Charles Mullen, an occupational therapy graduate student from Kings Park is one of six students from Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) named to the 2012-13 class of North Carolina Albert Schweitzer Fellows.

Mullen will spend next year learning to address social factors that impact health and will work with the Area Agency on Aging to conduct fall prevention screenings through the University’s mobile clinic and to offer fall prevention education classes at senior centers in the Winston-Salem community.

“We are thrilled that six of the 29 graduate students selected for this year’s class of Fellows in North Carolina are from our university,” said Dr. Peggy Valentine, dean of WSSU’s School of Health Sciences.

The Schweitzer Fellows from WSSU will be joining approximately 220 other graduate students at 12 program sites through the United States. Their projects are conducted in addition to their regular academic responsibilities.

Established in 1992, the U.S. Schweitzer Fellows Program is designed to deliver immediate impact on the root causes of health inequities by partnering with community-based organizations on year-long, 200-hour service projects.

The Fellowships’ leadership programming also develops health professionals who understand not only clinical issues, but also the social determinants of health. Upon completion of their initial year, students become Schweitzer Fellows for Life with a commitment to addressing the health needs of underserved people throughout their professional careers. Referenced