Nine students from the UAB Heersink School of Medicine were named in the 2022-2023 class of Alabama Schweitzer Fellows, a group of graduate students across Alabama who will spend the next year implementing service projects designed to address social factors that impact health.
The medical students selected for the fellowship are:
- Yolanda Amezaga, MS1, Birmingham Campus
- Mack Bozman, MS3, Huntsville Regional Medical Campus
- Jamie Davison, MS1, Birmingham Campus
- Trinity Houston, MS1 (MD/MPH dual degree program), Birmingham Campus
- Madison Jeziorski, MS1, Birmingham Campus
- Eric Mussell, MS2, Birmingham Campus
- Gnyata Patel, MS1, Birmingham Campus
- Salomon Roman-Soto, MS1 Birmingham Campus
- Anthony Wilson, MS3, Huntsville Regional Medical Campus
During their fellowship year, the students develop and implement service projects that address the root causes of health disparities in under-resourced communities, while also fulfilling their academic responsibilities. Each project is implemented in collaboration with a community-based health and/or social service organization. Schweitzer Fellowships have an intensive leadership component, so fellows can go on to inspire others to improve the health of those who experience barriers to care.
Graduate and professional students across the state are chosen through a competitive process, and this year, the ASF of Alabama leadership selected 20 student fellows—its largest class of Schweitzer Fellows to date. Other institutions represented with this year’s class include the UAB School of Dentistry, School of Health Professions, School of Nursing and School of Public Health, along with Auburn University.
“The selection of new Fellows each year is always a highlight, but this year held special significance due to the over 40 percent growth in the size of our 2022-23 cohort,” Kristin Boggs, Executive Director of ASF of Alabama, said in a news release. “As vulnerable populations in our communities face significant obstacles to health and improved quality of life, it is encouraging to see more students rise to the challenge of tackling these issues head-on. We are excited to come alongside these students, along with our academic and community-site partners, to channel their ideals and grow their commitment to using their knowledge to affect change for under-resourced communities.”
ASF of Alabama began in 2015 as a local chapter of the national nonprofit and has been training servant leaders in healthcare for more than six years.