July 8, 2019
Madilyn Tomaso, a third-year UAB School of Medicine student completing her clinical training at the College of Community Health Sciences, has finished her year as an Alabama Schweitzer Fellow.
As part of the fellowship program, medical students work to address unmet health needs through community-based projects. Tomaso worked with the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama to improve adults’ fruit and vegetable consumption at the food bank’s Corner Market. She also developed a curriculum to instruct participants about nutrition, physical activity and other health-related topics, teaching them to make informed decisions when shopping at the market. The curriculum, called “Summer Food, Summer Moves,” focuses on choosing healthy snacks, increasing water consumption and physical activity, and reducing screen time.
“As a future physician, it is my duty to learn the art of medicine, which is the balance between science and human compassion,” Tomaso said. “The Schweitzer Fellowship has provided me the opportunity to develop this skill as I serve my community. As Dr. Schweitzer said, ‘The purpose of human life is to serve.’”
Founded in 2015, the Alabama Schweitzer Chapter joined a national network of Albert Schweitzer Fellowship programs dedicated to improving the health of vulnerable people. The programs have developed a corps of emerging professionals who enter the workforce with the skills and commitment necessary to address community health concerns.
