Spring 2015 Chicago Schweitzer Fellows Newsletter

S PRING 2015
C HICAGO S CHWEITZER F ELLOWS N EWSLETTER
The Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellowship is a Program of Health & Medicine Policy Research Group
In this Issue…

Fellow fosters preventive health
awareness among women inmates
and officers, pg. 2

Fellows for Life awarded seed grants
for community health projects, pg. 3

Young Doctors Club influences
adults as well as children, pg. 6

Fellows for Life Retreat focuses on
self-care for caregivers, pg. 7

2015-16 Schweitzer Fellows
announced, pg. 8

Symposium on healthcare needs of
aging population, pg. 9
Expungement Provides Hope,
Opportunity and Fairness
As a law and social work student, my
Schweitzer project focuses on a social
determinant of health that often
poses a significant barrier to long
term well-being. Every week, I work
at the Juvenile Expungement Help
Desk at the Cook County Juvenile
Court, where I assist young people to
expunge their juvenile criminal
records.
For many of these
individuals, a record prevents them
from accessing higher education,
employment, vocational training, and
public benefits, and sets them up for
decreased earning potential, lower
quality of life, and poorer health
outcomes.
Given the
disproportionate impact Cont. on pg. 5
Fellow’s
“Noble
Nine”
Project
Cultivates
Leadership and Idealism in Englewood Youth
Current Schweitzer Fellow Josh Taylor is implementing his
project, “the Noble Nine,” at Johnson College Prep (JCP) High
School in Englewood, where Josh also teaches science. The
Noble Nine aims to empower the young men to pursue
leadership roles, use their strengths to support their school and
neighborhoods, develop an interest in service, and cultivate
passion for the long-term health and wellness of their
communities. One of the Noble Nine members, Troy Olive,
recently wrote this reflection on participating in the program:
My name is Troy Olive and I’m a
sophomore at Johnson College Prep High
School. I participate in sports, Noble
Nine, and other school activities. In Noble
Nine I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned to be a
better scholar, athlete, and person overall.
In Noble Nine there are nine great young
men who all have bright futures. These
young men are very intelligent, funny,
smart and great guys to hang around
with. These scholars are very trustworthy,
and this is one reason why they’re in
Noble Nine.
Troy Olive, Johnson College
Prep sophomore and Noble
Nine member
In Noble Nine we work very hard to come up with ideas to
change the community and our school. We want to bring the
community together so young kids can have fun instead of
being outside where it’s dangerous. In December, Demario
Bailey, a JCP student, was killed when walking to basketball
with his twin brother. In Noble Nine, I’ve been able to show
respect to Demario’s family by selling wrist bands that we
made to raise money to buy textbooks for students in
Demario’s honor. The wrist band includes a quote by Demario’s
mother when he passed away. On one side it says, “I will live
and not die.” On the other side it says, “twin.”
Cont. on pg. 4
2 | Chicago Schweitzer Fellows Newsletter
WOMEN INMATES AND OFFICERS FIND COMMON GROUND
WHILE LEARNING ABOUT PREVENTIVE HEALTH
As I work on my 2014-2015
Schweitzer Fellowship in the
Cook County Jail, one
pervasive theme that I have
observed in the social
challenges of the jail is the
power dynamic between the
corrections officers and the
Adina Goldberger, 2014- inmates.
15 Schweitzer Fellow
The jail itself epitomizes the social inequality of
Chicago, detaining only the poorest accused
offenders who cannot afford to post bail, with its
inmates vastly over-representing minority
groups. It is this fundamental inequality that
inspired me to choose the jail as the site for my
Schweitzer project, as this setting uniquely
captures Chicago’s most socially, economically,
and medically vulnerable population.
My project in the jail is dedicated to providing
preventive health education for women, with an
emphasis on encouraging women to be more
articulate, empowered, and proactive about their
health, especially with regard to health
challenges faced specifically by women.
Preventive health awareness is an extremely
important but oft-neglected element of health
education. More acute topics such as drug abuse
counseling and sexually transmitted infection
treatment are usually favored, so this platform is
even more important. In small groups where the
participants are encouraged to share their
knowledge, experiences, and personal stories, we
discuss cancer screening, immunizations,
smoking cessation, and benign gynecologic
diseases like fibroids and ovarian cysts.
Cont. on pg. 3
“The jail itself epitomizes the social
inequality of Chicago, detaining only
the poorest accused offenders who
cannot afford to post bail, with its
inmates vastly over-representing
minority groups.”
Annual Thanksgiving Service Day a Success
For the third consecutive year, Fellows for Life organized a Thanksgiving
Service Day in partnership with Arts of Life, a nonprofit that provides arts
programming for adult artists with and without intellectual disabilities.
Fellows served a delicious thanksgiving dinner (donated by Union Sushi)
and led art activities for 80 artists and their friends.
Many thanks to the participants at Arts of Life Inc. and Chef Chao’s team
from Union Sushi, who helped make this event possible.
3 | Spring 2015
Congratulations 2015 Fellows for Life Seed Grant Recipients!
Thanks to support from the AMA Foundation, the Schweitzer Fellowship is able to provide seed grants
for innovative Fellows for Life projects to help undeserved Chicago communities. Congratulations to the
2015 recipients!
 Connor Williams, MSW (2013-14 Fellow) and Paul Devine Bottone, MD were awarded a oneyear grant to collaborate with Care2Prevent to develop a comprehensive medical and behavioral
health curriculum for youth on the Southside of Chicago. Curriculum topics will be tailored to young
persons living with or vulnerable to HIV infection, LGBTQ youth, and other adolescents experiencing
housing instability and/or homelessness.
 Biswas Pradhan, MSW (2013-14 Fellow) and Geetha Govindarajan, MD were awarded a one-
year grant to provide a “Health on Wheels” program focused on increasing healthy lifestyle choices in
the Back of the Yards neighborhood, a predominately low income Hispanic community.
Cont. from pg. 2
Such preventive health issues affect
all women, regardless of race, ethnicity, social
class, and criminal record. This project is thus a
platform for all of us to relate to each other,
because everyone knows a woman affected by
breast cancer or has had a Pap smear. These
preventive health discussions therefore serve as a
unifying bridge between the incarcerated women
and me, and allows for me to serve as a trusted
source of information, even though my life
experience has been largely different from theirs.
On one particular morning, as I was teaching
about benign gynecologic disease such as uterine
fibroids and ovarian cysts, one of the 12 women in
my session asked a question about ectopic
pregnancy. Though not directly related to the topic
at hand, ectopic pregnancy is a potentially life
threatening condition that disproportionately
affects women of lower socioeconomic status. I
always try to take these opportunities to address
important medical issues that arise during our
discussions, even if somewhat tangential.
Casually, I asked whether anyone in the room
knew anyone who had suffered from an ectopic
pregnancy, expecting only one or two hands to go
up. To my great surprise, every single woman in
the room raised her hand, including the
corrections officer in the back. In fact, many of the
women had experienced an ectopic pregnancy
personally. This inspired a very interesting
conversation in which I described the disease
process of ectopic pregnancy, as well as warning
symptoms, risk factors for this condition, and
potential complications. The participants and
guard offered personal stories about themselves
and other women who had experienced this. I felt
that by the end of the session, we had addressed a
crucial women's health topic, and also formed a
community of women affected by this disease and
committed to better understand and prevent it in
the future.
Even more striking,
however, is that these
“Preventive health
discussions often have
issues affect all
a unifying effect on the women, regardless of
relationship
between
race, ethnicity,
the officers and the
social class, and
inmates. In some of the
criminal record.”
higher security areas of
the jail, a corrections officer must be present
during my sessions. I have noticed on several
occasions that as we begin the discussion, the
officer, initially standing casually on guard at the
back of the room, perks up and edges in to join.
After a few minutes, she will even offer a comment
or pose a question. Rather than threatening the
women inmates, when the officers participate in
the sessions, they actually traverse the artificial
social gap between “law enforcement” and
“offender,” reinforcing to everyone that we are all
women faced with the same preventive health
challenges that are blind to which side of the bars
we fall on. In the incredibly dehumanizing
atmosphere of the jail, these small opportunities
for humanization and equality serve as important
reminders for all of us.
--Adina Goldberger is a 2014-15 Fellow and fourth
year medical student at Northwestern University.
4 | Chicago Schweitzer Fellows Newsletter
To bring the community together, this spring we are holding a basketball camp in our gym
for kids in the neighborhood. This event will have kids smiling and having fun, but most
importantly they’ll be in a safe environment. This camp will hopefully remind kids to stay off the streets
and away from violence.
Cont. from pg. 1
Another thing I’ve done is run a 5k run in Englewood. This was a really cool experience! I met a lot of
new people from around the city. I was one of the youngest contestants and finished in the top 10!
In Noble Nine I’ve learned a lot about Englewood. I’ve learned that
“In Noble Nine we use this
Englewood has the highest poverty rate in children and in the
information
to make better
general population in the city of Chicago. I’ve learned that
health choices, create
Englewood has more people over the age of 65 than the Chicago
average. I also learned that hospitals collect information about programs for kids, and learn
about our community.”
communities like this, and we discussed why that might be. We
thought hospitals might want to know this information because they
want to provide solutions for their patients, they want to determine where to put clinics, and they want
to figure out what kind of doctors to hire for the community. The most interesting facts to me are the
leading causes of death in Chicago. Two of the leading causes of death in the city are obesity and
violence/homicide. Starting a program to keep kids busy could really cut the violence rates because there
would be fewer kids in the streets with nothing to do.
In Noble Nine we use this information to make better health choices, create programs for kids, and learn
about our community. The information we saw was horrible; we noticed that there are not many healthy
food stores around. This may be why kids eat junk food every day; this may be why they’re out of shape.
Another reason may be that kids don’t work out like they need to; the closest they may get to working
out is at school or through an organized sport. Unfortunately, not everyone plays a sport. Not everyone
works out on his or her own time. If kids work out or jog and stop eating so much junk food, Englewood
could be a healthier place. To make a difference, the community would need to change the convenience
stores to healthier food stores and have food kids are interested in. A healthy food I see my classmates
eat is green apples. Most students love green apples! Many students would also eat oranges or
pineapples. Having access to healthier foods and regular exercise would be a great start to making
Englewood healthier; kids just need access to good fruit they like to eat and fun games they like to play.
---
“Phenomenal Performance” at DuSable Museum
Eighth grade girls in Schweitzer Fellow Joanna Villacorta’s
BRIDGE (Building Ready, Intelligent and Driven Girls
through Education) Project at Bronzeville Lighthouse
Charter School recently added sparkle to a ceremony
honoring outstanding African-American women from the
community. The event was held at the DuSable Museum
of African American History on Saturday, March 21. On
stage, the girls performed the poem “Phenomenal Women”
by Maya Angelou as they held up posters about each of the
5 honorees. “The girls were poised and collected (although
nervous too)!” remarked Joanna. After the awards event,
she and the girls viewed the museum’s exhibits. “As my
project nears its end, I’m starting to feel nostalgic for
moments such as these!” Joanna said.
The girls are now working on their final BRIDGE event, a
“Self Symposium” that they will hold in the gymnasium of
their school in early May. The girls will present projects
they’ve made about self esteem, identity, and future goals.
5| Spring 2015
of the juvenile justice system on low-income young
people of color, the result is often a significant
disparity of adult opportunity, and with it, long term well-being.
Cont. from pg. 1
I was reminded of this profound injustice a few weeks ago, when a
young woman sat across from me with tears in her eyes. At
twenty-six years old, Tasha (*name changed to protect privacy and
confidentiality) was close to completing a program in early
childhood education at a Chicago community college, and had
applied to complete her clinical hours in the classroom – the last
step before she finished her degree. As an adult, Tasha had never
had so much as a traffic ticket, so she was shocked when the
director of her program called her into a meeting and told her that
she would not be able to complete her clinical hours because of her
criminal background.
When she was fifteen years old, Tasha had been involved in a
fight with another girl whom she says made her feel unsafe and
taunted her with racial slurs. In many cases, the fight would have
been broken up, a parent would have been called, and Tasha
would have been sent home with a stern warning. However, Tasha
was a ward of the state, the fight took place in a group home, and
staff responded by calling the police. Tasha was arrested for
assault, spent the night in juvenile detention, and later accepted a
guilty plea on the advice of her public defender. She was given
probation, participated in counseling, and did so well in the
program that the judge allowed her to finish early. She graduated
high school, enrolled in college, and worked a full-time job. But
now, as an adult, that one mistake had come back to haunt her,
and was threatening to derail everything she had worked so hard
to achieve. As she sat across from me, I could see the defeat on
her face.
“Just like Tasha, many
young people have
come so far since a
juvenile arrest, and
continuing to penalize
them for past mistakes
is not only poor public
policy, it is injustice.”
Kathryn Huber, 2014-15 Schweitzer Fellow,
completes expungement paperwork
Fortunately, Tasha and many young people like her qualify for the
relatively simple process of expungement. As we reviewed the steps and
completed the paperwork, I could see a spark of hope begin to cross her
face, and when she filed the papers that day, she left the office with a
huge smile on her face. On the day of her court appearance, I sat in to
make sure everything went smoothly, and when the judge granted her
expungement, she hugged me tightly in the hallway, tears running down
her face. I asked her to keep in touch, and recently, I received a phone
call letting me know that with her expungement granted, her field site
had agreed to allow her to complete her clinical hours, and she was
thrilled to finally be in the classroom.
Tasha’s is just one story, but it illustrates the incredible change an expungement can make in the course
of someone’s future. Just like Tasha, many young people have come so far since a juvenile arrest, and
continuing to penalize them for past mistakes is not only poor public policy, it is injustice. As a
Schweitzer Fellow, I am committed to addressing the barrier of a juvenile record that so many young
people contend with, so that they can move on from past mistakes to a future marked not only by
success, but by significantly improved health and well-being.
--Kathryn Huber is a 2014-15 Fellow and dual law and social work student at Loyola University Chicago.
6 | Chicago Schweitzer Fellows Newsletter
“YOUNG DOCTORS CLUB” STILL STRONG AFTER 5 YEARS
In 2010-11, UIC medical student and Schweitzer Fellow Carmen Cancino launched the Young Doctors
Club, which supports and encourages students from medically underserved communities to pursue
careers in healthcare in partnership with Lawndale Christian Health Center. 2012-13 Fellows and UIC
medical students Stephen Addington and Ayodele Oke spent their Fellowship year expanding it. The
Young Doctors Club continues to be sustained, in part with support of the Fellows for Life seed grant.
We recently received this update from Stephen, who, along with Ayo, has remained involved with growing
the program:
“The Young Doctors Club continues strong. After
some student turnover, we have gained several new
students who have been great additions to the club
and who are eager to learn. On average we get
about 15 students each week. We recently had a
dentist and physical therapist husband/wife duo
from Texas present about their careers, and will
host a visiting orthopedic surgeon next week,
followed by a session about the benefits of exercise
(including a Zumba class!) at the Lawndale
Community Fitness Center. The module this year is
on the musculoskeletal system, and our students
will soon start planning their annual health fair,
most likely to be held in June. The pipeline of
medical student directors from UIC that Ayo and I
helped initiate continues to provide two new
directors each year. We also continue to work hard
at planning a sustainable future for the club and
are extremely excited about the results so far. We
have a videographer lined up to do a short film
about the club that we hope to send along to First
Lady Michelle Obama. Things have moved much
slower on that front than anticipated, but progress
continues.
One exciting development we had not foreseen is
that the Young Doctors Club is having some ripple
effects with adults in the community. A couple
years ago, after her daughter participated in the
club, a parent decided to go back to school to obtain
a nursing degree. I’m happy to say that another
adult has now started prerequisite classes to
pursue his dream of further education. Things like
this give me pure joy -- the dream & mission of
Young Doctors is extending through and beyond
our students to impact their parents and neighbors
as well.”
Above left: Stephen Addington (back left) and Ayodele Oke (back middle) with Young Doctors at a health fair
Above right: Stephen Addington modeling body parts out of play dough with a Young Doctor
7 | Spring 2015
At Wellness Retreat, Fellows for Life Focus on Self-Care
Health professionals who are constantly exposed to clients’ stories of fear, pain and suffering can be at
risk of “compassion burnout,” impacting their own health as well as their ability to continue their work
caring for others. On March 14, Schweitzer Fellows for Life, current Fellows and friends attended a
retreat focusing on their own self-care. Yoga, Qigong, art therapy and mini-massages helped the group
to de-stress and rejuvenate. It was held in the Chicago Park District’s Berger Park Cultural Center
along Lake Michigan, where positive energy and fellowship filled the sunlit rooms.
“I especially loved the yoga session, art therapy activity, and opportunity for a massage.
Such a treat for a weary soul.” ~ Wellness Retreat participant
Schweitzer Leadership Award Recipient to be honored in June!
The Schweitzer Leadership Award recognizes an individual who has done significant work to mitigate the
social determinants of health in our community, and whose commitment to service has influenced and inspired
others. In 2014, we honored Emily Benfer, Founder and Director of the Health Justice Project at Loyola University
Chicago School of Law with the inaugural Leadership Award.
(Visit www.hmprg.org/events/leadership to listen to Emily’s acceptance speech.)
We are now in the process of selecting the 2015 Leadership Award recipient. Thank you to everyone who
submitted nominations! The 2015 awardee will be honored at the Schweitzer Leadership Award event in June.
Stay tuned for more details!
8 | Chicago Schweitzer Fellows Newsletter
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE
2015-16 SCHWEITZER FELLOWSHIP CLASS!
The Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows Program has selected the 2015-2016 Schweitzer
Fellowship class. We are excited to welcome 30 students as Fellows, representing 15
universities, 21 academic programs, and 12 health and human service disciplines.
THE FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENTS ARE:
Actress Bartlett, University of Illinois at Chicago, Jane Addams College of Social Work
Darshana Bhattacharyya, University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Medicine
Heidi Cerneka, Loyola University Chicago, School of Law
Pablo da Silva, Loyola University Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine
Kristina Davis, Rush University, College of Nursing
Joshua Eastham, Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine - Illinois
Nisha Garg, University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Dentistry
Evelyn Gomez, Rush University, College of Nursing
Megan Gordon, University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Nursing
Rachel R. Gottfredsen, University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Nursing
Phylicia Hammonds, National University of Health Sciences, Doctorate of
Naturopathic Medicine Program
Elizabeth Harrison, University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Occupational Therapy
Mary Clare Houlihan, DePaul University, School of Nursing
Phillip Hsu, University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine
Kamaal Jones, Loyola University Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine
Jennifer Lequieu, Rush University, College of Medicine
Tessa Garcia McEwen, University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration
Nicohle Mitchell, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
Sarah Moore, Columbia College Chicago, Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling
Iqra Mushtaq, University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Public Health
Amol Naik, University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine
Katherine Palmer, University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine
Supriya Rastogi, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine
HB Riley, University of Illinois at Chicago, Jane Addams College of Social Work and
University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Public Health
Claudio Rivera, DePaul University, Clinical-Community Psychology Graduate Program
Luke Swift, Rush University, College of Nursing
Jamie Tolmatsky, Adler University, Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program
Sarah Wagener, University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Public Health
Raymond Yong, Rush University, College of Medicine
Raheem Young, Argosy University Chicago , Doctorate of Business Administration Program
Thank you to all who applied for the Fellowship!
9 | Spring 2015
Symposium Shines Light on “Meeting the Healthcare Needs of the Aging Population”
Each year, Fellows work in small, interdisciplinary groups to plan public symposia on pertinent public health
issues of their interest. On February 23, a team of Schweitzer Fellows hosted an interdisciplinary panel at Rush
University focusing on “Meeting the Healthcare Needs of the Aging Population” that drew a large audience of
health professions students, practitioners, and members of the public.
Panelist JoAnn Gruca, APN, Professor Emeritus at St. Xavier University and a Schweitzer Advisory Council
Member, shared important information about the rapidly growing older American population, and how the “oldest
old” Americans (ages 85 and higher) will be the majority of the older population by 2030. While these trends will
pose serious challenges with regard to care coordination and funding, Dr. Gruca also reminded the audience that
older individuals have strengths, not just needs, and that they are valuable for the resilience, wisdom, and
expertise that they can share with younger people. Robyn Golden, LCSW, Director of Health & Aging, Rush
University Medical Center, addressed the need for collaboration and coordination among different health
professionals to better serve older adults, and the important role that social workers can play to ensure elderly
community members have better health outcomes. Jane Thomason, a current Schweitzer Fellow and MPH
student at the University of Illinois focusing on occupational health, discussed the role home care workers play in
helping older adults to “age in place” in the community, and the physical and financial challenges that home care
workers face. Finally, Mark Stoltenberg, MD, Family Medicine Resident Physician at Northwestern University
and Schweitzer Fellow For Life (2009-10), shared personal stories and insights about older adult patients he has
cared for, reminding the audience of the importance of practitioners listening to older patients with compassion.
Current Fellow and second year Rush medical student Autumn Burnes moderated.
Chicago Area Schweitzer
Fellows Program
Health & Medicine Policy
Research Group
29 E. Madison, Suite 602
Chicago, IL 60602
(312) 372-4292
Ray Wang
Program Director
Erica Martinez
Fellows for Life Coordinator
Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellowship Events
Wednesday, April 15, 6:00 PM - Schweitzer Fellowship
Annual Celebration of Service
Friday, May 15 - RFP Deadline for FFL Seed Grants
The VNA Foundation
June 2015 (Date TBD) - Schweitzer Leadership Award
Michael Reese Health Trust
For information about Chicago Schweitzer Fellowship events
call (312) 372-4292 x 24 or email [email protected].
Program Coordinator
Executive Director, HMPRG
Quentin D. Young, MD
Chairman, HMPRG
Arthur F. Kohrman, MD
Schweitzer Fellowship Advisor
Advisory Council Chair &
National Schweitzer Board
© 2015 HMPRG
Baxter International
Foundation
May 2015 (Date TBD) - FFL Networking Dinner
Bonnie Ewald
Margie Schaps, MPH
We express our gratitude to:
Polk Bros Foundation
AMA Foundation
Alphawood Foundation
“Just as the wave cannot exist for
itself, but is ever a part of the
heaving surface of the ocean, so
must I never live my life for itself,
but always in the experience which
is going on around me.”
- Dr. Albert Schweitzer
University of Chicago
Midwestern University CCOM
Northwestern University
Rosalind Franklin University
Loyola University Chicago
Rush University
University of Illinois
Anonymous
and the many individuals and
families who support the
Schweitzer Program.
Donations to Health & Medicine
Policy Research Group for the
Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows
Program are tax deductible to the
fullest extent provided by law.
I’d like to donate $________
for the Chicago Area Schweitzer
Fellows Program.
Name:
_______________________
Address: _______________________
_______________________
Phone:
_______________________
____ My check is enclosed
The Schweitzer Program Pays Double Dividends by:
 Helping to meet current health needs
 Cultivating lifelong leaders in service
(Please make check payable to
Health & Medicine Policy Research
Group and mail to HMPRG, 29 E.
Madison St., Suite 602, Chicago, IL
60602)
Or, visit www.hmprg.org
to donate online!