Five School of Dentistry students named 2026-27 Albert Schweitzer Fellows

Five dental students from UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry have been selected for the 2026-27 Albert Schweitzer Fellowship Houston-Galveston, continuing the school’s strong tradition of community-driven service and leadership. Students selected to the cohort are Madison Ang, Tanvi Gupta, Hanna Johannessen, Chloe Ku, and Shiyue (Sandy) Song.

The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship gives graduate and undergraduate students the opportunity to design and implement a yearlong, mentored community project that addresses an unmet health need for an underserved population. Fellows are paired with mentors, field experts, and community sites to enhance and extend the services of existing community organizations that serve vulnerable populations, with the goal of creating an immediate and lasting impact in the Houston-Galveston area.

Ang, Johannessen, and Ku, from the Class of 2028, and Gupta and Song, from the Class of 2029, join students from other UTHealth Houston schools, as well as students from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Baylor College of Medicine, University of Houston, UNT Health, Texas A&M, Prairie View A&M, and Sam Houston State University to make up the 87-member Albert Schweitzer Fellowship Houston-Galveston class.

“Being named a Schweitzer fellow is one of the most meaningful honors of my dental school journey,” Ang said. “This experience has deepened my commitment to creating more inclusive and compassionate spaces in healthcare and has further shaped the kind of provider I aspire to become.”

Ang and Johannessen are partnering with The Brookwood Community in Brookshire, Texas to promote wellness among adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Their project integrates nutrition education, fitness programming, and hands-on cooking activities using garden-grown produce. While the project is still in its early stages, the pair has already begun engaging residents through activities such as water aerobics classes and plans to expand a resident-driven cookbook with adaptive recipes.

Gupta’s project focuses on oral health access through her work with New Hope Housing, where she aims to connect families with dental providers while promoting preventive care through patient navigation and education.

Meanwhile, Ku and Song are continuing the Explore Club initiative at YES Prep Public Schools, now in its third year. Originally founded by 2024-25 Fellow Kellie Askew, the program introduces first-generation high school students to postsecondary pathways and career exploration opportunities. The pair plans to host workshops, mentorship sessions, and hands-on experiences in collaboration with community partners.

“Being able to provide these students with the mentorship and resources to achieve their career goals and setting them up for long-term economic stability and health equity is incredibly important to me,” Song said.

Members of the 2026-27 Albert Schweitzer Fellowship Houston-Galveston cohort will begin their 200-hour service projects in August until the end of the fellowship year.