Amy De La Torre, University of Illinois School of Medicine; Brice Jones, Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine; Niam Vora, University of Illinois Chicago College of Pharmacy; Austin Hwang, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; and Isaiah Brown, University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine 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; Frank J. Indihar, MD; 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 Amy De La Torre, University of Illinois College of Medicine. Amy proposes to teach Mental Health classes designed for underrepresented minority students in the Medicina Academy Apprentice Program (MAAP) in the Hispanic Center of Excellence at the University of Illinois at Chicago. 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.

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 2022-23 Frank J. Indihar, MD Fellows are Brice Jones, Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, and Niam Vora, University of Illinois Chicago, Pharmacy. Brice proposes an academic pipeline program focusing on violence prevention and youth advocacy. This initiative will establish proven methods to combat health disparities and educational inequities through a community-based participatory approach. Niam aims to develop the nation’s first Transitions of Coordinated Care program for released HCV/HIV prison patients from the Illinois Department of Corrections. The case management/social support program will ensure recently incarcerated populations have access to medication, therapy, addictions resources, health literacy and insurance.

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 Austin Hwang, Northwestern University, Medicine. Austin proposes to initiate health literacy classes for Rohingya refugees/immigrants living in the greater Chicagoland area. These classes are intended to promote health outcomes for Rohingya refugees/immigrants.

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 Isaiah Brown, University of Chicago, Medicine. Isaiah Brown is a first year Medical Student at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Through training barbers as community health workers, starting a Black, Adult free clinic, and developing a culturally relevant health curriculum, he hopes to uplift and support Black men’s health in the Chicago land area.

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.