The Fulbright Specialist Program selected an associate professor from the Georgetown University School of Nursing (SON) Feb. 8 to work as a specialist with the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population. 

Intima Alrimawi was chosen to join the program, which is a flagship international educational and cultural exchange program established in 2001 by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). Through a competitive selection process, the ECA pairs host institutions abroad with applicants whose knowledge and skills tend to the specific needs of a proposed project. 

Alrimawi said that the Fulbright Specialist program opens up new opportunities for cultural exchange per Georgetown’s commitment to the Jesuit value of “people for others,” in particular as grantees are placed around the world to complete their projects.

“Being selected as a Fulbright Specialist grantee is a moment of great achievement and honor, as it allows me to contribute my expertise to international collaboration,” Alrimawi wrote.

Alrimawi will work on a nationwide project aimed at improving healthcare in Egypt this summer and said she looks forward to leveraging her skills to advance healthcare systems and practices worldwide.

“My passion for promoting international cooperation and global health issues deeply motivated me and inspired this nationwide healthcare project,” Alrimawi wrote. 

With a special emphasis on sustainability, Alrimawi will focus on developing the abilities and resources for instructors in health-related fields, specifically through enhancing teaching and training methodologies in healthcare education programs.

Roberta Waite, dean of Georgetown University’s School of Nursing, wrote to The Hoya that the SON takes pride in Alrimawi’s Fulbright honor.

“Being selected as a Fulbright Specialist is highly competitive and this is our fourth nursing faculty member to be selected in recent years. We are all so very proud of Dr. Alrimawi’s accomplishments,” Waite wrote.

Waite added that Alrimawi’s dedication to the field of nursing can inspire other leaders, especially as she takes her expertise to help people globally.

“Her dedication to sharing her knowledge in the global setting is inspiring and exemplifies our mission of supporting leaders for change and health equity for all,” Waite wrote.

Georgetown was the top producer of Fulbright Student Scholars in the United States in 2023 with 49 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral students and graduates selected for the program. 

According to Alrimawi, one of the central missions for Fulbright specialists is to make a lasting impact in the field and contribute to the overall greater good of humanity — a mission she also strongly believes in.

“I am eager to develop enduring partnerships with colleagues and institutions in Egypt. I hope to exert a worldwide impact and contribute to the greater good,” Alrimawi wrote.

Alrimawi said she looks forward to the cross-cultural exchange that the program offers and hopes to strengthen institutional linkage with Egypt’s Ministry of Health through her interest in the region and expertise in public health.

Edilma Yearwood, an associate professor of nursing at Georgetown University and mentor to Alrimawi throughout the application process, said that the Fulbright Specialist program enables faculty to take a holistic approach to their learning process. 

“The program is also a wonderful opportunity for us in nursing, who are very holistic in our thinking,” Yearwood told the Hoya. 

Yearwood, who conducted her own Fulbright Specialist project in Jamaica from 2008 to 2012, said that she visited mental health facilities in Jamaica and developed a mental health course for kids, allowing her to make a tangible, positive impact on others.

“For years, I stayed in touch with the folks in Jamaica that I spent time with. It’s a lifelong networking kind of relationship, which is very positive,” Yearwood said.

Yearwood said that Alrimawi will have the opportunity to cultivate various connections in Egypt as she completes her Fulbright Specialist project. 

“People will get to know her. It opens up the doors for other opportunities, be it research, or being a speaker, peer, mentor,” Yearwood said.