Newswise — MAYWOOD, Il. – The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship has selected Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine student Audrey Hertenstein to the prestigious 2014-15 class of Chicago Schweitzer Fellows. Hertenstein plans to initiate peer-led health education courses, in English and Spanish, at the Community Health clinic in Chicago. The classes will provide support and empowerment for patients seeking to achieve their goals in stress management, diet and exercise.

Hertenstein is a second-year student from Morton, Ill. who plans to specialize in family medicine. “The support I have received from the Loyola community has been overwhelmingly positive, and I feel very grateful to have received this fellowship,” she said.

The Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows Program fosters the leadership abilities of aspiring health professionals, who design and implement service projects that promote health equity. It is administered by Health & Medicine Policy Research Group, a Chicago-based non-profit working to improve the health of all people in Illinois by promoting health equity.

The Schweitzer Fellows Program is named after famed physician-humanitarian Albert Schweitzer. Stritch School of Medicine is supporting the program with a $10,000 contribution.