Columbus-Athens Albert Schweitzer Fellowship

Service Learning for Students

The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship is a prestigious program that allows graduate and professional health students the chance to work on service projects that address the social factors affecting health in underserved communities.

The Heritage College and CHEAO are proud of the participation of Ohio University in the established Columbus-Athens Schweitzer Fellows Program. The Heritage College is a proud partner and sponsor for the Schweitzer Fellows Program, which provides a valuable experience for selected graduate and professional students at Ohio University. This opportunity consists of a one-year interdisciplinary, mentored fellowship program focused on health-related community service and leadership development. Students from the Heritage College, the Ohio State University College of Medicine and other Columbus-area colleges are chosen for the program.

The fellowship program seeks to build leaders in service who are dedicated to working with the underserved in their fellowship year and beyond. These fellows partner with community-based organizations to identify an unmet health need, design a year-long 200-hour service project with a demonstrable impact on that need and bring that project from idea to implementation and impact. Rooted in a holistic understanding of health, Schweitzer projects address not only clinical issues, but also the social determinants of health. Columbus-Athens Schweitzer Fellows are graduate or professional students whose fields of study or personal interests are relevant to the programs mission. Fellows receive a stipend of $3,000 to carry out an April-to-April community service project of at least 200 service hours, of which at least 100 hours involve direct client contact. Fellows partner with an existing community agency in the Columbus or Athens area and have both an academic and a community-based mentor. Fellows attend an orientation and monthly meetings as well as participate in reflective leadership development programming. No academic credit is earned.

Annually, approximately 250 Schweitzer fellows deliver more than 40,000 hours of health-related community service at 13 locations across the United States. In just two years, 31 Columbus-Athens fellows logged 7,500 hours. Originally founded in 1940 to support Dr. Albert Schweitzer’s medical work in Africa, ASF is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to develop leaders in service: Individuals who are dedicated and skilled in meeting the health needs of underserved communities and whose example influences and inspires others. Recent Columbus-Athens Albert Schweitzer Fellowship projects include:

• Addressing opioid overdose prevention
• Health education for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities
• Health and wellness for those aged 55 and older
• First aid education for high school students
• Integrating physical therapy with hippotherapy for children with physical disabilities
• Integrative therapies for addressing chronic stress
• Health education for incarcerated women
• Mental health care in rural Appalachian communities
• Respite camp for children with special needs and their families

Please note: The 2025-2026 application deadline is February 3, 2025. If selected, projects will receive a $3,000 stipend.

Questions?

For more information on the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship or to request a preview of the application, please contact us at olivers@ohio.edu or mercklec@ohio.edu.