Sandy Ng (2011-12) with her team of Stanford students and her sponsor Dr. Calvin Kam (far right)
Dr. Sandy Y.M. Ng, a member of the inaugural class of the new Fulbright NEXUS Scholar program, has just returned from her exchange. A professor at Queen’s University, Sandy took up her Fulbright award at Stanford University in 2011-12. Her project, in the area of public health, was entitled “Sustainable Cities, Better Health and Better Future.” It examined the health indicators of an aging population and attempted to measure and predict geographically-specific health trends and develop a strategy for needs-based planning for sustainable cities. Sandy relays her experience as a Fulbright NEXUS Scholar.
“During my 2 month exchange at Stanford University, I led a team of five students to identify the information, technological transformations, and policy tools required to enable evidence-based urban planning, towards a sustainable and healthy community for aging. In addition to case studies demonstrating the use of technological innovations to identify areas of high need, we initiated the development of an Age Friendly Community Scorecard, transforming high level WHO recommendations on Age Friendly Cities into actionable items. We planned and hosted a well-received workshop on March 2, entitled “Sustainable Cities, Better Health, Better Future”, designed to engage experts and disseminate our findings. ”
According to Sandy, the Fulbright NEXUS Program taught her many things. “The exchange was an invaluable learning opportunity, allowing me to think about health research from a completely different perspective. The program’s heavy emphasis on knowledge transfer and implementation trained us to always think strategically from a policymaker’s standpoint. The dissemination workshop was a deep-dive training on effective facilitation and communication to gain stakeholders’ buy-in. ”
The NEXUS program is designed to generate knowledge-based, policy-oriented solutions with immediate and practical implementation. The 2012-13 competition is now open, please visit our website to apply.
