Alanis Stansberry, a second-year student in the UAB PhD in Nutrition Sciences program, has been selected as a 2023-2024 Fellow of Albert Schweitzer Fellowship of Alabama (ASF).
Her cohort of 21 graduate students is the largest class to date for Alabama’s Schweitzer Fellowship. Of the 21 students selected, 12 of them are UAB graduate students. For the next 13 months, the new fellows will spend their time immersed in community public health projects.
“A lot of people apply because the opportunity provides a lot of good training, such as how to better communicate with people, how to properly organize events, how to become a better leader, and so much more, so I’m just honored and excited to be a part of this opportunity and join the Schweitzer Fellow family,” said Stansberry.
The Alabama Fellows program was founded in 2015 and is 1 of 13 active Schweitzer program sites in the U.S. The program is devoted to growing and expanding a pipeline of arising professionals entering the workforce with the tools and dedication it takes to aid unmet health needs.
Stansberry was encouraged to apply for the fellowship by one of her PhD classmates, Leandra Durham, who is a 2022-2023 Schweitzer Fellow. Durham’s ASF work looks at helping underserved populations impacted by diabetes.
“Leandra has done some really amazing work,” said Stansberry. “After talking with her a few times about the Schweitzer Fellowship, she told me how much she loved it, so I thought I’d give it a try too and I was actually lucky enough to be selected.”
As a part of being a Schweitzer Fellow, Stansberry and her cohort are tasked with creating a community-based service project that will improve the health and social well-being of their community of choice while also sharpening their leadership skills.