharmacy, social
work and veterinary
medicine.
Applications and
program information
will be available
online at
www.schweitzerfellowship.org/columbus.
Selection will occur
in the winter, and
the newest fellows
will begin in spring
2011.
Terry Bahn, Columbus
Schweitzer fellows
program director and
the director of
outreach and
engagement for the
OSU College of
Medicine, said that
he will conduct
information sessions
in October for
students interested
in learning more and
applying for the
fellowship.
“Fellows must
partner with
community-based
organizations to
identify an unmet
health need, design
a sustainable
service project with
an enduring impact,
and bring the
program from idea to
implementation,”
Bahn said.
“Those selected for
the fellowships will
conduct their
projects while
continuing with
their academic
programs, thus
learning to
integrate service
into their everyday
lives,” Bahn said.
-30-
Contact:
Karoline Lane,
director of
communication, (740)
593-2261,
lanek@ohio.edu.
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