Quartet of Auburn students named Alabama Schweitzer Fellows

Four Auburn University students recently were selected as 2025-26 Alabama Schweitzer Fellows by the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship of Alabama (ASF).

Raveena Baskaran and Elizabeth Speight from the Harrison College of Pharmacy, Abby Bell from the College of Nursing and Kensley Brewis from the College of Liberal Arts were among the record-setting class of 22 fellows chosen for this year’s cohort.

This group of fellows represent an array of health disciplines, including counseling, dentistry, medicine, nursing, optometry, pharmacy, public health, health behavior, environmental health sciences, audiology and nutrition sciences. This year’s class of 22 fellows is also the largest in the organization’s history and represents four institutions and 11 disciplines of study.

Baskaran, a Madison, Alabama, native earned a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences, with minors in chemistry and Spanish, at the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 2023. She found her passion for pharmacy through her work at Publix Pharmacy while she was pursuing her bachelor’s degree. Upon graduation with a Doctorate in Pharmacy in May 2028, she plans to pursue a clinical residency to further specialize in her field.

Bell is a nurse practitioner student who also works at Auburn’s College of Nursing as a clinical coordinator. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Auburn in 2016 before working in medical surgery and labor and delivery for five years before returning to college in November of 2021.

A mother of three small children, Bell started graduate school in the summer of 2024 and plans to graduate in May 2026. She is currently spending time in the college’s rural outreach clinics in her spare time and hopes to use her ASF project to help meet a need in the community.

Brewis is a second-year student in the audiology doctoral program in Auburn’s Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, with an expected graduation of May 2027. She graduated from Auburn with a Bachelor of Science in speech, language and hearing science in 2023. Originally from Fort Payne, Alabama, Brewis has a passion for rural health.

During graduate school, Brewis worked in the Office of Student Involvement as a graduate assistant and has served as the Alabama state ambassador for the Student Academy of Audiology, as well as the Auburn University SAA Chapter treasurer. Her primary interests include pediatric audiology, vestibular testing and rural health care, and she will split her time this year as a third-year audiology intern for the Alabama Department of Children’s Rehab Services and an ear, nose and throat practice.

Speight is a first-year pharmacy student who is expected to graduate with a Doctor of Pharmacy in May 2028. She earned her Bachelor of Science in biomedical sciences at Auburn in 2024.

Fellows will spend the next 15 months immersed in community public health projects. Their projects will improve the health and social well-being of their chosen populations throughout the state while simultaneously strengthening their leadership skills. In doing so, they will continue the legacy of the Fellowship’s namesake, the famed physician-humanitarian Dr. Albert Schweitzer.

Since 2015, Alabama’s Schweitzer Fellowship has forged many beneficial academic partnerships representing a number of graduate schools and universities throughout the state.

"We are thrilled to welcome this outstanding class of Schweitzer Fellows, each dedicated to service, health equity and leadership development," said Kimberly Eaton, executive director of ASF of Alabama. "These future leaders are stepping up to address critical health challenges in our communities, demonstrating that learning and service go hand in hand. We look forward to seeing the impact they will make as they work to create lasting change."

ASF Fellows work closely under the guidance of community site partners and academic mentors throughout the project period. This summer, ASF will announce the specific projects and community site partners of the newest class of fellows.

It is anticipated the 22 Alabama Schweitzer Fellows will be joined by approximately 200 other 2025-26 national Schweitzer Fellows working at program sites across the United States. Upon completion of their Fellowship year, the 2025-26 Schweitzer Fellows will become Schweitzer Fellows for Life, joining an active network of Schweitzer alumni continuing their commitment to improving the public health of underserved communities throughout their careers.

About the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship of Alabama

The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF) of Alabama is developing the next generation of health care professionals to serve and empower vulnerable people to live healthier lives and create healthier communities in Alabama. Since 2016, ASF of Alabama has trained 145 students who have partnered with over 89 community organizations to provide more than 27,500 hours of service at a value of more than $695,760 to Alabama’s most vulnerable groups. Nationally, more than 4,000 U.S. Schweitzer Fellows have delivered nearly 750,000 hours of service to individuals and communities in need. Through its intensive one-year fellowship program and the ongoing work of its 4,000-plus Fellow for Life alumni, ASF perpetuates the legacy of physician-humanitarian and Nobel Peace laureate Dr. Albert Schweitzer.