Suja Davis receives Fulbright US Scholar award

The U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board has granted Suja P. Davis, PhD, RN, CGRN, associate professor in the School of Nursing, a Fulbright US Scholar Award. Davis will be hosted by the School of Nursing, Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences (KUSMS) in Nepal for the 2024–2025 academic year.

Davis is a devoted educator and will spend time with faculty and students teaching adult health and research courses, conducting workshops and seminars for the faculty, and supporting faculty to promote their scholarship. In addition to giving lectures and seminars, Davis will conduct an educational research project to incorporate educational innovations into the nursing curricula.

Recipients of Fulbright specialist and scholar awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as a record of service and demonstrated leadership in their respective fields. “Suja is the second member of the UNC SON faculty to be recognized as a Fulbright Scholar,” said Ashley Leak Bryant, Senior Associate Dean for Global Initiatives. Professor Marcia Van Riper, PhD, RN, FAAN, received a Fulbright Scholar award in 2012 for the Catherine McAuley School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork, Ireland.

“I am humbled and honored to have been selected for this international award from a competitive pool of experts. I thank Ashley Leak Bryant and Brittany Kenyon-Flatt, our grant proposal coordinator, and our SON leadership team for providing me with resources and support which helped with the acceptance of my first application,” said Davis.

“The Fulbright Scholar Award is the most widely recognized, prestigious, and respected international exchange program in the world. Suja’s achievement of a Fulbright Scholar award reflects the high quality of her scholarship. The SON and institutional support of UNC Global Affairs and Center for Faculty Excellence offices supported her application. This global partnership with KUSMS supports the SON’s strategic plan to enrich and support collaborative opportunities for inclusive excellence,” said Bryant.

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international academic exchange program. Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided over 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds with the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. These award recipients exchange ideas, build people-to-people connections and work to address complex global challenges.

For more information, please visit the Fulbright Scholar and Specialist Program websites. You can also reach out to Professor Marcia Van Riper and Anthony Hackney, PhD, recipients of Scholar and Specialist awards.