April 28, 2022 

Story by Gracie Hedenberg

The MU School of Health Professions is pleased to announce that Wilson Majee, associate professor of Health Sciences and Public Health, has received a Fulbright Award for the 2022–23 academic year. Dr. Majee will spend 10 months in South Africa at the University of the Western Cape, where he will split his time evenly between research and teaching students at the university.  

Dr. Majee says previous studies suggest that youth who are disengaged from their communities are more likely to participate in detrimental behaviors and report poor health. During his time in South Africa, Dr. Majee will create a long-term intervention plan to help local youth, and teach classes related to his research.  

Dr. Majee’s past research explores resident-based solutions for rural communities. His primary focus has been implementing community leadership, promoting health initiatives and fostering community engagement in rural Missouri and rural South Africa. Youth are at the center of his engagement efforts to encourage their social and economic integration. 

“I work to create sustainable, real-world community health initiatives that live on after grants end because they are derived from and driven by the community members themselves,” Dr. Majee wrote in his fellowship proposal. 

The Fulbright fellowship is an international program sponsored by the United States government. It aims to connect scholars from U.S. academic institutions with universities from all over the world to foster mutual understanding between the U.S. and other countries.  

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