Tyler M. Linder, Rush University College of Medicine; Ivana Chmielewski, North Park University School of Nursing; Preetham Kastury, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine; Angela Victoria Olivar, University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry; and Fatima Rasoul, Loyola University School of Social Work were awarded Named Schweitzer Fellowships—distinctions within a year-long service-learning program that helps Fellows design and implement innovative projects that address the health needs of underserved Chicago communities.

Named in honor of famed humanitarian and Nobel laureate Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows Program encourages students to become lifelong leaders in service by helping to address unmet health needs among vulnerable Chicagoland residents. In collaboration with existing community organizations, each Schweitzer Fellow will launch a community-based project, providing 200 hours of service. Using a broad public health lens, the new Fellows will work to improve community well-being and target the social determinants of health—the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age that have a profound impact on health and quality of life.

Each year, Health & Medicine recognizes the legacies and investments of Tarik F. Ibrahim MD, MS; Frank J. Indihar, MD; Leslie Nickels, MEd, PhD; and Bob and Caryle Perlman by designating Named Fellowships opportunity in their honors.

The 2023-2024 Tarik F. Ibrahim MD, MS Fellow will honor the life and legacy of Dr. Ibrahim by working with youth affected by gang violence. This work reflects Dr. Ibrahim’s dedication to the health and well-being of underserved populations and his passion for service and charity within the field of medicine. Learn more about Dr. Ibrahim here.

The 2023-2024 Tarik F. Ibrahim MD, MS Fellow is Tyler M. Linder, Rush University College of Medicine. Tyler is will facilitate a community educational program through Rush University and Project sWish Chicago for underserved youth affected by gang violence. Project sWish hosts basketball tournaments during times of high gang violence, and by working together, this program will educate children about mental/physical health and provide information regarding health care.

Named in honor of Frank Indihar, MD—whose grandniece, Kelly Moore (née Koronkowski), was a 2022-2023 Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellow—the Frank J. Indihar, MD Fellowship was established to provide mentorship and support for those looking to make a difference in underserved Chicago communities, particularly in the fields of nursing, pharmacy, and medicine, and to honor Frank’s work as a physician and delight in mentoring and developing lasting friendships with prospective medical students. Learn more about Dr. Indihar here.

The 2023-24 Frank J. Indihar, MD Fellows are Ivana Chmielewski, North Park University School of Nursing and Preetham Kastury, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Through collaboration with Swedish Hospital, Ivana will develop literacy education with a focus on mental health and social determinants of health to provide transcultural nursing resources that empower the community of immigrants, refugees, minority, and unhoused individuals in a safe community space. Preetham proposes to create a longitudinal community-based curriculum for older adults in the South Side of Chicago focusing on topics surrounding digital equity (digital well-being, access, safety, literacy etc.). Preetham’s project will be in collaboration with the SHARE (Supporting Healthy Aging Resources & Education) Network.

Named by her family and friends, the Leslie Nickels Fellowship honors the rich legacy of service, mentorship, and scholarship of Leslie Nickels, MEd, PhD. Dr. Nickels championed the important role of government in worker health and safety protection, the need to empower workers, and working with the practice community. Learn more about Dr. Nickels here.

The 2022-23 Leslie Nickels Schweitzer Fellow is Fatima Rasoul, Loyola University School of Social Work. Fatima proposes to develop a program to provide social supports for refugee and immigrant mothers. Her program foci are maternal education and mental health support to promote maternal and child health, as well as providing support to diminish the bureaucratic barriers preventing access to social welfare programs.

The Bob and Caryle Perlman Fellowship was established to provide mentorship and support for those looking to make a difference in underserved Chicago communities. Wishing they’d had access to a program like the Schweitzer Fellowship early on in their own careers, Bob and Caryle feel it’s important to give back now to the next generation of service-minded health and human service professionals. Learn more about the Perlmans here.

This year’s Bob and Caryle Perlman Fellow is Angela Victoria Olivar, University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry. Angela proposes to raise awareness about the importance of ora l healthcare, providing educational sessions and to address factors that limit Latino communities in seeking continuous oral healthcare services.

Utilizing an interdisciplinary approach, the Fellowship exposes students to real-world inter-professional, collaborative care and aims to develop lifelong leaders in service. The 2023-2024 Fellows include students from 11 schools and 19 academic programs, ranging from nursing to disability studies and public health. The exceptional class of Fellows was selected from a pool of almost 100 applicants through a competitive process. Learn more about the Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows Program here.