Holli DeVon PhD, RN, FAHA, FAAN of the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Nursing, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar program grant to Rwanda to conduct research into premature cardiovascular disease. The award is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Dr. DeVon will be conducting research and lecturing at the University of Rwanda as part of a project to identify risk factors associated with premature cardiovascular disease in individuals with HIV and to develop screening, risk reduction, and symptom surveillance strategies to reduce risks.

Dr. DeVon is one of over 1,200 U.S. citizens who will teach, conduct research, and provide expertise abroad for the 2017-2018 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement as well as record of service and demonstrated leadership in their respective fields.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to build relations between the people of the United States and the people of other countries that are needed to solve global challenges. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program, which operates in over 160 countries worldwide.