Former Intern Awarded Fulbright Scholarship
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
A former WDI Global Impact Intern has been selected as a Fulbright scholarship winner.
Sean Armstrong, who interned in Mongolia in summer 2006 for WDI, will be returning to the country to study the social and cultural perceptions of alcohol in Mongolia and its effect on treatment.
In 2006, Armstrong worked with NGO BioRegions International Inc. in Mongolia on a healthcare-related feasibility study. A community health insurance (CHI) scheme was proposed to further increase participation and cooperation between the community and the health care providers. Armstrong assessed what healthcare services were wanted by residents and gauged their willingness to pay. He then worked with providers to examine whether those services could be delivered and how much it would cost.
For his Fulbright work, Armstrong will study how and why people enter alcohol treatment in Mongolia, how advisers affect which treatment people seek, and why the country has so many problem drinkers. He hopes to learn how well alcohol treatment providers are communicating their ideas to the public in the wake of the recent steep drop in life expectancy in Mongolia due to, in part, uncontrolled alcohol markets.
Armstrong’s post-Fulbright plans include pursuing his PhD and continuing his research in Mongolia.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the largest U.S. exchange program, offering opportunities for international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in secondary and elementary schools worldwide.
