Fulbright-Nehru Grant Categorys USA: Fulbright-Nehru Academic & Professional Excellence Award (Teaching)

Persis Naumann

Dr. Persis Naumann is a global health ethicist, educator, and social entrepreneur committed to advancing stigma-free healthcare through ethics, education, and community engagement. Originally from Chennai, India, and now based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she serves as adjunct professor in the Center for Global Health Ethics at Duquesne University. Her interdisciplinary work bridges bioethics, medical sociology, and public engagement to address health inequities, particularly those affecting women and marginalized communities. Her research focuses on infertility stigma, reproductive health, and culturally responsive healthcare, with an emphasis on ensuring that lived experiences inform policy, education, and practice.

Beyond academia, Dr. Naumann is the founder of Kelir Global and Kelir Books, literary initiatives dedicated to ethical storytelling, heritage language preservation, and community belonging. She also serves on the board of directors of the Fulbright Association India Interest Group as vice president and the Greater Pittsburgh Chapter as advocacy chair. Through her scholarship and leadership, she builds bridges across cultures while promoting concepts such as equity, dignity, and inclusion.

As a former Fulbright-Nehru Student Research Fellow, Dr. Naumann conducted empirical bioethics research in Chennai, examining the sociocultural dimensions of involuntary childlessness and infertility stigma. During that tenure, she once had the opportunity to address an audience of over 2,000 students at a women’s health conference in Chennai. After her presentation, some of the students approached her with a simple question: “Will you come to our classrooms and teach us more?” That moment inspired her current Fulbright project.

As a 2026–2027 Fulbright U.S. Scholar, Dr. Naumann is collaborating with the Department of Sociology at the University of Madras on “Advancing Medical Sociology through Ethics Education for Stigma-Free Healthcare in Tamil Nadu.” The project is integrating medical ethics into sociology education through experiential learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and community engagement. By partnering with students, faculty, healthcare professionals, NGOs, and policymakers, she seeks to strengthen the role of sociologists in healthcare, promote culturally grounded approaches to reproductive health, and foster lasting partnerships between India and the United States. Through the project, Dr. Naumann aims to help build more compassionate, equitable, and stigma-free healthcare systems guided by her belief that “education is not just about knowledge, it is about meaningful connections, creating pathways for real-life contributions, and shaping the future workforce with dignity and hope.”

Rajkumar Sevak

Dr. Rajkumar Sevak is an accomplished academic and clinical researcher with expertise in psychiatric pharmacotherapy and pharmacy education. He is currently serving as an associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the University of the Pacific’s Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy. Dr. Sevak has built a career integrating rigorous research with hands-on clinical and teaching practice. His educational background includes a PhD in pharmacology from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, followed by PGY1 residency from Auburn University, and postdoctoral fellowship training from East Tennessee State University. He is a licensed pharmacist in four U.S. states and holds specialized certifications in psychiatric pharmacy, informatics, and biostatistics.

Dr. Sevak’s research portfolio reflects a sustained focus on neuropsychiatric therapeutics and students’ mental health. He has served as principal or coinvestigator on several funded grants, including projects supported by the National Institutes of Health, examining pharmacotherapies for substance-use disorders and intervening to improve mental health outcomes. His scholarly output shows over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and 70 national conference presentations. He is also an active peer reviewer for leading journals and grant agencies, and has received multiple awards, including the CPNP Foundation Strategic Goals Award and the Sudhir Gupta Young Scientist Award.

As an educator, Dr. Sevak coordinates and teaches core courses in neuropsychiatric therapeutics, biostatistics, and research design at the University of the Pacific. He guides pharmacy students, residents, and fellows in research projects, presentations, and professional development. Outside of academics, he has provided clinical services in outpatient and inpatient psychiatric pharmacy, ambulatory care, and community pharmacy settings. His professional service also extends to committee roles within his institution and professional organizations such as the American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists and the College on Problems of Drug Dependence. Through his interdisciplinary work in research, teaching, and practice, Dr. Sevak continues to contribute significantly to the fields of psychiatric pharmacy and pharmacotherapy education.

Dr. Sevak’s Fulbright-Nehru project is working on establishing a Indo-US collaborative system to enhance neuropsychiatric pharmacy education. Toward this, he is delivering a core therapeutics course and codeveloping culturally relevant patient cases with Indian faculty colleagues for a case-based course. The project is also fostering cross-cultural pedagogical exchange and improving mental healthcare by training pharmacy students to provide evidence-based care. Expected outcomes include a sustainable case library, strengthened institutional ties, and a model for global pharmacy education.

Elizabeth Simon

Dr. Elizabeth Simon has 30 years of academic experience. She is an author, presenter, and expert in curriculum development, international collaboration, and accreditation. She secured Fulbright Scholar awards for 2015–16 and 2022–23, and the Fulbright Specialist award in 2026. Dr. Simon obtained her BS in nursing from Punjab University, India; her master’s degrees from Columbia University, Teachers College, and Hunter College; and her PhD in higher education from Walden University. She has authored books, book chapters, and peer-reviewed articles. She has also developed curriculum for new programs, revised curricula, and mentored faculty members. Besides, she has served as the founding dean and as a critical care nursing consultant.

Dr. Simon’s Fulbright-Nehru project is gathering support for designating trained sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) in India. It is also studying the wider scope for forensic nursing in India, with nurses able to take roles in medico-legal investigations and evidence collection, mental health counseling, and pregnancy prevention, specifically after a rape trauma. Curricular innovation is also part of the project in order to enhance the professional visibility and social image of nurses in India.

Kelsey Gray

Dr. Kelsey Gray, PhD, is an educator and writer specializing in genetics, molecular biology, and intercultural science communication. She earned her BS in biomedical science from the Ohio State University before completing her PhD in genetics and molecular biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where her doctoral research focused on the molecular mechanisms of spinal muscular atrophy. Following her doctoral work, Dr. Gray served as a postdoctoral fellow with the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative (ETSI) at Emory University.

A cornerstone of her international work was her first Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowship (2019–2020) at Drepung Loseling Monastic University, Karnataka, India. During this fellowship, she engaged in deep intercultural exchange, teaching biology courses and collaborating with Tibetan scientists to conduct culturally responsive educational research. Dr. Gray’s professional trajectory includes serving as an assistant professor and the assistant director for the Grand Challenges Initiative at Chapman University, as well as working in the private sector as a regulatory medical writer. As the senior instructional content developer for ETSI, she leads the development of the ETSI bilingual digital learning platform. Her extensive publication record reflects interdisciplinary expertise, spanning from protein biochemistry to the nuances of monastic science learning and metacognition.

Dr. Gray’s Fulbright-Nehru project, “A Two-Way Exchange: Buddhism and Science in Modern Tibetan Monastic Education,” is supporting science education for monastics in India through three integrated initiatives. She is leading a workshop to train monastic leaders on the ETSI Online Learning Platform in order to foster digital literacy and expand curriculum reach. She is also conducting a Human Health seminar series across five monastic institutions, connecting clinical research with monastic interests. Further, she is teaching an advanced biology teacher training course, utilizing modules on immunology and epigenetics to equip monastics with specialized pedagogical skills for future sustainable instruction.

James Geary

Mr. James Geary is an adjunct lecturer in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. He has taught at the VII Foundation; Bennington College; Boston University; Brandeis University; the Faber Academy; Tufts University; and the Harvard Extension School. He is the former deputy curator of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, where he edited Nieman Reports, and the former editor of the European edition of Time magazine. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller The World in a Phrase: A Brief History of the Aphorism, the second edition of which was published by the University of Chicago Press, Wit’s End: What Wit Is, How It Works, and Why We Need It, and I Is an Other: The Secret Life of Metaphor and How It Shapes the Way We See the World, among other books.

For his Fulbright-Nehru project, Mr. Geary is teaching two literary/creative nonfiction writing courses at Ashoka University, India. He is helping Ashoka students articulate and apply the elements and structure of literary/creative nonfiction, synthesize and organize information from disparate sources to tell powerful stories and craft compelling narratives based on original reporting and research. The project is expected to not only benefit Ashoka students intending to pursue advanced writing practices, but also those who want to develop their writing skills for careers in other professions.

Srinivasan Durairaj

Dr. Srinivasan Durairaj is a molecular biologist, educator, and scholar of inclusive STEM pedagogy with nearly three decades of teaching experience in India, Fiji, and the United States. He serves as professor of biology at Richland Community College in Decatur, Illinois, where he teaches biology and microbiology, and promotes student success through learner-centered, accessible instruction.

He earned his PhD from Bharathiar University, India, and has taught in a variety of academic settings, from small classes to large introductory courses, serving diverse student populations. His work centers on Universal Design for Learning (UDL), active learning, and AI-supported teaching in undergraduate STEM education, with a strong commitment to equity, inclusion, and student engagement.

Dr. Durairaj’s Fulbright-Nehru project is implementing UDL-based teaching in three undergraduate biology courses at Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education in Tamil Nadu, India. Through faculty workshops, curriculum co-designing, and the creation of an open-access digital toolkit, the project aims to strengthen inclusive STEM pedagogy, improve student engagement and mastery, and establish sustainable institutional practices aligned with India’s National Education Policy 2020 reform goals, while deepening academic collaboration between the United States and India.

Balwantsinh Chauhan

Dr. Balwantsinh Chauhan received his BSc, MSc, and PhD (in reproductive endocrinology) from Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU) of Baroda, India. He obtained his MD from the College of Medicine, Spartan Health Sciences University, St. Lucia. He also possesses a postbaccalaureate certificate in toxicology technology from the U.S.

Dr. Chauhan served the Department of Zoology (MSU Baroda) as lecturer from 1970–1982 and was promoted as reader in 1983. He has also worked as faculty with the College of Medicine, University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), and with the Roosevelt University College of Pharmacy. He is the founding faculty for two U.S. pharmacy programs. Currently, he is serving as associate professor at the School of Pharmacy, American University of Health Sciences.

Dr. Chauhan’s present teaching interests are: pharmacogenomics; biotherapeutics (BTh); anatomical sciences; medical physiology; pathophysiology; immunology/medical microbiology; and medical genetics. His past research interests included: sequencing the HAP1 gene; and the effect of prolactin and estrogen modulation on another “DNA damage and repair gene”, O6-Methylguanine DNA Methyltransferase (O6-MGMT), in the context of breast cancer. He was also involved in the generation of the transgenic mouse model for human FOXO to explore its possible role in insulin resistance. Dr. Chauhan’s current research interests include: pharmacognosy, especially related to anti-obesity and dermal-wound healing; generation of the rodent melanoma model, and benzanthrone’s dermal-toxicological aspects; and pharmacogenomics. He has also co-authored several peer-reviewed publications and scientific abstracts/posters, some of which have received international merit awards. Further, he has given several lectures both in the U.S. and abroad.

For his Fulbright-Nehru project, Dr. Chauhan is teaching the fundamental concepts of genetics/genomics as they relate to the understanding of pharmacogenomics and BTh. He is also teaching competency/compliance standards, and designing, developing, and implementing curricula for the pharmacy and medical programs at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai. The project’s goal is to foster international understanding, institutional collaboration, and exchange programs for both students and teachers.

Brinda Gaitonde Nayak

Ms. Brinda Gaitonde Nayak works remotely as a consultant writing nomination dossiers and site management plans for World Heritage Sites in India while being based in USA. She is also the co-founder of The Bombay Heritage Walks, an organization that undertakes architectural walking tours in Mumbai. She holds a master’s in architectural conservation from Sir J.J. College of Architecture and a bachelor’s from the Academy of Architecture, both in Mumbai. After staying away from architecture for several years, Ms. Nayak decided to relearn the profession by completing the George Mason University’s graduate certificate program in digital history, which was where her vision for the Practical Preservation Series took shape. She has written several articles, co-authored papers and other publications, as well as written a book of historical fiction titled The Path. She is currently pursuing her PhD in conservation studies from the University of York, UK.

Ms. Nayak has won several prestigious grants that include the Charles Wallace India Trust fellowship, library research grants from Getty Foundation and Duke University, and has also received the National Diversity Scholar award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Besides, her work on restoring buildings in India have won several UNESCO Asia-Pacific awards.

For her Fulbright-Nehru project, Ms. Nayak, who also teaches an undergraduate elective course, Conservation Basics, in a hybrid format at the Academy of Architecture, Mumbai, is developing this course for broader applicability in other areas in India to promote greater involvement of emerging professionals in the field of historic preservation. The course is also introducing to the students current digital tools in documentation and preservation.

Margaret Phillips

Prof. Margaret Phillips is a paralegal educator, lawyer, writer and access to justice activist focused on developing experiential learning for paralegal students while promoting access to justice for under-served communities. She is currently the Director of the Paralegal Studies program at Daemen University in Buffalo, New York, and prior to that she taught Legal Research and Writing at the University of Buffalo School of law and was a civil litigator with experience in negligence, civil rights, and discrimination.

As an educator, Prof. Phillips is experienced in developing curriculum, presenting and teaching on topics ranging from social justice, legal ethics, legal research and writing, introduction to law, and legal research methods. She has presented to audiences including high school groups, paralegals, paralegal educators, practicing attorneys, and college students. She was recently selected to do a Tedx Buffalo talk “What if the Constitution Could Talk?”

As a writer, Prof. Phillis is the author of a college textbook on legal analysis and writing entitled: “A Practical Guide to Legal Research and Analysis for Paralegal and Legal Studies Students.” She also writes a regular column for the Bar Association for Erie County entitled “Spotlight on Paralegals.”

Her current scholarly focus is on access to justice effort locally, nationally, and internationally. As the program director for Paralegal Studies, she has been active in creating the Paralegal Clinic course as well as community-based short-term clinics such as expungement clinics to eradicate low-level marijuana related criminal convictions.

During her Fulbright-Nehru grant, Prof. Phillips intends to collaborate, develop and co-teach legal skills curriculum for paralegals and interns at the Human Rights Law Network, the legal clinics at the National Law University Delhi, and other paralegal organizations. The primary goal is to increase these organizations’ capacity, communication and collaboration to promote access to justice. The secondary goal is to form solid collaborations between the not-for-profits and law schools to enhance access to representation. Specifically, the training and teaching will support Human Rights Law Network in hosting more volunteers, enhance and grow legal clinics at NLU Delhi, and support community paralegal networks.

Anita Charles

Dr. Anita Charles is Director of Teacher Education and Senior Lecturer at Bates College, Lewiston, Maine. In the past, she has taught a wide variety of ages and abilities, from first graders through adult learners, including more than ten years as a high school English teacher.

Dr. Charles has conducted many workshops on a wide range of topics, including autism, special education, digital literacies, and teaching methodologies.

As a Fulbright Scholar in India in 2016, Dr. Charles taught undergraduates and explored issues of literacy and inclusion in pre-K-12 schools. Subsequently, she engaged in research on inclusive education for children with disabilities in India.

Dr. Charles has a PhD from University of New Hampshire in the area of Adolescent Literacy. Her dissertation on digital, social, and academic literacies won two national awards. She holds an MEd from Harvard and a BA from Dartmouth College. She has published numerous articles as well as several book chapters. In 2019, she also appeared on a nationally televised ABC news special with Diane Sawyer entitled “Screentime.”

For her Fulbright-Nehru grant, Dr. Charles plans to present on topics related to teacher education, literacy, inclusion and diversity, and/or similar areas of expertise. Her philosophy is based in progressive theory, which promotes a student’s learning process as one of teacher-student interaction, discovery, and growth, through a recognition of social and cultural contexts. In India, a number of initiatives strive to improve educational opportunities, processes, and outcomes for all children. In addition to teaching, she hopes to assist a host institution in curriculum/program development, participate in meetings as an active member of the organization, engage in local community outreach, and give presentations or workshops.