Pharmacy majors Meagan Doolin, Laura Flynn and Rachel Pendry, and Physician Assistant (PA) major Megan Wesler, are the newest Indiana Schweitzer Fellows.
Each year, the U.S. Schweitzer Fellows Program competitively selects approximately 250 exceptional students from the nation’s top health and human service schools to be a fellow for one of their 13 program sites.
These Schweitzer Fellows partner with community-based organizations to identify an unmet health need, design a year-long service project with a demonstrable impact on that need, and bring that project to fruition — all on top of their usual professional school responsibilities. These students are mentored by College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences faculty.
Here’s a little about what the Butler students will do during their fellowship.
Meagan Doolin will work with the New Life Worship Center to develop and implement a community-based health and wellness program that will target obesity, physical inactivity and diabetes among residents of Marion County. Doolin will be mentored by Butler assistant pharmacy professor Kristal Williams.
Laura Flynn will work with Community Hospital East to address the health literacy of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. She will work to identify patients at risk for poor health literacy skills and make sure each patient knows how to properly use his/her medications. Flynn will be mentored by Butler assistant pharmacy professor Tracy Costello.
Rachel Pendry and Megan Wesler, the first two students to collaborate in an interprofessional capacity, will work in the Haughville community (west of downtown Indianapolis), to develop and implement programming that focuses on nutrition and exercise, utilizing the Indiana State Health Improvement Plan (I-SHIP). They plan to integrate the <5-2-1-0 Healthy Kids Countdown , a health promotion initiative built on evidence-based studies emphasizing healthy nutritional choices and behaviors. Pendry and Wesler will be mentored by Butler PA associate professor Jennifer Zorn.
Upon completion of their Fellowship year, the Butler students will become Schweitzer Fellows for Life and join a network of 2,500 individuals who are skilled in, and committed to, addressing the health needs of underserved populations.
Media Contact: Courtney Tuell
(317) 940-9807
ctuell@butler.edu
