The 2014-15 Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows Harlean Ahuja, Midwestern University, College of Dental Medicine Harlean proposes to initiate "Right from the Start," an interdisciplinary health curriculum for low income elementary school students living in the western suburbs. She will provide interactive workshops to educate children on the importance of making and implementing healthy lifestyle choices and encourage them to actively begin developing healthy lifelong habits. Kelli Bosak, University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration Kelli plans to work with women in the process of community re-entry or in residential programs affiliated with the Cook County Sheriff Women’s Justice Program. She will lead a weekly yoga and mindfulness group to aid them in their stress reduction, health education, and empowerment. Eddie D. Burks, Loyola University Chicago, Community Counseling Eddie will initiate psycho-education interventions and a support group to assist LGBTQ youth, primarily those who are Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) wards of the state. His program will provide literacy on legal rights pertaining to DCFS LGBT wards of the state, skills to help with positive development of self-esteem and acceptance of sexual orientation, and coping skills to deal with mental health related issues in relation to their sexual orientation. Autumn Burnes, Rush University, Rush Medical College Autumn proposes to teach adult English as a Second Language through the Lincoln United Methodist Church in Pilsen. The classes will emphasize health literacy on topics such as diabetes and hypertension and help connect participants to health resources in the community. Rebecca Charles, Chicago-Kent College of Law and University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Public Health Rebecca will partner with Heartland Health Center to educate immigrant populations on culturally appropriate nutrition interventions for better diabetes control. Megan Dawson, University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Nursing Megan aims to reduce the emotional isolation, anxiety and stigma that can be experienced by women concerning their reproductive health decisions. She will provide support to patients during procedures, and will also help the Chicago Doula Circle grow its community volunteer program. Lissa de Castro, DePaul University, School of Nursing Lissa will partner with the Night Ministry to implement Project SSAFE: Safe Sex Awareness For Everyone. She will conduct street outreach among homeless youth in the Lakeview neighborhood, providing sexual health education including STI/HIV prevention workshops, linking youth at risk of sex trafficking and preventable diseases to resources within their communities, and providing therapeutic communication. Laura Douglas, University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Dentistry Laura proposes to increase oral health awareness and preventive care among the special needs population at the Arts of Life Studio. She will also incorporate arts activities to engage the community and to support the studio’s efforts to help individuals with and without developmental disabilities realize their full potential. Shriya Gandhi, University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Medicine Shriya will be partnering with Mujeres Latinas en Accion, where she will teach nutrition and conduct fitness activities with Latino youth from various areas around Chicago to help empower them to make better lifelong decisions about their health. She will also try to help enhance the youth's exposure to and readiness for college and graduate school by organizing several panels and workshops to assist them with the application process. Adina Goldberger, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine Adina plans to develop a discussion-based health education program for incarcerated women at the Cook County Jail. She will then train 1st and 2nd year medical students in Northwestern's Correctional Medicine Coalition to continue this model. Audrey Hertenstein, Loyola University Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine Audrey proposes to initiate peer-led health education courses through CommunityHealth. These classes will serve as a source of support and empowerment for patients seeking to achieve goals in stress management, diet, and exercise. Michelle High, Rush University, College of Nursing Michelle proposes to implement an evidence-based parent training program providing health promotion and preventive intervention to low-income, ethnic minority parents of young children. The classes will promote parenting self-efficacy and positive parent-child interactions. Alescia M. Hollowell, MPH, DePaul University, Community Psychology Alescia will partner with KIPP Ascend Middle School to develop and implement culturally- tailored health education workshops for students. The workshops will cover topics including physical health, sexual health, and the social determinants of health, in hopes of encouraging and promoting the development of positive health beliefs and behaviors among students. Kathryn Huber, Loyola University Chicago, School of Law and School of Social Work Kathryn plans to assist juveniles with eligible criminal records to expunge those records and subsequently apply for college, vocational training, or employment. The program will focus on children who are involved in the child welfare system, and will help to remove a significant barrier to achievement during the critical transition period to adulthood, independence, and self- sufficiency. Fredrick Kendricks, Argosy University Chicago, Counselor Education Fredrick will facilitate small discussion groups that empower Black men recently released from correctional institutions. The discussion groups will engage the men in topics concerning: housing resources, employment opportunities, wellness, interpersonal development and good citizenship. Page 2 Kate Kinasz, University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine Kate will work with Girls in the Game, an organization which promotes healthy lifestyles and self-esteem in girls from diverse backgrounds and abilities through exercise and nutrition education. Serving as a coach to help implement the Girls in the Game program, Kate will also work to expand the curriculum to improve the effectiveness of the sessions and introduce obesity and eating disorder lessons. Timothy Kosiba, Northern Illinois University, Physical Therapy Tim will partner with Northern Illinois University Family, Health, Wellness, and Literacy Center to conduct a Rise Up Against Falls program targeting older adults in the DeKalb/Chicagoland communities. With over one third of the older adult population involved in falls each year, Tim will provide fall screening and prevention education, and wellness activities to help individuals maintain their independence and improve their quality of life. Nora Mulloy, Midwestern University, Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine Nora proposes to implement a health education program for pregnant and parenting teens who lack secure housing in partnership with The Night Ministry. The project aims to empower these young families by providing a foundational understanding of basic pediatric illnesses, developmental milestones, parent self-care, parent-child bonding, and resilience techniques. Nicole Raucci, DePaul University, School of Nursing Nicole will implement an interactive program at the Japanese American Service Community (JASC) with the goal of improving the health maintenance of low-income, underserved older adults. The program will consist of health information workshops, individualized goal setting and support, visitor days, and group exercise activities. Farah Shakir, University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Dentistry Farah will focus on oral disease prevention within the Iraqi refugee community. She plans to conduct community outreach in Arabic and English to assess and improve the community’s knowledge about oral health, and to address barriers to their receiving oral health care. Working together with Dr. Sheila Raja, an expert in psychological trauma and PTSD, Farah also hopes to address the underlying mental health issues that impact the community’s overall health. Padraic Stanley, Loyola University Chicago, School of Social Work Padraic will work in partnership with Rincon Family Services to address the mental and physical health needs of migrant workers, day laborers, and other undocumented immigrants. He will provide counseling as well as referrals for mental health services, vaccinations and other important medical services available to the community. He seeks to empower participants and help them cope with the situational stressors and symptomologies that often impact people who are undocumented. Page 3 Amanda Suttle, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, Psychology Amanda proposes to improve self-awareness, social and cultural awareness, and health education in teenagers who visit the Boys and Girls Club of Lake County. Health education will be provided by students/clinicians from various healthcare professions who reflect the racial make- up of the teenagers at the BGCLC, which in turn will serve to empower the youth to be successful minorities. Josh Taylor, University of Illinois at Chicago, Urban Planning and Policy Josh will expand a new mentoring program for male high school students at Johnson College Prep in Englewood. “The Noble Nine” Program’s curriculum will aim to empower the young men to pursue leadership roles, use their strengths to support their school and neighborhoods,