awarded prestigious scholarship
DMD GRADUATE
Congratulations to Dr Jamie Maraj, who was recently named as a recipient of a 2021 Fulbright Scholarship The Fulbright program is a foreign exchange scholarship program, which involves more than 160 countries sending recipients to the United States to work on projects that will expand global knowledge. The international scholarship is an incredible opportunity for Jamie, who graduated from UWA with a Doctor of Dental Medicine last year.
I’m hoping to combine an understanding of public-health policy with my clinical experience as a dentist to help develop effective solutions to the widening socio-economic divide in oral health outcomes in Australia. Jamie was awarded the 2021 Fulbright Scholarship recipient alongside two other scholarship recipients – a Bachelor of Philosophy student (who will study a Master of Space Systems Engineering) and a PhD student (who will continue her studies on how the gut can be a trigger for Parkinson’s disease). UWA Vice-Chancellor Professor Amit Chakma says being selected as a scholar for the prestigious Fulbright program is a great honour. “Fulbright scholars have made remarkable contributions to the world – engaging in genuinely collaborative research and enhancing cultural understanding. We are very proud of our new Fulbright scholars and wish them well in the important work before them.” Jamie says the application process for the scholarship was straightforward, involving both a personal essay and study plan outlwining what kind of impact he hopes to make over his career, followed up by a panel interview. When he found out he was a successful recipient, Jamie says it felt quite surreal to be chosen from such an incredible talent pool. “After it had sunk in, it was
also really heartening to know that an organisation like Fulbright chose to invest both in dental public health and my own potential to make a real difference,” he adds. Jamie will head to the US to begin the scholarship in August, attending Johns Hopkins University, where he will study a Master of Public Health. Although he admits there is a feeling of travelling into the eye of the storm given the large number of COVID-19 cases in the US, he says luckily there has not been any significant changes to the course for the coming academic year. Jamie plans on majoring in health policy through his Master of Public Health. “This involves getting a firm grounding in the policy mechanisms that can be used to implement public health measures and understanding the political and economic realities that create some of health inequities that we, as clinicians, see almost every day,” he says. “I’m hoping to combine an understanding of public health policy with my clinical experience as a dentist to help develop effective solutions to the widening socioeconomic divide in oral health outcomes in Australia,” he adds. “Additionally, I think a large part of this experience will be the relationships cultivated along the way, and the opportunities for international collaboration on issues that affect both the US and Australia.” Once Jamie returns to Australia with his Master of Public Health, he hopes to work on forming the evidence base that governments use when making health policy decisions, and state the best possible case for expanding access to dental care in Australia. “I plan on doing this through working at policy institutes and directly with government health departments, should I get the opportunity,” he explains. “I would also like to keep the hand skills sharp and maintain clinical practice when I return to Australia.” We look forward to catching up with Jamie on his return to find out about his once-in-a-lifetime experience. Watch this space! adawa.com.au
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