Host Institution USA: Christ University

Alexandra Mouangue

Alexandra Mouangue is an emerging researcher and practitioner in the field of mindfulness and holistic mental health. She is particularly interested in somatic (body-focused) interventions for trauma and anxiety. In 2024, Alexandra graduated summa cum laude from Wellesley College with a BA in psychology and a minor in economics. Her honors thesis, “Beyond Social Class: A Mixed Methods Exploration of Resource Predictability, Uncertainty, and the Factors Influencing Temporal Discounting”, reflects her commitment to understanding how sociocultural contexts shape psychological well-being and decision-making. Her current work expands on this subject and explores the intersections of mind, body, and culture in mental health.

Alexandra’s lived experience as an African immigrant informs her research on how emotions and trauma are embodied, and how movement, breath, and meditation can facilitate healing. Within her academic and personal ventures, Alexandra has steadily pursued community-based mindfulness research. She has had a stint at Drexel University as a research coordinator co-leading educational support groups for adolescents, focusing on behavioral and acceptance-based interventions for eating disorders and weight loss. Her extensive research experience and volunteer work has instilled in her a deep passion for establishing equitable mental health care, particularly for low-income and immigrant populations. Fluent in English, French, and Spanish, Alexandra is also an aspiring yoga teacher and herbalist. Her overarching goal is to set up her own holistic mental health clinic where she can integrate the wisdom of the body and the land into evidence-based practice.

Through the Fulbright-Nehru project, Alexandra is deepening her expertise in mind–body therapies in order to contribute to the development of interventions addressing the mental, emotional, and physiological needs of diverse communities. Her project is focusing on co-regulation- and mindfulness-based group therapy, alongside explorations of yoga, acupuncture, and massage throughout South India. The aims of the study are to: examine the effectiveness of somatic practices in reducing anxiety, depression, and hyperarousal; explore the roles of co-regulation and community-building in mental health outcomes; investigate the impact of interoception and trait mindfulness on treatment outcomes; and gain valuable insights from practitioners on the application of holistic practices worldwide.

Margaret Kuffner

Margaret Kuffner graduated cum laude from Boston College in May 2025 with a BA in international studies, with concentrations in global cultures and public health. Margaret developed a passion for the world at a young age, having lived in Switzerland with her family and later in Denmark as a Rotary Youth Exchange Student. During her undergrad junior year, she studied abroad in India through the School for International Training where she interned with the Comprehensive Rural Healthcare Project. Margaret’s professional experiences include working as a research assistant for the Mass General Lymphedema team, volunteering at the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, and serving as a patient care intern at South County Health in Rhode Island.

She previously served as secretary general and currently holds the role of deputy chief operating officer at the Eagle Institute for Global Affairs and Leadership. In this capacity, Margaret advances the organization’s mission of fostering a globally conscious society through community collaboration, educational programming, and forward-thinking initiatives. In her free time, Margaret enjoys training for her next marathon, experimenting with new recipes, and going to the beach with friends.

As a Fulbright-Nehru research scholar, Margaret is investigating the implementation and impact of the World Health Organization Safe Childbirth Checklist (SCC) as a tool to promote a shared responsibility of safety between healthcare professionals (HCPs) and mothers. The SCC increases safe birthing practices by addressing key risks (e.g., bleeding, infection, high blood pressure) at four pause points: on admission; just before pushing; soon after birth; and before discharge. The project hopes to prove that when HCPs educate mothers and their companions about the SCC by actively encouraging dialogue around cross-checking SCC steps, mothers will be empowered, patient–HCP communication will be enhanced, and pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period will be safer for mothers and their babies.

Jessica Gladden

Dr. Jessica Gladden has a PhD in social work from Michigan State University and an MSW from Grand Valley State University. She has had a variety of clinical experiences in private practice with the Fountain Hill Center for Counseling and Consultation in Michigan. She has also taught trauma-informed yoga at Grand Rapids Healing Yoga and has worked as a therapist at the YWCA and several other agencies. Besides, she is the founder and executive director of Thrive: A Refugee Support Program.

Dr. Gladden has multiple publications and presentations to her credit on topics such coping strategies related to refugees; somatic interventions in the form of yoga-based therapy; and teaching trauma content in higher education. She is certified in trauma-sensitive yoga and as a clinical trauma professional.

In her Fulbright fellowship at Christ University in Bengaluru, Dr. Gladden is dividing her time between research and teaching. She is participating in qualitative research that seeks to gain understanding on how yoga is being used as a therapeutic intervention in India and comparing this to what takes place in the United States. She is also teaching one course through the Department of Sociology and Social Work. In addition, Dr. Gladden is working with at least one of the university’s projects through the Centre for Social Action.