Photo Courtesy: Nathan Anderson, UAB Graduate School
Bre McDonald, a first-year student in the UAB PhD in Nutrition Sciences program, has been selected as a 2025-2026 Fellow of the Albert Schweitzer program.
This year’s cohort consists of 22 graduate students representing four institutions and 11 disciplines. For the next 15 months, fellows will be tasked with improving the health and social well-being of a community of their choice throughout the state of Alabama. By way of their community public health projects, fellows will get hands on, ground level experience while simultaneously strengthening their leadership skills.
“It’s a rewarding feeling,” said, McDonald. “It aligns with the type of person I am and the type of career that I hope to have, with service at the forefront. “I just want to help improve health and wellness education in the community, so it feels really good and I’m excited to get started.”
IN THE BEGINNING
A native of Lithonia, Georgia, McDonald made the move to the Magic City in June of 2024, after completing her undergrad and graduate programs at Kennesaw State University. It was there where she would find her affection for research.
“That is where I developed the passion that I have for research,” said McDonald. “The projects I was a part of and the freedom I had as a student to try things definitely helped me be competitive for this scholarship.”
Throughout her adolescence, McDonald was always an athlete, playing basketball, softball, and track and field. Before finding the perfect fit in exercise science, she thought about becoming a physical education teacher as well as a career in sports management.
“I just knew I wanted to help people and be in the realm of movement,” said McDonald. “After I began studying exercise science, I knew it was the best fit for me.”
THE ASF PROJECT
For her Alabama Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF) project, McDonald was paired with Li’an Williams, a student in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. The two met after ASF executive director, Kim Eaton, MS, decided they would make a good pair upon review of their applications.
The goal of their project is to show people that moving their bodies and living active lifestyles don’t have to look one way. In areas of the community where people might not be able to go to a gym multiple times a week, the duo figured out a way to meet people where they are: through exercise infographics distributed to the community, as well as one-on-one consultations on activities people can do at their current fitness status. McDonald and Williams want people to know they can improve their overall health in more ways than one.
“I think disseminating education on how people can improve their overall health is extremely important,” said McDonald. “We believe generally, people have the misconception that they need to attend a multi-million-dollar gym to accumulate “real” exercise through the week and we want to shift that mindset. We also plan to have tailored exercise types, so based off someone’s current fitness level, we can provide steps that they can progress towards which in turn also improves confidence.”
COLLABORATION: KEY TO SUCCESS
McDonald and Williams are also partnering with Live HealthSmart Alabama, a program birthed from the Heersink School of Medicine that works together with community members by implementing its signature keys of Good Nutrition, Physical activity, Education, and Prevention & Wellness. Live HealthSmart Alabama is known for neighborhood revitalization efforts, the Mobile Market that provides access to healthy food options, recipes, and cooking demonstrations, and a Mobile Wellness program that provides age-appropriate health screenings and connection to appropriate health care.
“Moving your body is very individualized and unique to a person’s ability and comfort level,” said McDonald. “I’m more interested in finding out what people enjoy, that’ll make them want to move and live a healthier lifestyle and merge those concepts of health and nutrition along with the exercise piece we hope to bring.”
For someone who doesn’t typically enjoy exercise, they would be met with questions such as the following.
- What does your day-to-day routine look like?
- What are the things you enjoy doing?
- Do you enjoy being inside or outside?
- What does your environment look like?
McDonald hopes that the project will reveal more possibilities for movement for people with individualized and unique circumstances.
Upon completion of her PhD, McDonald hopes to remain at UAB and continue her work in this area.
“UAB is such a wonderful research institute, and my training in the PhD program will combine the education to make me a better researcher,” said McDonald. “I like academia because I enjoy being in a learning environment,” said McDonald. “I love collaboration and the freedom to study what I like and being in a space to learn more about what I’m interested in while helping people at the same time.”
“Ultimately, my goal is to make an impact,” said McDonald. “Whether it’s one person or 50 people, I know that if I can make an impact by educating someone on what they can do to improve their overall health, it’ll have a trickle-down effect and hopefully positively affect the next generation.”
