“I gained strength and the ability to adapt and overcome barriers that seem too large to bear. I am capable of making a difference and changing the status quo, no matter how big or deep rooted it
appears.”
Richa Vyas and Kari Wordsworth
Richa and Kari accelerated the dental clearance process for cancer patients so that they can begin
medical treatment earlier. Building upon a 2018 and a 2020 Schweitzer project, they expanded the
services to include the more frequent cleanings and follow up care cancer patients need to help
avoid serious problems and infections and to manage any dental issues that arise.
2021 Fellows Adam Robinson and Glenn Baldwin
Adam and Glenn launched Complete Smiles to restore the smiles, confidence, and dignity to people
without teeth by providing high quality complete and partial dentures to vulnerable community members at no cost at the CAARE Clinic. They provided over $17,000 worth of oral health services
and dentures.
2021 Fellows Sylvette Ramos-Díaz and Arlet Montes Sanchez
The Fellows launched H.O.P.E. (Hispanic Oral health Prevention and Education) to provide culturally
sensitive education to the Latinx community in their native language about oral health and how it ties
to their overall health. They partnered with a free clinic, Vidas de Esperanza, to increase access to care and empower patients to take charge of their health. They provided provided over $12,000 in
free care to 72 patients.
2021 Fellows Cody Phen and Ricky Ghai
Lack of affordable dental care has often left community members unable to go to the dentist. The
Fellows aimed to change that in Bertie County by connecting people to CLC-Ahoskie to receive low-
cost oral health services and establish the clinic as their dental home.
2021 Fellows Meghan Pavelka and Ben Succop, UNC School of Medicine
When volunteering at Bloomer's Hill People's Free Clinic, Ben and Meghan saw patients had many
social needs that need to be addressed. So they established a care coordinator position to not only
connect patients to community resources, but make sure patients received the services they needed.
They were able to get one patient's power back on within days of it being disconnected!
2021 Fellow Callie Ollish
Callie led Deacon Doulas, a volunteer program providing continuous support – both physical and
emotional – to laboring Medicaid and under-insured patients which launched as a 2019-20
Schweitzer project. The additional labor support is needed now more than ever. She created an in-
house training curriculum eliminating the need sustainability funding and trained 45 volunteer doulas
who served over 100 on-call shifts.
2021 Fellows Chinemerem Nwosu and Camille Robinson, Duke School of Medicine
The Fellows launched the Black Maternal Health Equity Initiative to provide patient advocacy, social
support, and a link to community resources for Black pregnant women at a high risk clinic. Patients
are paired with Duke medical student advocates who assist them with navigating the healthcare
system, address their social determinant of health needs and provide support during pregnancy and
the postpartum period. The goal is not to give the mothers a voice, but to amplify it and work to
create solutions to the barriers they face.
2021 Fellows Serena Mooney and Karen Semaan
Although we hope to never have to use it, it is important to know the proper techniques to administer
infant and child CPR in case of an emergency. To ensure parents and caregivers are adequately
prepared, Serena and Karen offered free infant and child CPR and choking rescue classes. Over 95%
of participants demonstrated competence as evidenced by hands-on skills assessments and
increased their efficacy in performing the skills.
2021 Fellow Paul Johnson
Paul launched a mentoring and enrichment program for minority fifth and sixth grade males who
come from single-parent households to help them make better decisions, healthier behavior choices,
NORTH CAROLINA
ALBERT SCHWEITZER FELLOWSHIP
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and cope with any challenges they face from their social environment. NCCU awarded him the Dr.
Odessa Lemay Smith Character Award and the John B Turner Award for Leadership Excellence in
recognition of his work developing his program.
2021 Fellows Tamar Chukrun and Trisha Dalapati
Home is not just a place or an address. Home is somewhere an individual feels comfortable cooking,
sleeping, socializing, and traveling to and from. A deficit in any of these aspects can greatly affect a
person’s health and prevent the desired quality of life. Tamar and Trisha led the WellNest Housing
Support Program which provides social, financial, and goal-oriented support to newly housed
community members with a history of homelessness. They aim to break the cycle of chronic
homelessness, alleviate health risks associated with housing insecurity, and fill a gap in the
homelessness care continuum.
2021 Fellows Kathryn Benson and Jack Leschisin
Fellows Kathryn and Jack and their team of volunteers made weekly calls to seniors as a source of
personal support and connection to resources to address the social drivers of health. Plus, they
provided food and essential item delivery for those who are unable to leave their homes. 284 seniors
were served and 86% reported a reduction in feelings of isolation.
2021 Fellows Al-Amin Aminu and Michael Denning
Michael and Al-Amin created A.I.M.M. High (Achievement in Minority Men) to give Black and Latino
young men the skills they need to be successful in life by focusing on developing their individual and
professional identities. They built a sense of Brotherhood while at the same time bolstering
participants' self-esteem.