UCSF is Top Producer of Fulbright Scholars for 9th Time
UC San Francisco has been recognized as a “Top Producing Institution for Fulbright U.S. Scholars” for the 2025-26 academic year, the ninth time the university has received the distinction since 2010.
“Fulbright's recognition of UCSF as a top producer of international scholar awardees reaffirms our strategic commitment to advancing health worldwide through sustained global partnerships, rigorous research, and the exchange of knowledge across borders,” says Holly Nigorizawa.
UCSF International Programs director and Fulbright program adviser. “Our Fulbright recipients exemplify how UCSF translates academic excellence into meaningful impact for communities across the globe.”
The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international academic exchange program, designed to build understanding and strengthen peaceful relationships between people in the U.S. and other countries.
Four scholars received prestigious Fulbright international academic exchange fellowships in 2025, joining a coveted cohort of leaders and changemakers around the world. A UCSF professor is doing research in Finland and a UCSF surgical resident traveled to Uganda. UCSF is also a host institution, with researchers from Belgium and Romania conducting their Fulbright research at UCSF.
Kara Faktor, MD, is a fifth-year general surgery resident at UCSF. Her Fulbright research focuses on expanding trauma surgery training for surgery residents in Uganda.
Faktor previously worked on trauma training initiatives in Uganda in the cities of Kampalaand Mbarara. This fall, she continued building and evaluating a low-cost, two-day cadaver-based course designed to help surgical trainees manage trauma cases — especially traffic accidents involving “bodas,” or motorcycle taxies, which account for more than 60% of trauma injuries in the country. The course provides a model for developing standardized trauma education programs across Uganda’s health care system and creating communities of practice among surgical teams.
OiSaeng Hong, PhD, RN, FAAN, is a professor in the UCSF School of Nursing. Her Fulbright research in Finland explores if saunas can reduce chronic diseases and promote health among firefighters.
Firefighters in the U.S. have been interested in implementing sauna bath interventions into their health and well-being programs. Hong is doing one of the first-ever scientific research exploring the health benefits of saunas for firefighters. Over the course of a two-year project sponsored by Fulbright Finland and Saastamoinen Foundation, she will leverage Finnish sauna expertise and practices to advance her understanding of various health benefits — including detoxification, destress, and reducing cardiovascular diseases — with the goal of designing and implementing nursing-based sauna interventions for firefighters’ health and wellness.
Antoine Christiaens, MD, PhD is a lecturer and postdoctoral researcher in pharmacoepidemiology at the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium. His Fulbright research at UCSF aims to better understand treatment decisions and help make diabetes care safer and more appropriate for older adults.
Sometimes type 2 diabetes medications can cause more harm than good for older adults — especially when someone develops age-related problems like falls, memory loss, or unexpected weight loss. In those situations, clinical guidelines recommend simplifying or reducing diabetes treatment, also known as deprescribing. Christiaens used large U.S. health care databases from the Veterans Affairs system and modern causal analysis methods to evaluate if physicians are following those guidelines. He chose to do his research at UCSF because of its unique environment where clinical geriatrics, pharmacoepidemiology, and real-world data intersect.
Raluca Sfetcu, PhD, is an associate professor at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at Spiru Haret University in Bucharest, Romania. Her Fulbright research aims to prevent depression in family members and other informal caregivers of people with dementia.
Informal, unpaid caregivers are at high risk for mental health challenges and often have limited access to in-person support. Sfetcu wants to create culturally responsive mobile-based micro-interventions that can be used flexibly in their everyday life. She joined UCSF’s Memory and Aging Center for her Fulbright research this year, conducting a three-part study that includes a review of existing micro-interventions, qualitative research with caregivers, and data analysis across dementia stages. The findings will provide the foundation for designing short, engaging interventions that integrate cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and art-based strategies, contributing to the development of accessible mental health resources for dementia caregivers.