For the Albert Schweitzer Fellows of Alabama, “cultural competency” is more than a concept — it’s essential to delivering equitable health care. This year, three 2025–2026 Fellows are putting that value into action through projects focused on cross-cultural communication with young people.
In this Q&A series, Schweitzer alumni reflect on how the Fellowship shaped their journey—and how they continue to lead with purpose in their communities and careers.
In this Q&A series, Schweitzer alumni reflect on how the Fellowship shaped their journey—and how they continue to lead with purpose in their communities and careers.
From cervical care for unhoused women to breast health education for young Black women, two Schweitzer Fellows are opening doors to lifesaving screenings and information. Small steps, big impact — one woman at a time.
Join our team and help lead the way in supporting Schweitzer Fellows as they create lasting change in Alabama communities. This full-time, salaried position offers the chance to coordinate meaningful programs, connect with inspiring students and community partners, and make a direct impact on health equity.
Two Schweitzer Fellows are advancing health literacy through patient education and better medication distribution systems that transform lives.
In this Q&A series, Schweitzer alumni reflect on how the Fellowship shaped their journey—and how they continue to lead with purpose in their communities and careers.
From the Legacy Museum to the advocacy workshop, our September training pushed Fellows to reflect deeply, raise their voices, and strengthen their projects.
Meet one of our 2025-26 Fellows who is tackling environmental justice by raising awareness of lead exposure in Fairfield and Greater Birmingham communities, working to protect children and inspire community advocacy.
In this Q&A series, Schweitzer alumni reflect on how the Fellowship shaped their journey—and how they continue to lead with purpose in their communities and careers.
In this Q&A series, Schweitzer alumni reflect on how the Fellowship shaped their journey—and how they continue to lead with purpose in their communities and careers.
Meet one of our 2025–26 Fellows who is working to improve breastfeeding outcomes among Black mothers through culturally informed education and support. Her project is bridging gaps in knowledge, access, and trust—one mother at a time.
Two Schweitzer Fellows are leading impactful projects to keep kids safe—one promoting car seat safety and the other teaching smart, secure internet use. Their work is helping families protect children at home, online, and on the go.
In this Q&A series, Schweitzer alumni reflect on how the Fellowship shaped their journey—and how they continue to lead with purpose in their communities and careers.
It’s been an exciting year for the Schweitzer Fellowship. As we prepare for a summer of learning and service, we reflect back on what we accomplished together last year - highlighted in our recently released 2025 Impact Report.
ASF welcomes five new members to its Board of Directors. These dedicated leaders bring a wealth of experience and a shared commitment to advancing our mission. Their guidance and passion will help shape the future of our work and strengthen our impact in the communities we serve.
What drives the new class of Albert Schweitzer Fellows? We spoke with several 2025-2026 fellows to learn more about their projects—and the deep commitment that inspired them to join the program.
The 2025 Celebration of Service brought together Fellows, mentors, and community partners for an inspiring morning honoring the impact of this year’s Fellowship class.
Learn more about the individuals who serve on our Advisory Council, their commitment to service, and the vision they bring to shaping the future of health and well-being in our communities.
Learn more about the individuals who serve on our Advisory Council, their commitment to service, and the vision they bring to shaping the future of health and well-being in our communities.
What drives the new class of Albert Schweitzer Fellows? We spoke with several 2025-2026 fellows to learn more about their projects—and the deep commitment that inspired them to join the program.
ASF selects 2025 Outstanding Academic and Site mentors, as well as Outstanding Community Educator and Outstanding Community Advisory Board member. All will be recognized at the Celebration of Service on April 12.
Dr. John Dorsey with Project Horseshoe Farm was selected as ASF's 2025 Humanitarian of the Year.
The City Gear Starting Five Awards recognize community leaders who embrace and embody resilience, passion, perspective, purpose and mentorship.
Learn more about the individuals who serve on our Advisory Council, their commitment to service, and the vision they bring to shaping the future of health and well-being in our communities.
Fellows Glorian Vaughn and Jamal Rasheed have spent their Fellowship year providing their communities the tools and strategies needed to combat mental health.
Elizabeth Perry has witnessed firsthand how a simple fall can profoundly impact someone’s life in later years. As an ASF Fellow, she's been able to do something about it.
By: Javacia Harris Bowser Kim Eaton believes she’s been preparing for her new role as executive director of Albert Schweitzer Fellowship-Alabama for her entire career. For the past seven years,…
By Javacia Harris Bowser The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship is a program that’s all about bridging gaps. That’s what it takes to effectively and compassionately provide healthcare to underserved communities. Healthcare…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Kimberly Eaton, Program Alum, Will Assume the Role in October. Birmingham, AL -- September 23, 2024 -- The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship of Alabama (ASF) announced today that…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser It all started with a mass email from the American Dental Association. The email shared an article reporting that Hispanic children have more dental caries than…
The Board of Directors of the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship of Alabama is pleased to announce the fifth-annual Give Thanks fundraiser to support the work of the 2024-25 Fellowship cohort. This…
Je’Don Holloway-Talley, August 2, 2024 ; Reposted from Birmingham Watch Downtown Woodlawn’s 1st Avenue South has been transformed with the implementation of a street-calming pilot project called “The Road Diet.” This…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser Keila Adams and Autumn Edwards can both still vividly remember the stress they grappled with in high school as they took on rigorous international baccalaureate (IB)…
Are you interested in improving health by supporting future generations of health and human service leaders to advance health equity for Alabama communities? If so, we are looking for a…
By Laura Gasque; Reposted from the UAB School of Nursing The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship of Alabama has named University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing Doctor of Nursing Practice student Elizabeth…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser Ethan Madison and Faris Zaibaq know that the focus for their Albert Schweitzer Fellowship year isn’t a typical project for the program. At first glance, one…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser Cherry Davenport, the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship’s new program manager, brings a wealth of public health education and experience to the position. Before taking her role at…
ASF-Impact-Report-2024Download It’s been an exciting start to summer for the Schweitzer Fellowship. This week we’re celebrating the release of our 2024 Annual Report. This report showcases the impact the Fellowship…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser The 2024-2025 Albert Schweitzer Fellows are already hard at work on their projects. We caught up with two pairs of fellows-- Andee Beierle and Caroline Davies…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser For her 2023-2024 Albert Schweitzer Fellowship project Alanis Stansberry created recipe cards for shoppers at Live HealthSmart Alabama's Mobile Market, a mobile food market that provides…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser When Erin Utz was accepted into the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship for the 2024-2025 term, she knew she wanted to embark on a project to improve medication…
By Laura Gasque; April 1, 2024; Reposted from the UAB School of Nursing The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship of Alabama has named University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing alumna…
Reposted from the UAB School of Public Health; April 30, 2024 Students from the UAB School of Public Health have once again been selected as Alabama Fellows within the Albert Schweitzer program. Leanne Jeong, MD/MPH…
By Kevin Storr, April 26, 2024 Lemeshia Chambers and Alanis Stansberry Alanis Stansberry, a student in our PhD in Nutrition Sciences program, developed recipes for individuals with common chronic illnesses…
Written by Brian C. Moon - April 23, 2024 On April 13, 2024, at the 2024 Celebration of Service, the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF) of Alabama honored Dr. Lisa Gurley of Samford University’s Moffett…
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ASF: Tell us where you did your project and very briefly what your project entailed.Chrysanthemum McDaniel: My project was hosted by Oxmoor Valley Elementary School. The focus of my project…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser "The most important thing that we can do is recognize the humanity within each other." That statement was the core of the keynote address that Dr.…
On April 13th our outgoing 2023-24 Fellows were honored at our annual Celebration of Service (COS). Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama was our Presenting Sponsor again this year and…
Long-term Vision: Optometry students Alice Kim and Lydia Smith stay focused on the lasting impact of their ASF project By: Javacia Harris Bowser For their Albert Schweitzer Fellowship project, Alice…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser The phrase “knowledge is power” may be a cliché, but it’s a true statement, nonetheless. And Albert Schweitzer Fellows Paul Jones and Josiah Perry believe that…
**The position below has now been filled.** ASF is seeking a Program Manager. The Program Manager executes a year-long mentoring program for health profession students, from identifying and recruiting applicants,…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser Fellow For Life Rahul Gaini spent his Albert Schweitzer Fellowship year striving to improve mental health conditions in Alabama’s pediatric population. Following emergency department visits at…
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By Matt Crouch AUBURN, Alabama – Recognizing a need to address barriers to medication in their community, Harrison College of Pharmacy students Briley Graves and Lila Parrish are working together on…
By Matt Crouch AUBURN, Alabama – Managing mental health can be a challenge for anyone, but especially young girls experiencing physical and emotional changes. Wanting to provide support for this population…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser Nelson Mandela once said, “I never lose. I either win or learn.” Jade Kim and Suyeon Kim have maintained this same attitude as they’ve worked on…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser Nearly 100 percent of sex trafficking victims are seen by a healthcare provider while they’re being trafficked. Yet many nurses, doctors, and hospital staff haven’t been…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser Albert Schweitzer Fellow Sarika Mullapudi learned to knit just before she began medical school at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Knitting quickly became one of…
Richie Heng and Mike Anderson, both Heersink School of Medicine students, give us the inside scoop on their project status, tell us about the challenges they've faced, and share with…
In October, ASF Director Kristin Boggs met with outgoing Jefferson County Health officer to reflect on his professional journey and the impact he's had on the health of his community. As…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser This has been a big year for Fellow for Life Heather Johnson. In the spring of 2023, Heather completed her doctoral program at the University of…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser As State Health Officer, Dr. Scott Harris serves as the chief executive of the Alabama Department of Public Health. But he knows that most people have…
One of the main tenets of our work at ASF Alabama is developing our Fellows ability to be leaders in their fields. Our curriculum and coaching through their projects is…
We get to meet some of the coolest people through the work our Fellows do in our communities around Alabama. One of those people is Raquel Patterson, the Executive Director…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser When Keith Matthews first started working as a nurse practitioner at Unity Wellness in Opelika, Alabama, he knew very little about HIV and AIDS. But now…
Published on October 11, 2023 by Eric Holsomback Congratulations to one of our 2023-24 Fellows, Dannelle Paz, and her daughter, Emily, working together towards nursing degrees at Samford. What an…
We are pleased to partner with Beth Smith, the artist behind the beautiful work that is Mudtown Pottery, for this year's Give Thanks fundraiser. Beth invited us into her studio…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser As students at Auburn University’s Harrison School of Pharmacy, Briley Graves and Lila Parrish are hyper aware of the challenges that some populations face when trying…
Re-posted with permission from: https://www.uabmedicine.org/news/albert-schweitzer-fellowship-medical-students-serve-cooper-green-patients-and-the-community/ Cooper Green patients have an opportunity that few U.S. health care facilities offer: the chance to interact with Albert Schweitzer Fellowship participants. The UAB Heersink School of Medicine is…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser Mayowa Otuada was passionate about helping new and expectant mothers long before she became an Albert Schweitzer Fellow. She served as a midwife for a rural…
Public health is a dynamic field that must constantly evolve in order to address emerging challenges. Jefferson County, under the leadership of Health Officer Dr. Mark Wilson for the past…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser When Albert Schweitzer Fellow Kate Hultquist started her part-time job at Samford University’s Office of Accessibility and Accommodations, she wanted more than some extra income. As…
Demetric Jones and Samantha Chapman, 2023-24 ASF Fellows, joined a group of UAB School of Optometry's Student Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (SVOSH) trip team spending three days providing comprehensive…
The Alabama Schweitzer Fellowship is excited to release data on the cumulative results of Fellows in the 2022-23 cohort as well as since the program's beginning in 2016. This report…
This year we are proud to be working with 8 schools and programs situated within 4 higher education institutions: University of Alabama at Birmingham, Auburn University, Samford University and the…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser Long before Abigail Weyerman was an Albert Schweitzer Fellow, she was committed to helping people experiencing hearing loss get the treatment that they need. In an…
ASF: What have you been up to since you left us in 2022? Malik Seals: After graduating in 2022, I moved to Atlanta, GA, and began a master’s program in…
As this school year kicks off, one of our new Fellows, Keith Matthews, agreed to answer a few questions about how to get it all done in a busy season.…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser Dr. Richard Kennedy has served as a mentor during two different cohorts of the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship and plans to continue to help out in the…
We always love to hear about what our FFL's are doing and where they are doing it. Reach out to us here so we can let your ASF community know…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser For all Americans to have adequate access to healthcare important polices must be changed. But how can we better care for the uninsured in the meantime?…
What program are you in and what type of practice are you preparing for? We are both third year optometry students at UAB’s School of Optometry. We have a 2025…
By Javacia Harris Bowser Since the early 2000s, Cahaba Valley Health Care has been providing free vision and dental screenings to the Greater Birmingham community. Edwina Taylor founded Cahaba Valley…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser Albert Schweitzer Fellow for Life Hadiyah Page believes in the transformative power of the arts. For her 2020-2021 fellowship project, she partnered with Impact Family…
Recent Fellows for Life Andres Tovar and Leandra Durham provide thoughts on choosing and working with Community Partners. Andres Community Partner was Lee County Youth Development Center and Leandra worked…
What program are you in and what type of medicine do you hope to practice? I am a student at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine, and I just finished my…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship is excited to partner with the Arts in Medicine Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham this year and work with…
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By: Javacia Harris Bowser When Collin Dorner and his project partner Eric Mussell began their Albert Schweitzer Fellowship they wanted to find a way to do in-depth, one-on-one work with…
OD/MBA student Demetric Jones will be spending the next 13 months in service to the Birmingham-area Hispanic community through a prestigious Albert Schweitzer Fellowship opens a new website. Jones is part of…
By: Michael Sznajderman As undergraduate students at Tuskegee University who were active in community service, Joi Chinakwe and Micah Grey saw firsthand the many challenges faced by people living in underserved areas of…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser Dr. Deborah Bowers was a proud member of the first Alabama cohort of the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship for the 2016-2017 academic year. Today she is an…
by Satina Richardson Four UAB School of Optometry (UABSO) students have been selected by the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship of Alabama (ASF) to serve as Alabama Schweitzer Fellows. This marks the…
Last month our 2023-24 Fellow cohort gathered with ASFA’s director, Kristen Boggs, and action learning coach, Keaton Johnson, to officially start their work for Alabama as Schweitzer Fellows. I asked…
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By Javacia Harris Bowser When Micah Grey and Joi Chinakwe were students at Tuskegee University they made serving the community of Macon County, where the school is located, a top…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser Albert Schweitzer Fellow Andres Tovar isn’t one to spout religion, but it was a Bible verse that helped him decide to work with youth for his…
https://www.slideshare.net/DavidWest257806/cos2023posterfellowspdf-257617349
by Adam Pope The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship of Alabama has announced the incoming 2023-24 fellows class, which includes 12 students from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The Alabama Schweitzer Chapter was founded…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser Albert Schweitzer Fellows Dara Johnson and Zoie McIntosh both knew they wanted to spend their fellowship time promoting pediatric oral health, but they were having a…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser When Frances Ford first learned that she’d been selected as the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship’s Humanitarian of the Year she was shocked. “I kept thinking, who would…
By: Javacia Harris Bowser Your zip code shouldn’t determine how healthy you are. Unfortunately, we live in a society where it often does. But Albert Schweitzer Fellow Chelsea Gayre is…
2023-2024 Cohort of 21 Graduate Students Represents Another Record Year and Largest Class to Date for Alabama’s Schweitzer Fellowship ASF Press Release - 2023 Fellows AnnouncedDownload
By: Javacia Harris Bowser Gun violence and homelessness are two of the greatest social problems the City of Birmingham and surrounding areas are facing right now. Issues like these can…
Dr. Ayanda Chakawa, PhD, entered into the first cohort of ASF Alabama Fellows in 2016-17 as a PhD student in Auburn University’s department of Psychology. She partnered with the Macon…
Current Fellows Renee Pan and Anthony Wilson Reflect on Lessons Learned at the ASF Winter Retreat By: Javacia Harris Bowser Who cares for the caregivers?` Unfortunately, this isn’t a question…