August 16, 2010
Eighteen receive Fulbrights to study abroad in 2010–2011
Eighteen doctoral students and alumni from across the university will have the opportunity to study abroad during the 2010–2011 academic year through the prestigious Fulbright Program.
Johns Hopkins’ latest “Fulbrighters” from the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Education, School of Medicine, School of Public Health and SAIS are among more than 1,500 U.S. citizens awarded grants this year.
Established in 1946 under legislation introduced by Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Approximately 8,000 new grants are awarded annually, funded by an appropriation by Congress along with support from participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries. Approximately 300,000 scholars—114,000 from the United States and 186,000 from other countries—have participated in the program since its inception.
The 2010–2011 Johns Hopkins scholars come from a wide range of disciplines and have destinations spanning the globe.
Laila Ameri will travel to Jordan to study how tribal leaders’ attitudes toward female education influence families. Ameri earned her bachelor’s degree in international studies from the Krieger School in May.
Natalie Baer will travel to Beijing to study its domestic organic food market from seed to farm to table through research at China Agricultural University and by conducting on-the-ground interviews at farms and organic grocery stores. Baer earned her bachelor’s degree in international studies from the Krieger School in 2008 and anticipates completing course work toward her master’s degree in applied economics from the Krieger School in December.
In Rabat, Morocco, Brittany Bland will study the cultural and social factors preventing sub-Saharan immigrants, particularly women, from seeking medical care for tuberculosis. Bland earned a bachelor’s degree in public health studies from the Krieger School in May.
While in Ecuador as a Fulbright English teaching assistant, Valerie Caldas plans to continue her exploration of conservation and how, “when coupled with sustainable development, it can protect threatened ecosystems and help people on the lower end of the socioeconomic gap,” she said. Caldas earned a bachelor’s degree in international studies from the Krieger School in 2009.
David Chang will be in South Korea as a Fulbright English teaching assistant at the secondary level. “English has become a must-learn language in Korea,” Chang said. “As a student who is fluent in both Korean and English, I want to take a creative approach in making learning English fun and exciting.” Chang earned a bachelor’s degree in public health studies from the Krieger School in May.
A doctoral candidate in the Department of Sociology in the Krieger School, Rachel Core will travel to China to explore how the dismantling of the Chinese work unit system may be contributing to the country’s increase in cases of tuberculosis, despite increases in gross domestic product, life expectancy and health care spending.
In Syria, Matthew Davis will create a collection of literary nonfiction profiles about artists, writers, musicians and cultural institutions in Damascus. Davis, who earned his master’s degree in Middle East studies and economics from SAIS in May, is the author of When Things Get Dark: A Mongolian Winter’s Tale (St. Martin’s Press, 2010), the story of his observations, cultural discoveries and experiences associated with being an English teacher in foreign and remote Mongolia.
Debalina De will travel to India to study the epidemiology and subsequent clinical outcome of children diagnosed with tuberculosis. De earned her bachelor’s degree in public health studies from the Krieger School in May.
As an English teaching assistant, Leah Dietterle will help train high school English teachers at a university in Argentina. “I am eager to take everything I learned at Johns Hopkins and during my time in Baltimore City classrooms and apply it in a cross-cultural setting,” she said. Dietterle earned a master’s degree in secondary English instruction from the School of Education in May through Teach for America.
Pursuing a doctorate in medicine at the School of Medicine, Aisha Harun will study the interaction of multiculturalism and health outcomes in patients with colon cancer at the Surgical Outcomes Research Centre at the University of Sydney in Australia.
Miraya Jun, a master of health science student in the Bloomberg School’s Department of International Health, will visit Mongolia to investigate the factors affecting alcohol use among adolescents. “Traditionally, few young people in Mongolia consumed alcohol,” Jun said. “This pattern has changed, especially in urban areas, where global trends are now more influential, and beer, wine and bottled cocktails are widely available.”
Aaron Levy-Forsythe will travel to Kazakhstan as an English teaching assistant. “Not only will I be teaching the English language, but I may be the first American that my students meet. It is a great responsibility to serve as my students’ introduction to the United States,” said Levy-Forsythe, who earned his bachelor’s degree in French from the Krieger School in 2006. “At the same time, they will be helping me to learn Russian and Kazakh, and to get acquainted with the diverse cultures in Kazakhstan.”
Victoria Ayano Ogawa will visit Kaohsiung, Taiwan, as an English teaching assistant at the elementary school level. “Though learning a foreign language may initially seem impossible, I want to help students feel that it is exhilarating, logical and empowering,” said Ogawa, who earned a bachelor’s degree in public health studies from the Krieger School in May.
A doctoral candidate in the Department of History in the Krieger School, Carolyn Salomons will travel to Spain to work on her dissertation, which she described as “an assessment of the religious, social and physical changes wrought upon the city of Avila during the early modern period.” In particular, Salomons will study Abulense society prior to the expulsion of the Jews in 1492, exploring its impact.
Namrita Singh, a doctoral candidate in the Bloomberg School’s Department of International Health, will conduct qualitative and quantitative research in Zugdidi in the Republic of Georgia to understand how its displaced community recognizes and manages mental health problems and the types of informal services that are utilized.
In Syria, Abigail Tonge will conduct a comparative study of the effectiveness of two microfinance programs—the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East, and the Fund for Integrated Rural Development of Syria. She earned her bachelor’s degree in international studies from the Krieger School in May.
Nian Verzosa will teach English to college students at Yersin University of Da Lat in Vietnam. Verzosa will also be conducting a research project on ethnic minorities’ perceptions of health, spirituality and well-being, and studying how traditional medicine is still practiced in their communities. Verzosa earned a bachelor’s degree in public health studies from the Krieger School in 2009.
A doctoral candidate in Anthropology in the Krieger School, Marieke Wilson will visit southwestern Nigeria, where she’ll study evangelical filmmaking and how it helps fashion Christian subjects. “By looking at the circulation of evangelical films as commodities, I also wish to examine the constitution of a transnational community of sentiment bound by a commitment to salvation,” she said. Wilson earned her bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the Krieger School in 2005.
Students and alumni interested in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program should contact their school’s Fulbright adviser: for SAIS, Lisa Kahn; Medicine, Nursing and Public Health, Cassie Klein (the JHMI campus due date for this application cycle is Sept. 22); and all others, John Bader (application due date is Sept. 20). More information on the Fulbright is available at http://fulbright.state.gov.