The University of Tulsa is celebrating a decade of impact through the Tulsa Schweitzer Fellowship with the creation of the Rachel Gold Impact Award, honoring the namesake for her leadership in founding and growing the Tulsa chapter of the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship over its first decade.
Presented this year during the Tulsa Schweitzer Fellowship’s 10th Anniversary Celebration of Service, the inaugural award recognizes individuals whose leadership, service and commitment have made an extraordinary and lasting impact on the Tulsa community. Gold was selected as the first recipient in recognition of her role in launching and sustaining the fellowship throughout its first decade.
Housed in UTulsa’s Oxley College of Health & Natural Sciences and founded in 2016, the Tulsa Schweitzer Fellowship develops a pipeline of leaders who go on to address unmet health needs and improve health outcomes in Oklahoma.
Since its launch, Tulsa Schweitzer Fellows have completed more than 26,000 hours of service, impacted 10,000 community members and seen more than 70% of fellow-led projects continue.
Gold served as director of the Tulsa Schweitzer Fellowship for nine years, building a network of current and former fellows, community partners and university partners dedicated to collaborative service and leadership. The local chapter grew into a thriving program that has prepared graduate students from a wide range of disciplines to work alongside communities in addressing complex health and social challenges.
Today, Gold serves as executive director of the national Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, leading the organization and supporting chapters across the country. Headquartered in Tulsa, the national office works with local programs to develop emerging leaders committed to creating positive change in their communities.
Reflecting on the award created in her name, Gold emphasized that its significance extends beyond individual recognition.
“It is incredibly humbling. More than anything, I see this recognition as a reflection of the many people who have built the Tulsa Schweitzer Fellowship together over the past decade: our fellows, community partners, advisory board members, university partners, supporters and staff,” she said. “Launching and growing the program has always been a collective effort, and I feel deeply grateful to have been part of it.”
Gold said the fellowship’s early vision was to create opportunities for graduate students from a wide range of disciplines to come together around a shared commitment. “Some of the most meaningful learning happens when future physicians, nurses, lawyers, social workers, public health professionals, artists and others learn alongside one another and with the communities they serve,” she noted.
During the past decade, Gold has been inspired by the fellowship’s ability to prepare leaders who carry those lessons forward.
“Ultimately, I hope the fellowship continues to demonstrate that the most effective leaders are not defined solely by what they know, but by how they engage with others,” she said. “Every Schweitzer Fellow has the potential to influence countless colleagues, organizations and communities. That ripple effect has always been one of the fellowship’s greatest strengths.”
As the Tulsa Schweitzer Fellowship enters its second decade, the Rachel Gold Impact Award will recognize individuals whose work reflects the core values of service, collaboration, leadership and community engagement. To preserve the significance of the award, it will not be presented annually, but rather at the discretion of the Tulsa Schweitzer Fellowship Advisory Board when a recipient’s contributions warrant the honor.
Learn more about the Tulsa Schweitzer Fellowship at asftulsa.org.