April 17, 2015

Carmen Cronin, MPH ’14, has been selected for a 2015-16 Fulbright U.S. Student Award to conduct research on menstrual health with adolescent girls in Uganda.

Cronin is the second Fulbright recipient from the School of Public Health and the 32nd recipient in Drexel University history. 

“I’m positively thrilled by the news, although it hasn’t fully sunk in yet,” said Cronin. “The Fulbright to Uganda will be an incredible opportunity for me to continue to grow as a public health researcher and advocate. I look forward to collaborating with and learning from my Ugandan affiliate, the Network for Water and Sanitation (NETWAS), as we embark to better understand the impact menstruation and the stigma around it have on the daily lives of adolescent girls.”

Cronin credits her public health background and training in health disparities, through the Department of Community Health and Prevention and the School's Opening Doors Program, as important elements of her candidacy for a Fulbright. She acknowledged faculty from the Department of Community Health and Prevention, in particular Suruchi Sood, Michael Yudell, and Augusta Villanueva, as well as the Dean Ana Diez-Roux and Rona Buchalter from the Fellowships Office for providing vital support through this process.

“As a Drexel MPH student, I acquired a strong foundation in public health theory and research, the ability to assess public health issues from an ethical perspective, the skills to work effectively across cultures, as well as leadership and teaching competencies,” she said.

Cronin is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor and Research Project Coordinator in Community Health and Prevention at Drexel University. Her research focuses primarily on designing, implementing, and evaluating health communication programs to promote individual and social change.

“We couldn’t be more proud of Carmen,” said Michael Yudell, PhD, interim chair and associate professor of Community Health and Prevention. “First as one of our star students in the Department of Community Health and Prevention and later as research coordinator for Dr. Sood, Carmen has always been a standout. A Fulbright will be a great opportunity for her to continue to grow as a public health researcher and to make important contributions improving the public’s health.”

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Program was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by late Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas and is sponsored by the United States Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards funding for one academic year of self-designed study, research, creative projects, or teaching English in one of over 160 countries around the world. More than 100,000 Fulbright U.S. Student Program alumni have undertaken grants since its inception more than sixty years ago. The Fulbright Program awards approximately 8,000 grants annually, including 1,500 Student Awards.