Eight UIC Students Will Promote Health Equity with Schweitzer Fellowships
Introduction
The Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows Program has honored eight UIC graduate students with prestigious Schweitzer Fellowships. The program utilizes an interdisciplinary approach that exposes students to real-world interprofessional collaborative care. Each of the Fellows will design and implement a year-long project to address urgent health needs in Chicago's underserved communities.
The UIC Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs, Dr. Robert Barish, spoke with admiration of the students' passion and vision for health equity. "These eight health science students exemplify UI Health's mission of promoting health equity and addressing social determinants of health," he said. "I know they will do great good in Chicago and beyond."
Below are the service projects being undertaken by the Schweitzer Fellows at UIC:
The Schweitzer Fellow Projects
Athirai Ambikkumar, University of Illinois College of Medicine
After implementing a standardized social needs screener across volunteer-based clinics, Athirai identified a key gap between patient-reported and true food insecurity. She now strengthens Chicagoland partnerships with community food resources to identify food insecurity near the clinic, improve service linkage, and establish measurable, sustainable interventions to reduce unmet need.
Maryam Amin, UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy
Maryam partners with Hamdard Health Alliance’s Adult Program to provide culturally and linguistically responsive medication education and chronic disease support for older immigrant adults through trusted, community-based engagement.
Brianne Coleman, UIC Jane Addams College of Social Work
Brianne implements a pilot trauma rehabilitation program for women and children impacted by domestic violence. The focus is on survivor-led Healing Circles and Community Resource Navigation & Empowerment Workshops to address trauma recovery and systemic barriers. These initiatives combine culturally relevant emotional healing with practical skill-building and resource access to foster resilience, economic stability, and long-term health equity.
Emily Cyrwus, UIC College of Dentistry
Emily orchestrates a series of oral health initiatives, collaborating with a variety of Chicago-land senior living communities, to administer preventative and protective dental care to the older adult community. These sessions foster social and mental wellbeing for the elders of our community, while enhancing their overall health through the benefits of tailored dental treatment.
Toi Johnson, UIC College of Applied Health Sciences (Nutrition)
Toi is implementing a culinary literacy program that empowers low-income families and children to prevent chronic illness through hands-on education in macronutrient balance, budget-friendly shopping, and essential meal preparation.
Shreya Kurup, University of Illinois College of Medicine
Shreya is leading a community-driven musculoskeletal health education program for unhoused and low-income adults attending meal services at Fourth Presbyterian Church. Her project focuses on accessible, engaging education about functional mobility, injury prevention, pain management, and early recognition of musculoskeletal symptoms that require medical evaluation.
Niki Sabetfakhri, University of Illinois College of Medicine
Niki is creating a community-based program at Gilda’s Club Chicago for women with cancer-related chronic pain, combining trauma-informed yoga, pain education, support groups, and storytelling to reduce isolation and amplify patient voices.
Abigail Suleman, UIC College of Nursing
Abby curates a Doula Sister Circle which involved skill-building workshops and a psychosocial peer support group for Black doulas who provide racially-concordant care to clients on the South and West sides of Chicago. This space will empower doulas through mentorship and skills to prevent, identify, and recover from burnout, ultimately improving the impact of their maternal health work on Black birthing families.