Having been named a Fulbright Scholar, John Carzoli, assistant professor and associate department head in the Physical Therapy Program at Western Carolina University, is headed to South America to share and gain knowledge of physical therapy education.
His first destination is the capital, Sucre, Bolivia, where he will work to strengthen physical therapy training programs, set a schedule and strengthen relationships.
Carzoli is one of two WCU faculty members this year to receive Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program awards. Along with Diane Martinez, an associate professor in the Department of English Studies, he has an opportunity through the program to visit abroad and build skills and connections, gain valuable international insights and return home to share experiences with students and colleagues.
Carzoli will focus on improving pedagogy in working with public and private entities in Bolivia, including the University of Saint Francis Xavier. His research will include investigating musculoskeletal health issues and community health promotion in migrant and seasonal agricultural workers, the scholarship of teaching and learning in the health sciences including the development of clinical reasoning abilities in physical therapy learners and hybridizing the delivery of health education in client care.
Instruction is one aspect. Learning is another. “Institutional navigation, to find out how we can best work together, understanding cultures, understanding people and understanding systems, will be a huge part of the adjustment, how we can best work together will be a major part of this endeavor,” said Carzoli. “And then go back next year and build upon what we’ve learned and continue to share, learn and grow.”
The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program is the largest program of its kind in the United States, awarding more than 800 fellowships annually. More than 400 different types of opportunities are available to teach, research and conduct professional projects in some 135 countries.
Carzoli chairs the departmental curriculum committee and plays an active role in teaching and learning initiatives in the College of Health and Human Sciences as a founding member of the Health Educators Academy. His practice expertise is in musculoskeletal health, prevention and health promotion.
The Fulbright Scholarships are a program of the U.S. Department of State. Since its inception in 1946, it has provided for 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and professionals of all backgrounds and fields the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to important international problems. The global network of Fulbright Scholars fosters mutual understanding between the United States and partner nations, advances knowledge across communities and improves lives around the globe.
