Ashlyn Schwartz, a doctoral candidate in the Public Health Department at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville has been awarded a Fulbright Doctoral Research Grant for the 2021-2022 academic year. This 10-month fellowship in France will support Schwartz’s investigation of how adverse childhood experiences are related to binge drinking, brain structure alterations, and mental health challenges among French college students. Collaborating with scientists at the University of Bordeaux, Ashlyn will analyze existing and self-collected data of the Internet-based Students Health Research Enterprise (i-Share cohort project (see https://idex.u-bordeaux.fr/files/IdEx/i_share_eng_2014_0.pdf). This opportunity will further prepare Schwartz for a lifetime of work devoted to the field of public health prevention, with a focus on decreasing substance use and mental health disorders among emerging adults, applying an international perspective. Schwartz shared, “It is hard to describe the experience of a dream coming true. I am fulfilled with honor, gratitude, and enthusiasm to become a Fulbright Scholar. I wholeheartedly believe in the power of international educational and cultural exchange and am ecstatic for the opportunities this award provides.”
