Dr. Teti will travel to South Africa to collaborate with University of Western Cape researchers

March 12, 2021

The University of Missouri School of Health Professions is pleased to announce that Michelle Teti, associate department chair and associate professor of Public Health, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award in public health for the 2020–21 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Dr. Teti, who is also affiliated with the MU Black Studies department, is one of more than 800 U.S. citizens who will conduct research and/or teach abroad for the 2020–21 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. In July, she will travel to the University of Western Cape in South Africa, where she will study how to improve medication adherence among youth with HIV in South Africa.

Dr. Teti has more than 20 years of experience conducting HIV and sexual health research with people living with and at risk for HIV. The premise of her work is that sick and disenfranchised people matter and know best what is needed to solve their complex health problems. She has been a lead and collaborating investigator on multiple research projects funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Defense, among others. She is also the North America editor for the International Journal of Qualitative Methods.

“Dr. Teti is a tremendous scholar dedicated to our mission of improving the health and well-being of individuals and communities,” said Kristofer Hagglund, PhD, dean of the School of Health Professions. “The Fulbright scholarship recognizes her unique and collaborative research program. Her research is bringing into the light the challenges facing individuals with chronic illness and the many resilient methods of coping with these challenges.”

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to forge lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries, counter misunderstandings, and help people and nations work together toward common goals.

Fulbrighters address critical global challenges in all disciplines while building relationships, knowledge, and leadership in support of the long-term interests of the United States. Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in many fields, including 60 who have been awarded the Nobel Prize, 86 who have received Pulitzer Prizes, and 37 who have served as a head of state or government.

For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit eca.state.gov/fulbright.