Grantee

Dr. Melanie Byrne Thomas is a highly experienced medical oncologist specializing in cancer patient care, clinical research, cancer center administration, and clinical education. Currently based at Duke University, she is dedicated to providing healthcare to underserved populations in rural areas of North Carolina. As a Fulbright Scholar, she is placed at B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, where she will assist in creating the structure and content of the Doctor of Medicine Medical Oncology training program. This will involve developing formal curriculum materials (talks, case-based scenarios, workshops), providing clinical mentoring in both inpatient and outpatient settings, and establishing a virtual faculty network of oncologists from around the world who will aid in implementing a successful program to train more oncology professionals for Nepal.

Dr. Byrne Thomas began her academic journey with an undergraduate degree from Boston College in 1975, followed by a Master of Science in environmental engineering from Harvard University in 1982. Her early career involved several years in the environmental sector, contributing valuable insights to her subsequent medical practice. Transitioning to medicine, Dr. Byrne Thomas earned her medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine in 1996. She completed her internal medicine residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, where she developed a strong foundation in patient care. Her pursuit of specialization led her to an oncology fellowship at the renowned M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX, where she honed her expertise in cancer treatment and research.

Dr. Byrne Thomas is committed to advancing medical education, as demonstrated by her completion of the Duke AHEAD Certificate program in 2023. She has also taken a proactive role in curriculum development, creating a comprehensive hematology-oncology curriculum tailored for advanced practice providers (APPs). Outside her professional duties, Dr. Byrne Thomas has made significant humanitarian contributions through Health Volunteers Overseas since 2011. She has volunteered her time and expertise in countries such as Honduras and Bhutan and has also contributed to virtual cancer education initiatives in Vietnam and Nepal. These efforts underscore her dedication to improving global healthcare and enhancing medical education worldwide.

Suja Davis holds a PhD in Nursing and has 17 years of teaching experience at the School of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA. Her teaching spans undergraduate and graduate levels, emphasizing critical thinking, evidence-based practice, and compassionate care. As a certified global nurse consultant, she has expanded her impact internationally through collaborations like the collaborative online international learning grant with Universidad de Monterrey, Mexico, and organizing study abroad programs in Australia for undergraduate nursing students. As a Fulbright scholar, she will be hosted by the School of Nursing, Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences (KUSMS) in Nepal for the 2024–2025 academic year. She will spend time with faculty and students teaching adult health nursing and research courses, conducting workshops and seminars for the faculty, and supporting faculty to promote their scholarship. In addition to giving lectures and seminars, she will also conduct an educational research project to incorporate educational innovations into the nursing curricula.

Her research and scholarship are distinguished by securing multiple grants in nursing education and gastroenterology. She has innovated teaching methodologies by integrating 2D animations and augmented reality into pathophysiology and pharmacology courses, leading to notable improvements in student outcomes. As a certified gastroenterology nurse, her research is dedicated to enhancing health outcomes for adults with inflammatory bowel disease, presenting findings at international conferences. Additionally, she plays a pivotal role as a peer reviewer for esteemed medical and nursing journals, ensuring the dissemination of top-tier research in the field. She actively engages in the academic community through various roles at the School of Nursing, including committee membership and serving as a mentor for the Carolina Covenant Scholars program. Her involvement with national organizations such as the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation spans contributions to the National Scientific Advisory Committee (NSAC) and the education committee of the Society of Gastroenterology Nurses Association. Additionally, she demonstrates leadership as the research chair of the Alpha Alpha chapter of STTI and contributes internationally to abstract and grant review panels. Her diverse roles highlight a commitment to advancing nursing education, research, and professional development on both local and global scales.

Jan Brunson is an anthropologist with a Ph.D. from Brown University, specializing in global discourses on women’s and reproductive health, as well as intersectional research in Nepal. She is an associate professor of anthropology and a member of the executive committee at the Center for South Asian Studies at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Her research integrates medical anthropology, critical demography, and cultural studies of science, technology, and medicine.

Brunson’s ethnographic research in Nepal on women’s health and reproductive agency spans two decades. As a Fulbright Scholar to Nepal, she will collaborate with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences/Dhulikhel Hospital. Her research focuses on balancing the life-saving potential and risks of cesarean sections by examining the experiences of women and healthcare practitioners. The innovative Flex award provides an opportunity for her to return to Nepal in 2025 to share findings with the community, collaborate on a publication, and develop an applied educational component for the public.

Her portfolio includes studies on global health and empowerment campaigns targeting women in the Global South, maternal health in resource-poor and disaster settings, maternal health metrics, motherhood during revolution, women’s autonomy and spatial mobility, premature birth, and helicopter emergency medical services.

Brunson’s first book, Planning Families in Nepal: Global and Local Projects of Reproduction, offers an account of Hindu Nepali women as they navigate conflicting global and local ideals regarding reproduction and family. She has also co-edited the book International Handbook on Gender and Demographic Processes.

Andrew G. Hope, a researcher from Kansas State University, is hosted by Tribhuvan University. His work has involved identifying numerous species and intra-specific lineages requiring ongoing management. Additionally, he has discerned evolving relationships among hosts, parasites, and diseases, and has pinpointed geographic areas potentially serving as evolutionary hotspots for emerging host-parasite interactions, with attendant disease implications.

His aspiration is to establish a similar research program in Nepal, with an initial focus on bat biodiversity to support the endeavors of his current Ph.D. student, Basant Sharma. Moreover, Andrew harbors a keen interest in human health and seeks to advance educational initiatives regarding the significance of preserving global biodiversity and fostering future evolutionary potential.

Aligned with emerging “One Health” perspectives, Andrew stresses the critical interdependence between human well-being and the health of ecosystems and functional species linkages. His lab’s present and forthcoming work emphasizes the importance of considering human health concerns through the lens of biodiversity within an evolving world context.

Andrew’s program of study delves into the evolutionary ecology of wildlife, particularly focusing on small mammals such as bats, shrews, and rodents. His research encompasses two primary objectives: first, to bolster biodiversity conservation within increasingly disturbed environments, and second, to investigate the evolutionary consequences of host-parasite-pathogen interactions. Through these endeavors, he aims to shed light on how environmental shifts influence evolutionary trajectories.

Daris Hale is a dynamic force in music and education, seamlessly blending her roles as performer and educator. She is a frequent presence on international stages, touring with her chamber music groups, while also maintaining her dedication to teaching at Texas State University and performing with the Austin Symphony Orchestra. Embarking on a Fulbright Scholar journey to Nepal, Daris aims to foster collaborations with international composers, collaborating with the music faculty and students at Tribhuvan University and Nepal Music Center to expand musical heritage and create new works. Her performances, featured on streaming platforms such as iTunes and Spotify, on television and in over 100 live concerts annually, showcase her commitment to sharing music globally.

Daris’s passion for musical outreach and education is evident in her innovative approach to teaching, which enriches her students’ experiences and broadens their horizons. Her exceptional contributions have garnered numerous accolades in teaching and international education, including the Outstanding Achievement in International Education and Presidential Distinction Award in Teaching. Beyond the classroom, Daris has engaged with thousands of Texas children through educational concerts, commissioned new children’s pieces, produced albums, and collaborated with Emmy award-winning children’s TV shows.

With over 25 years of international scholarly research, Daris is dedicated to the universalization of indigenous music. Through collaborations with composers from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Colombia, and Ecuador, she amplifies their ethnic music traditions on a global platform. Known for challenging classical music norms and nurturing young composers, Daris champions new works, particularly in chamber music. She showcases these compositions through concerts, albums, publications, and recordings, ensuring their recognition among western instrumentalists.