Courtney and Chris Combe Give $1 Million to NU’s Access to Health Project

Northwestern University students and graduates will soon have even more opportunities to become engaged in global health and development, thanks to a generous donation to the Access to Health project. This program, a collaborative effort between the NU Law School, Feinberg School of Medicine, and the Kellogg School of Management, allows students and faculty to come together to develop and implement sustainable public health interventions in various international communities. Past efforts have included establishing an HIV course for clinicians in the Dominican Republic and producing songs that provided public health information to people in Mali.

Now, a gift from Courtney and Chris Combe will provide support for the Access to Health Project:

As campaign co-chairs for We Will. The Campaign for Northwestern University, Courtney and Chris Combe are very familiar with the many ways philanthropy is working to help Northwestern students and faculty solve society’s most critical challenges.

In their official capacity, the Combes joined the Law School community to celebrate the launch of Motion to Lead: The Campaign for Northwestern Law. They were struck by the Law School’s commitment to social justice initiatives, in the United States as well as around the world. They decided to make a gift that would enable the Law School to expand programming in an area they are deeply committed to: international public service and justice.

In addition to providing funds for Access to Health, the gift will also establish two fellowships:

Clinical Fellowship within the Access to Health Project

Northwestern University School of Law invites applications for the Michael and Mary Schuette Clinical Fellowship in Health and Human Rights, beginning in mid-August 2012 in the Bluhm Legal Clinic’s Center for International Human Rights, with a particular focus on the work of the Northwestern Access to Health Project.  The Michael and Mary Schuette Fellow will have a unique opportunity to gain extensive training and experience in global health, human rights law and economic development, as well as clinical legal teaching.

The Schuette Fellow will work on issues related to global health, human rights and development as they pertain to ongoing community global health work in Mali, the Dominican Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan, as well as other potential sites.  A demonstrated interest in global health law and fluency in French and/or Spanish is preferred. Applicants should send letters of interest and resumes to Juliet Sorensen, Clinical Associate Professor of Law, Center for International Human Rights (j-sorensen@law.northwestern.edu).  The deadline for applications is July 16, 2015.

International Field Work Scholarship for NU Law Graduates

Applications are now available for the Michael and Mary Schuette Global Fellowship in Health and Human Rights.  This year, a fellowship will be awarded to a current JD or LLM student from the Class of 2015 to work in the field with an international NGO on global health, human rights and development issues.  The fellowship will provide the recipient with a $70,000 package for a one year position beginning in September 2015, including salary, benefits and travel expenses. For the inaugural year of the fellowship, the placement with the NGO will be arranged by Northwestern Law School.