UIC Nursing student earns Schweitzer Fellowship
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A student from UIC College of Nursing is among the cohort of 2024-25 Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows.
Anjali Pinto, who is in her last year of the graduate-entry Master of Science in Nursing program, is one of 26 Chicagoland graduate-level students selected for the distinguished Schweitzer Fellowship. The year-long, service-learning program tasks fellows with designing and implementing innovative projects that will address the health needs of underserved communities in Chicago.
“These [students] are dedicated to addressing health inequities and improving the well-being of disinvested communities in Chicago,” says Karol Dean, program director for the Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellowship. “Through their innovative projects and commitment to service, they will significantly impact the health of these communities.”
The 2024-25 Schweitzer Fellows represent nine area schools, 10 academic programs and 11 disciplines.
For her project, Pinto will introduce a holistic support program for migrant women in Chicago shelters. The planned program will offer instruction on safe sleep practices, provide essential postpartum supplies, facilitate group educational sessions on infant safety, and promote healing for postpartum parents.
Pinto says she got the idea for the project while working with the Outreach Response Team, which provides vaccinations and testing for communicable diseases for vulnerable populations in Chicago. Pinto, who has a 3-year-old daughter, was struck by how challenging it would be to have and raise a baby in a migrant shelter.
“Bringing a baby into a completely foreign environment – not knowing how the healthcare system works, how to get a job, or where to sign up for health insurance – it’s really, really overwhelming,” she says. “I wanted to do something about that. We’re trying to broaden the network of people who want to help and connect them with the people who need help.”