VCU professor secures Fulbright Scholarship

By Tom Gresham

Virginia Commonwealth University Psychology Professor Marilyn Stern, Ph.D., has received a Fulbright Scholarship that will allow her to pursue research interests in Israel in 2006.

Stern, director of training for the counseling psychology program in the Department of Psychology, will reside in Haifa, Israel, from January to July of 2006. Stern will base her research at the University of Haifa and at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa.

Stern’s research will focus on the psychosocial impact of cancer on adolescents and their ability to adapt to their illness and treatment. Stern will examine whether and to what extent patients’ quality of life is affected by positive emotions and their perceptions of how well they are dealing with their disease. Stern already has conducted some of this research in Virginia. The Fulbright Scholarship will enable Stern’s study to feature a cross-cultural comparison, incorporating research with patients of different nationalities and backgrounds.

“This is a very exciting opportunity,” Stern said. “Cultural awareness is an important component of being an effective professional in the field of psychology. Such awareness also enhances our ability to serve as mentors and function as academic scholars. You can’t just assume everyone’s the same.

“One has to be aware that individuals have different value systems and these values impact the whole health care provider-patient relationship,” Stern said. “It’s important to know what that impact is. I also look forward to looking at where differences don’t exist.”

The stint abroad will mark Stern’s second in the Fulbright Scholarship program. Stern previously traveled to Israel in 1994 as a Fulbright Scholar to conduct a cross-cultural comparison of the role that parents’ and other caregivers’ expectations about premature babies’ health plays in the child’s development. At that time, she lived in the southern region of Israel.

Stern said she was excited to return to Israel, adding that her first experience as a Fulbright Scholar “was probably the highlight of my professional career.” She remains in touch with many colleagues from that first Fulbright experience.

Stern, who has a joint appointment in the VCU School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics, also co-directs the Family Support and Research Center, which aims to strengthen families of people with medical disorders through interdisciplinary research, training and implementation of family support and educational programs.

Stern is one of two VCU faculty members to secure a Fulbright Scholarship for next year. Helen Ruth Aspaas, Ph.D., an associate professor in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, will study at the University of Nairobi in Nairobi, Kenya. Aspaas will investigate the business methods of rural woman in two districts in Kenya.

Fulbright scholarships are awarded to U.S. citizens and nationals of other countries for a variety of educational activities, primarily university lecturing, advanced research, graduate study and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. Since the program’s inception, more than 250,000 participants – chosen for their leadership potential – have had the opportunity to observe each other’s economic, political and cultural institutions.

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs sponsors the Fulbright Program. Under a cooperative agreement with the bureau, the Council for International Exchange of Scholars assists in the administration of the Fulbright Scholar Program for faculty and professionals.