Six Students Named Schweitzer Fellows
Six UNC School of Dentistry DDS students have been awarded with 2015-16 North Carolina Albert Schweitzer Fellowships.
The North Carolina Albert Schweitzer Fellows Program is a one-year program in which students focus on health-related community service to underserved populations. During the application process, students identify an underserved population and design a community service project that provides direct service to that population. Once selected, students deliver a minimum of 200 service hours to the selected underserved population via their project. The fellowships, given annually, provide selected students with a $3,000 stipend to fund the projects.
Anna Adams and Mary Lanier Zaytoun, both DDS Candidates 2016, are establishing individual oral health care protocols from patients in long-term care facilities. Specifically the pair will work with the Durham VA Medical Center Long Term Care Facility. They are also working to create a training program to be implemented at these facilities to educate nursing assistants and others about oral care. This project is a BCBSNC Foundation Fellowship, and Adams and Zaytoun will be mentored by Dr. Christine Downey, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Dental Ecology.
Nick Baker and Sarah Brobeck, both DDS Candidates 2016, will focus their project on those struggling with substance abuse and mental illness. Working with UNC Health Care’s WakeBrook Campus, Baker and Brobeck will provide free dental services to affected adults. This program is a BCBSNC Foundation Fellowship, and Baker and Brobeck will be mentored by Dr. Allen Samuelson, director of special care dentistry and clinical associate professor in the Department of Dental Ecology, and Dr. Beat Steiner, assistant dean for clinical education at the UNC School of Medicine and practitioner at the UNC Health Care WakeBrook location.
Kaushal Gandhi and Connie Wang, both DDS Candidates 2017, plan to expand upon the 2014-15 Schweitzer Fellowship project led by current fourth-year DDS students Omar AbdelBaky and Chris Walker. The project helps Type II diabetic patients manage their diabetes by providing free nutritional counseling during dental visits. A collaboration with students at the Eshelman School of Pharmacy, patients also receive pharmacy counseling. The project is a BCBSNC Foundation Fellowship, and Ghandi and Wang will be mentored by Dr. Lew Lampiris, director of the DISC program and clinical associate professor in the Department of Dental Ecology; Ms. Amanda Holliday, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at the Gillings School of Global Public Health; and Dr. Heidi Anksorus, clinical assistant professor at the Eshelman School of Pharmacy.
