Houghton University Professor Selected as Fulbright U.S. Scholar
David Brubaker, M.D., has been chosen as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar for the 2024-25 academic year. The Fulbright Scholar Program, administered by the U.S. Department of State, will allow Brubaker to teach at Bwindi Community Hospital in southwestern Uganda.
Brubaker, an assistant professor of biology and the director of Health Services at Houghton University, was drawn to this opportunity to contribute to Bwindi Hospital’s Christ-centered ministry focused on improving the health and dignity of the Batwa people, who were displaced when their forest home was designated as a protected habitat for mountain gorillas in 1991. The invitation to teach at Bwindi came from Dr. Scott Kellermann, co-founder of the Bwindi Community Hospital, during a visit to Houghton in early 2023. “His description of how they are strategically training health care workers to meet medical needs and increase access to care in an underserved area of Uganda was compelling,” said Brubaker. “I was excited by his suggestion that, given my 15 years of teaching Anatomy and Physiology and medical background, I could be involved in that work.”
Brubaker will support the Uganda Nursing School-Bwindi and Uganda College of Health Sciences-Bwindi training programs by teaching Anatomy and Physiology in collaboration with Ugandan faculty. This situation was made possible through the Fulbright award.
“The Fulbright Scholar program has been considered one of the most prestigious scholarship programs in the country since its founding in 1946,” said David Davies, provost at Houghton. “Dr. Brubaker’s selection as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar is a tremendous honor and a testament to his excellence as a scholar and educator. He is a blessing to the Houghton University community, and I am confident God will use him to bless the people of Uganda in the coming academic year.”
The application process for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award was rigorous and involved submitting a project proposal, supplemental essays and letters of recommendation. Brubaker’s application was reviewed by a committee of peers and approved by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
Brubaker expressed his enthusiasm for collaborating with Ugandan colleagues, broadening his understanding of tropical medicine and public health, and learning more about the Batwa story. His dedication to education and commitment to addressing healthcare inequities make him an ideal candidate for this prestigious fellowship.
“My experience has been that any time I have the privilege of engaging in a cross-cultural context, it opens my eyes to the needs and lives of others, broadening my perspective and opening unexpected doors. It makes my world larger and deepens my understanding of others, and in doing so enriches my life, often in ways not easily articulated or even specifically recognized in the moment,” continued Brubaker. “Mostly, I feel grateful--for the honor of being selected, for the chance to share this experience with my family, for supportive and encouraging colleagues both here and in Uganda, for the privilege of collaborating with brothers and sisters in the Lord who are dedicated to seeing and advocating for a people group which has been marginalized over the years, and for the way I can see the Lord’s hand at work in my life through what has been an unconventional career path to prepare me for this particular work.”
