UVM College of Medicine 2016-17 NH-VT Schweitzer Fellows (from left): Callie Linehan, Jasmine Robinson, Jacob Reibel, Holly Bachilas, Julia McGinty, Benjamin Smith, Ryan Landvater, Al York, and Desiree DiBella.

As Fellows, the students will spend the next year learning to effectively address the social factors that impact health, and developing lifelong leadership skills through the experience of carrying out a year-long service project.

The recently-named NH/VT Schweitzer Fellows, who, in addition to UVM College of Medicine students include students from Geisel School of Medicine and Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth, Vermont Law School and University of New Hampshire School of Law, gathered at Dartmouth College on April 24 for a retreat and the group’s annual Celebration of Service.

“We are extremely proud of our incoming class of Schweitzer Fellows, and we are excited to see what our talented students accomplish over the next 12 months,” says Nancy Gabriel, director of the NH/VT chapter of ASF. “Our program is making a lasting impact on the health of communities in New Hampshire and Vermont as our Fellows first learn to serve and support vulnerable people in living healthier lives, and then take those skills with them when they establish themselves professionally as leaders in their field.”

Learn more about the new UVM College of Medicine Fellows and their respective projects:

• Working with the Pride Center of Vermont, Benjamin Smith ’19 and Al York ’19 will create Trans*Form, a project focused on reducing the number of transgender Vermonters who transition in isolation. They will develop a network of peer mentors (Trans*Corps) and develop online resource modules to help trans* Vermonters navigate various legal and medical transition processes. The Trans*Form project seeks to develop a network of trans* Vermonters, identify barriers to transition, and collect stories to be used in future trans* advocacy work.
• Desiree DiBella ’19 and Jacob Reibel ’19 will work with Child Life staff at UVM Children’s Hospital to capture audio recordings of pediatric palliative care patients telling their stories. They will meet with the families of children receiving palliative care services in their homes to audio record tales of adventure, terrifying events, or amusing exploits, not limited to illness. The project’s goal is to give these young people an opportunity to speak about their experiences, strengthen family bonds, and raise awareness about palliative care.
• Holly Bachilas ’19 and Callie Linehan ’19 will implement a culturally-competent nutrition curriculum in collaboration with the Janet S. Munt Family Room, a parent-child center located in Burlington that is run by the Visiting Nurse Association of Chittenden and Grand Isle Counties. The project will also include a support group for New Americans adjusting to a new food culture, and teaching sessions on nutrition and nutrition resources in their community.
• In collaboration with Burlington’s Community Economic Development Office, Jasmine Robinson ’19 will establish the “Here to Help” clinic to provide members of the Burlington, Vt.-area homeless population with free physicals, personal self-care, clothes, toiletries and a hot meal. The goal of this clinic is to build relationships with ostracized members of the community, provide immediate help, and assess their vulnerability living on the street.
• Ryan Landvater ’19 and Julia McGinty ’19 will educate mental health patients and providers at the Howard Center about advanced directives, in an effort to shift health care decisions from the courts to patients. By employing the “Ulysses Clause,” patients can dictate their treatment preferences when they have decision-making capacity – in the event that this lucidity may be lost. This allows for timely treatment in accordance with patient wishes. 

“The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship has a ripple effect in communities, as Schweitzer Fellows improve the lives not only of those they are directly serving, but their circle of family and friends as well, so there is a lasting community impact” says Sylvia Stevens-Edouard, M.S., executive director of The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship. “Additionally, the process of moving their Fellowship projects from an initial concept to completion teaches Schweitzer Fellows valuable skills in working with others in allied fields. As Schweitzer Fellows develop professionally, this skill is critical to their ability to effect larger-scale change among vulnerable populations.”

The New Hampshire/Vermont Fellows will join approximately 240 other 2016-2017 Schweitzer Fellows working at program sites around the United States, as well as one in Lambaréné, Gabon at the site of The Albert Schweitzer Hospital, founded by Dr. Schweitzer in 1913. Upon completion of their Fellowship year, the 2016-2017 New Hampshire/Vermont Schweitzer Fellows will become Schweitzer Fellows for Life and join a vibrant network of more than 3,200 Schweitzer alumni who are skilled in, and committed to, addressing the health needs of underserved people throughout their careers.

Nationally, some of ASF’s Fellows for Life include Rishi Manchanda, M.D., author of the TED book The Upstream Doctors: Medical Innovators Track Sickness To Its Source; Jessica Lahey, J.D., author of the new bestseller The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn To Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed, and a regular contributor on education and parenting issues for the New York Times and The Atlantic; and Robert Satcher, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and NASA mission specialist.

Including the NH/VT Schweitzer Fellowship, which was founded in 1996, there are 14 U.S.-based Schweitzer programs. The others are in Alabama; Boston, Mass.; Chicago, Ill.; Columbus-Athens, Ohio.; Dallas-Fort Worth, Tx.; Houston, Tx.; Los Angeles, Calif.; New Orleans, La.; North Carolina; Pittsburgh, Pa.; San Francisco Bay Area, Calif.; and Tulsa, Ok.. Additionally, ASF also has a program chapter based in Lambaréné, Gabon, at The Albert Schweitzer Hospital.

(This article was adapted from a press release produced by Susan Ryan-Vollmer of The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship.)