About Us
Founded in 2007, the New Orleans Fellows Program is one of thirteen currently active Schweitzer program sites across the U. S. dedicated to developing a pipeline of emerging professionals who enter the workforce with the skills and commitment necessary to address unmet health needs. New Orleans Schweitzer Fellows are students competitively chosen from graduate and professional degree programs in universities throughout the Greater New Orleans area. Fellows come from a variety of academic disciplines and work tirelessly to improve health equity in their communities.
Our Impact
Since 2007, 128 Schweitzer Fellows have provided over 25,000 hours of service across Greater New Orleans. Partnering with 63 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. Fellows seek to address all areas of health, defined by the World Health Organization as a “state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being.”
Our Team
Program Director
Brittani Nelson, MPH
Advisory Board
Tekeda Ferguson, PhD, MPH, MSPH, CHES (Chair)
Assistant Professor, Epidemiology, LSU Health Sciences Center
Ahlam Ayyad, PharmD*
Clinical Assistant Professor, Xavier University College of Pharmacy
Shelina Davis, MPH, MSW
Chief Executive Officer, Louisiana Public Health Institute
Amelia Robert, MPH
Fellow for Life
Stephenie Marshall
Executive Director, Daughters of Charity Health Centers of New Orleans
Cat Poehling, DSW, MSW, MS, LCSW-BACS
Assistant Professor, University of Southern Mississippi – School of Social Work
Gerrelda Davis
Executive Director, Louisiana Primary Care Association
Dr. Karen Weissbecker, LMSW, PhD
Tulane University School of Medicine
Dr. William (Bill) Bertrand, PhD
Professor Emeritus, Tulane University
Elizabeth Grush, MBA, PMP
Ochsner Health
Martha Cuccia, MPH, MCHES
Instructor/Academic Coordinator, LSU Health New Orleans
*Denotes Fellow for Life
Our Sponsors
In-kind Contributors
