Paige-Ashley Campbell, a medical student at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine; Ivy Hernandez Delgado, a Master’s in Social Service Administration student at the University of Chicago; and Karen Montes, a student at the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Nursing, 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 Policy Research Group recognizes the legacies and investments of Tarik F. Ibrahim MD, MS; Leslie Nickels, MEd, PhD; and Drs. Bob and Caryle Perlman by designating Named Fellowship opportunities in their honors.

The life and legacy of Dr. Tarik Ibrahim is recognized and honored by naming an outstanding Fellow working with underserved refugee or immigrant populations the Tarik F. Ibrahim MD, MS Schweitzer Fellow. This honors Dr. Ibrahim’s calling of ensuring 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.

This year’s Tarik F. Ibrahim MD, MS Schweitzer Fellow is Paige-Ashley Campbell, a medical student at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Ashley proposes to initiate a health education workshop series for vulnerable immigrant and refugee families at World Relief Chicago. These workshops will provide education on topics that have been identified by the families at World Relief as vitally important, such as COVID-19 & the COVID-19 vaccine, budget conscious nutrition education, and mental health & wellness.

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 2021-22 Leslie Nickels Schweitzer Fellow is Karen Montes, a student at the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Nursing. Karen intends to provide health care education for the uninsured, undocumented, Latinx community of Northern Illinois. The educational program embodies a culturally competent approach and aims to enhance the health literacy of this community.

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 Ivy Hernandez Delgado, who is completing her Master’s in Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. Ivy proposes a series of Know Your Rights immigration workshops in English and Spanish. These workshops will provide information on immigration topics such as DACA, public charge etc. The purpose is to empower the immigrant community and demystify immigration policies.

Utilizing an interdisciplinary approach, the Fellowship exposes students to real-world inter-professional, collaborative care and aims to develop lifelong leaders in service. The 2021-22 Fellows include students from 10 schools and 8 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.