Nicole Cobb Moore, MA
Program Director
Greater Philadelphia Schweitzer Fellows Program
Project Manager
Jefferson School of Population Health
In mid-October 2010, The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship held its 4th annual Schweitzer Fellows for Life conference in Baltimore, Maryland. The conference brought together current Fellows, Fellows for Life, local Program Directors, National Advisory Board members, funders and like-minded individuals wanting to serve the community.
During the keynote speech, 100+ attendees were inspired by CNN Hero Wynona Ward, who is also a 1996 Schweitzer Fellow for Life and a victim of domestic violence. Ms. Ward, the founder of Have Justice Will Travel, currently runs a mobile domestic violence assistance program in rural Vermont. She exemplifies the importance of service and hopes to end the generational cycle of abuse that is experienced throughout the world.
Current Schweitzer Fellow Jillian Heck, a medical student at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, had this to share: 'The keynote address by Wynona Ward was an incredibly moving experience. Her story was so heartbreaking, yet so much good has come from it. It does, however, make me wonder how many stories will end differently. Until then, we must hope, pray and bring awareness to the issue of domestic violence.'
The conference included breakout sessions that afforded attendees the opportunity to engage in presentations and conversations ranging from Health Care Reform 2010: Policies and Objectives to The Ethics of Service: Stories from the Front Line. Greater Philadelphia Fellows mentioned that they were inspired and extremely moved to continue to strengthen their current local Schweitzer projects.
Current Schweitzer Fellow Melissa Warriner, a Jefferson physical therapy doctoral student, had this to share: 'It was interesting to learn about an initiative at Johns Hopkins University, where they are able to provide care at a more accessible rate for the underserved population in the Baltimore area. Learning about such models was really useful so that hopefully more hospitals will be able to provide similar options to the underserved population in their areas. As healthcare costs continue to rise, networking opportunities like these are important to provide resources and contacts to hopefully make these initiatives a reality in other neighboring cities.'
The concluding event of the conference was the Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism, which was given to Jack Geiger, M Sci Hyg. Dr. Geiger initiated the community health center model in the U.S., combining community–oriented primary care; public health interventions; and civil rights, community empowerment, and development initiatives. Dr. Geiger was unable to attend in person, but shared his message via pre-recorded video.
'Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.' ~ Albert Schweitzer