Albert Schweitzer Fellowship
BIDMC proudly serves as the home of The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, which since 1940 has supported in the U.S. and Africa the legacy of Nobel Peace laureate Dr. Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965), perhaps the most admired physician of the 20th century…
Dr. Lachlan Forrow, Director of Ethics and Palliative Care Programs at BIDMC, serves as ASF’s President. Paul Levy, President and CEO of BIDMC, and Dr. Mitchell T. Rabkin, CEO Emeritus of BIDMC, serve as ASF Board members.
Mission and Vision
The broader mission of The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF), founded in 1940, is to develop “leaders in service”: individuals who are dedicated and skilled in addressing the health needs of underserved communities, and whose example influences and inspires others.
ASF’s vision is “ a world in which idealism is celebrated, deepened, and mobilized into effective action - where individuals are supported in becoming Schweitzer-spirited models of lifelong service to those in need.”
ASF’s work is based on the fundamental values and beliefs of Dr. Schweitzer:
• Reverence for Life is the basis of all ethics.
• The idealism that begins in youth is humanity’s greatest untapped resource.
• Service to others is the deepest source of happiness.
• Example is not the main thing in influencing others; it is the only thing.
• True humanity is rooted in individual moral responsibility, compassion, respect, creativity, advocacy and gratitude.
Supporting the “Albert Schweitzers” of the 21st Century
ASF fulfills its mission and vision this by selecting and supporting more than 200 “Schweitzer Fellows” each year – students from nearly 100 participating U.S. health-related professional schools, each engaging in hundreds of hours of direct service addressing unmet health needs in the U.S. or Africa. In addition to the Lambaréné Schweitzer Fellows serving at the Hospital in Africa, Schweitzer Fellows Program sites in the U.S. include Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Houston-Galveston, Los Angeles, New Hampshire/Vermont, New Orleans, North Carolina, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
U.S. Schweitzer Fellows undertake a year-long, closely-mentored direct service projects in their local communities, addressing important unmet health needs, while at the same time pursuing a normal academic workload in their health professional school. Schweitzer Fellows also participate in a series of leadership development activities, preparing them as alumni to be members of the rapidly-growing network of Schweitzer Fellows for Life (already nearly 2,000 strong), who support each other in continuing service as an important dimension of their lifelong careers.
This year in Boston, 31 Fellows from 22 area schools, including Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, the New England Conservatory, Simmons, Tufts, and U. Mass, are providing over 6,000 hours of community service to homeless children, adults with disabilities, new immigrants and refugees, and many other neighbors in need.
A Burgeoning Schweitzer “Renaissance”
2009 will mark the 60th anniversary of Dr. Schweitzer’s one visit to the U.S. in 1949, when he was featured on the cover of Time magazine and was the keynote speaker at a Goethe Bicentennial conference attended by 2,000 people in the then little-known mining town of Aspen, which led to the creation the next year of the Aspen Institute and the Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS). Celebrations in collaboration with the Aspen Institute, AMFS, the University of Chicago, Harvard University, and others will highlight Dr. Schweitzer’s ongoing legacy in the U.S. and Africa.
A feature film Schweitzer starring Dutch actor Jeroen Krabbe and Barbara Hershey as Schweitzer’s wife Helene with release in U.S. theaters currently planned for April 2010, and will be linked with promotions in Boston, Chicago, New York City, and elsewhere of the work of ASF.
For More Information
For more information about The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship and the Albert Schweitzer Hospital, to apply to be a Schweitzer Fellow, or to contribute to this inspiring work, please visit the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship Web site or contact Dr. Lachlan Forrow, President of ASF, or Meagan Morrison, Development Coordinator, 617-667-7028.
