Ten UIC Students Receive Prestigious Schweitzer Fellowships
The Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows Program has honored 28 graduate students in the metropolitan area with prestigious Schweitzer Fellowships, and ten of those 28 Fellows are students from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC).
The Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows Program encourages students to become lifelong leaders in service by addressing unmet health needs among vulnerable Chicagoland communities. In collaboration with community organizations, the Fellows will design and launch a community-based project to improve community well-being and address social determinants of health. Each project will provide 200 hours of service to Chicago communities.
Dr. Robert A. Barish, UIC Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs, says that the passion, vision, and dedication of these students exemplifies the mission of UIC and its academic health enterprise, UI Health. “The projects being undertaken by the Schweitzer Fellows will directly address health needs in underserved communities,” he said. “And the fact that so many of the Fellows are from UIC affirms the commitment we have at the university and at UI Health to promote health equity.”
Below are the service projects being undertaken by the Schweitzer Fellows at UIC:
Schweitzer Fellow Service Projects Heading link
Cindy Cruz, College of Nursing
Cindy’s project will develop of a series of short and supplemental Un Minuto Conciente (Mindful Minute) presentations focused on mental health care for the pre-diabetic adult participants of Alivio Medical Center’s Prevent T2 program, in order to help them build coping strategies that will facilitate their success in achieving a healthier lifestyle.
Jennifer Cunningham, College of Nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice
Jennifer aims to build resilience in children and their families to reduce risk of abuse or neglect while also mitigating some of the effects of adverse childhood experiences.
Amy De La Torre, College of Medicine
Amy proposes to teach Mental Health classes designed for underrepresented minority students in the Medicina Academy Apprentice Program (MAAP) in UIC’s Hispanic Center of Excellence. The curriculum will equip the students with knowledge, skills, and resources to support and promote their mental health literacy and wellness amid the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
Jean Gavina, College of Nursing, Doctorate Nursing Program
Jean proposes to implement a Health Education Program for Filipino Americans and minority populations. The program will provide guidance and resources for effective health education and health promotion to support healthier lifestyles.
Anne Osuji, College of Medicine
Anne’s project will incorporate culturally appropriate heart-healthy eating habits for women previously experiencing homelessness at Deborah’s Place. The recipes and mindfulness practices will provide simple and healthy lifestyle modifications for women to improve cardiovascular outcomes, culminating in a program cookbook and wellness guidebook.
Jenna Pasanen, College of Liberal Arts and Science, Dept. of Criminology, Law, and Justice
Jenna will implement a program to prepare incarcerated women at Cook County Jail for a successful return to their communities. The program will explore local resources and services that can support women in reaching their goals and improving their well-being.
Jennifer Plascencia Lopez, School of Public Health
Jennifer will implement a high school mentorship program for first-generation, underserved youth in Chicago. The program will provide college readiness skills, professional skills development, and health career pathway exploration.
Juaquan Savage, College of Dentistry
Juaquan proposes to initiate weekly Mouth meetings which will provide education and mentorship for students on the Southside of Chicago, addressing nutrition and oral health, and offering socioemotional support.
Tanner Shull, School of Public Health
Tanner will establish a group of mothers and community leaders within Little Village churches and organizations to act as health promoters to encourage and link those members to receive preventive health care such as cancer screenings, diabetes classes, and primary care. Tanner also proposes to expand the 5+1=20 health promoter program in Chicago Public Schools of Pilsen to include schools in Little Village. The program builds up the leadership and health education capacity of high school students and encourages them to promote those lessons through community and family events. Altogether, this program seeks to improve the current 20-year life expectancy gap experienced by Hispanic and Latino populations in Chicago from the five most prevalent diseases and infections in that population.
Niam Vora, College of Pharmacy
Niam aims to develop the nation’s first Transitions of Coordinated Care program for people with HCV/HIV released from the Illinois Department of Corrections. The program will serve as a case management/social support program to ensure recently incarcerated populations have access to medication, therapy, addictions resources, health literacy and insurance.
Learn More Heading link
Learn more about the Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows Program.