By Sarah Morgan Johnson
The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship of Alabama has named University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing Doctor of Nursing Practice student Tawona Coleman, MSN, RN, and incoming DNP student Callahan Thompson, BSN, RN (BSN 2023), to its 2025-26 cohort. They are two of 21 fellows from across the health care field who will spend the next 15 months immersed in community public health projects.
“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.”
Thompson plans to partner with The Foundry, a faith-based drug and alcohol rehabilitation program in the Birmingham area. She will work with her mentors, Assistant Professor Deborah Bowers, DNP, CRNP, FNP-C (BSN 1985, MSN 2013, DNP 2017), and Assistant Professor Emily Patton, DNP, CRNP, FNP-C (MSN 2013, DNP 2020), to create a more efficient medication distribution system at the Foundry’s Women’s Center in Bessemer. As part of her project, she will host workshops for program participants, providing education on safe and effective medication management.
During her time as a student in the Nursing Honors Program in the School’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing Pathway, Thompson completed her research project at The Foundry’s Changed Lives Christian Center. She worked with Bowers to develop a treatment protocol for program participants experiencing insomnia. She is looking forward to working with a similar population at the Women’s Center.
“I feel very called to work with the addiction community. While I was working at the Changed Lives Christian Center, I realized that this is a community I really enjoy working with and that I can provide some sort of value to through my nursing skills. I have family who have struggled with substance use disorder, so I have seen first-hand how difficult it is for the person struggling and for their loved ones. It is a misunderstood and often underserved community, and I feel blessed to have the opportunity to serve the participants at the Women's Center,” Thompson said.
Coleman is partnering with Pathways, a shelter for women and children experiencing homelessness in Birmingham. With guidance from her mentor, Assistant Professor Erica Newfield, DNP, RN, PHNA-BC, Coleman is working to increase access to care for women at the shelter. Her project is focused on providing access to cervical cancer screenings for these women, many of whom are uninsured or underinsured.
“My goal is to make sure that these women have cervical screenings, because cervical cancer is preventable. Women experiencing homelessness are much less likely to have their yearly exams, so many of them don’t realize they have access to cervical cancer screenings at the Jefferson County Health Department. I want to advance cervical cancer prevention in this population and feel incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to do so as an Albert Schweitzer Fellow,” Coleman said.