Meet 4 Tar Heels with Fulbrights
A maternal health researcher, nurse and two engineers describe their work abroad.
Many Tar Heels use their expertise abroad, and some receive the opportunity to do so through the Fulbright Program, the U.S. flagship international educational exchange program available to graduating seniors, graduate students, alumni and faculty.
UNC-Chapel Hill was recently named a Fulbright top producer for the 15th time in the last 16 years and has more Fulbright U.S. Students in 2024-25 than any other public university.
The Well caught up with four Fulbright recipients to learn about their experiences and work.
Gina Adatsi ’23 (MPH), ’25 (MA): Freetown, Sierra Leone
Adatsi, a recent graduate of the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, is also pursuing a master’s in English and comparative literature. She believes both courses of study have prepared her for her reproductive health research in and around Sierra Leone’s capital.
What is the focus of your work?
I’m working alongside a local nonprofit that currently works with many adolescents. I distribute knowledge surveys and then perform interviews with the teenagers, asking them about their own reproductive health. The main aim of this project is to understand how teenagers currently understand reproductive health, where they get their information and how their knowledge drives current and future health decisions.
How did UNC-Chapel Hill prepare you for your Fulbright experience?
I believe that my qualitative and quantitative research skills gained at Carolina have been extremely beneficial as I feel prepared to do this work. Before embarking on this Fulbright, I received guidance from various departments on campus concerning my proposed project, including the Odum Institute, Institutional Review Board and faculty from the maternal and child health department and the English and comparative literature department.
Gina Adatsi conducts research on reproductive health in Sierra Leone. (submitted photo)
Suja Davis: Dhulikhel, Nepal
Davis, a clinical associate professor at the UNC School of Nursing, is bringing her expertise to Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences.
What is the focus of your work?
My primary role is to teach adult health and research courses for undergraduate nursing students, research courses for Master of Science nursing students, conduct workshops and seminars for faculty development and mentor faculty with their scholarly work. In addition to giving lectures and seminars, I plan to conduct an educational research project to incorporate educational innovations into the nursing curricula.
How did UNC-Chapel Hill prepare you for your Fulbright experience?
My Fulbright became a dream come true because of the extensive support from my school. Ashley Leak Bryant, senior associate dean, ensured that I had the resources to complete the application. Dean Valerie Howard granted me leave from my teaching responsibilities, which allowed me to move forward with this award. My teaching and scholarly work at UNC-Chapel Hill shaped me into a strong candidate. I won the Lenovo grant twice from the Center for Faculty Excellence and have implemented several innovations into my teaching.
Suja Davis (second from left) teaches nursing courses at Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences. (Submitted photo)
Abel Abraham ’24: Bengaluru, India
Less than a year after earning degrees in biomedical engineering and mathematics, Abraham is gaining valuable lab experience at India’s National Centre for Biological Sciences by participating in experimental work in biophysics and active matter systems.
What is the focus of your work?
I am working at the Thutupalli Lab. Just last month we discovered a self-assembly process in temperature-reactive active droplets, and I am trying to understand this phenomenon for the remainder of my grant period.
Abel Abraham, seen speaking with students about his research, participates in experimental work in biophysics and active matter systems at India’s National Centre for Biological Sciences. (Submitted photo)
How did UNC-Chapel Hill prepare you for your Fulbright experience?
At UNC-Chapel Hill, I worked with Pedro Sáenz at the Physical Mathematics Lab and was there for the four years of undergrad. I was able to take part in all parts of the research process, from conception to publishing. When I was applying, there was a panel from UNC global studies that I believe greatly improved my Fulbright application.
Katherine Eltz ’23: Thessaloniki, Greece
A second-year biomedical engineering doctoral student, Eltz majored in biomedical and health sciences and minored in marine sciences as an undergraduate. Both courses of study relate to her current work at Aristotle University.
What is the focus of your work?
At Carolina, I am in the ENHANCE Lab under the mentorship of Virginie Papadopoulou. Part of the lab’s focus is on improving human safety and performance in extreme environments using biomedical ultrasound. I am focused on decompression sickness. This translates well to the work of my host lab in Greece, where we have devices that simulate decompression sickness bubbles in vitro. I am combining my ultrasound experience with their electrical bubble-detection methods to investigate the best ways of detecting these bubbles for preventing decompression sickness.
How did UNC-Chapel Hill prepare you for your Fulbright experience?
As an undergraduate, I applied for various awards and scholarships that allowed me to study abroad, complete summer research and attend conferences, all of which prepared me for this time abroad. The biomedical engineering department and my time as an undergraduate researcher solidified my love for research and taught me how to efficiently complete projects and develop lasting professional and collaborative relationships.
Katherine Eltz researches ways biomedical ultrasound can improve human safety and performance in extreme environments, with a focus on decompression sickness. (Submitted photo)
For more information on the Fulbright U.S. Student Program at Carolina see the Office of Distinguished Scholarships in Honors Carolina. For more information on the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program at Carolina, see the Center for Faculty Excellence.
