Recipient of the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship’s Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism award for 2016, Ralph Fuccillo.

By Katie Leonard

Somerville native Ralph Fuccillo was honored last week as this year’s recipient of the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism. The award is given annually to an individual or organization whose work has positively impacted health for those in need, both here and abroad, as well as whose commitment to service influences and inspires others.

“I am honored and truly humbled by this recognition from the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship,” said Fuccillo. “ASF’s work to equip the next generation of health professionals with the tools and skills they need to serve and empower vulnerable communities is invaluable. I am so proud to support this mission, as well as ASF’s commitment to developing servant leaders whose guidance we’ll depend on as the systems impacting health and health outcomes continue to evolve.”

Established in 1940, the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship works to deploy graduate students from medical, dentistry, public health, and other health professions to 14 chapters across the United States, as well as in Gabon in Central Africa. Fellows commit to a yearlong service project and learn how to more comprehensively address the social determinants of health (such as poverty, environment, and education) by developing and implementing prevention and intervention strategies to improve upon an unmet health need, which is identified in partnership with the community they are placed in. The fellowship program is named for Noble Peace Prize winner Dr. Albert Schweitzer.

Fuccillo joins an impressive roster of former honorees of the Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism, which includes Presidents George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter, Surgeons General Regina M. Benjamin and David Satcher, Teresa Heinz Kerry, and Dr. Jim O’Connell of Boston Health Care for the Homeless.

L to R: Chairman of the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship Bruce Auerbach, MD, Ralph Fuccillo, and Abdullaibrahim Abdulwaheed, DMD, who presented Fuccillo with the award.

“We’re proud to honor Ralph Fuccillo for his lifetime achievements working to improve public health. His work empowering vulnerable people to live healthier lives, and his longstanding commitment to service is inspirational,” said Albert Schweitzer Fellowship Executive Director Sylvia Stevens-Edouard.

Fuccillo was born and raised in Somerville and is a 1969 graduate of Somerville High School. He is the son of the late Carmilla Toner, author of the longstanding “Ms. Cam’s Olio” column in The Somerville Times, and brother of paper’s Assignment  Editor, Bobbie Toner.

His career has been defined by his commitment to health equity, social justice, and community engagement. He currently serves as President of the Boston-based DentaQuest Foundation, the country’s leading philanthropy focused solely on oral health. Throughout his career, Fuccillo has focused his efforts on improving public health through his work at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation and the Medical Foundation, Inc., as well as through advocacy for people battling substance abuse and addiction and HIV/AIDS.

The Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism was presented at the Fellowship’s SPARK! Gala, held at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel on November 4. Dr. Arthur Kohrman, Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University, and Dr. Edward J. Benz, Jr., President and CEO of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, were also honored, with Kohrman receiving the Lawrence Gussman Award and Benz receiving the Schweitzer Clarion Award.

Katie Leonard is Communication Specialist for DentaQuest Foundation.