MSW Student Annabelle Fiscus Awarded Albert Schweitzer Fellowship

Annabelle “Annie” Fiscus has been awarded an Albert Schweitzer Fellowship for the 2014-15 academic year. Fiscus is currently a graduate student in the School of Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh. She is also enrolled in the school’s Community Organization and Social Administration (COSA) program. Fiscus received the fellowship for her work establishing Girl Power!, a mentorship program that will address a variety of public health topics to equip teenage girls in an underserved community with the tools needed to make healthy decisions. The program, implemented through Homewood Children’s Village with the participation of various community partners, will expose adolescent girls to a variety of healthy habits through weekly sessions led by local mentors and engagement in community activities to help these girls make healthy decisions throughout life. Topics will include healthy eating, exercise, environmental issues, self-esteem, healthy relationships, and other topics determined by the girls and their interests. Girl Power! will meet twice weekly in the summer and once weekly during the school year. Additionally, monthly field trips will be held throughout the city. Eligible members will be enrolled in 6th, 7th or 8th grade for the 2014-2015 school year. Tracy Soska, COSA Chair, will serve as Fiscus’s academic mentor throughout the program. Founded in 1997, the Pittsburgh Schweitzer Fellows Program is one of thirteen Schweitzer program sites across the United States. Since the program’s inception, Schweitzer Fellows in Pittsburgh—competitively chosen from health-focused graduate student applicants in a variety of fields—have worked tirelessly to address health disparities and the social determinants of health throughout the greater Pittsburgh area. Over 200 Schweitzer Fellows have provided over 44,500 hours of service to Pittsburgh’s most vulnerable communities. Partnering with area community-based organizations, these Fellows have addressed a wide variety of unmet health needs by creating and carrying out yearlong projects with direct service at their core.