Galloway, N.J. – This past summer, Trina L. Gipson-Jones, associate professor of Health Science at Stockton, was selected to participate in the prestigious 2025 Fulbright-Hays Short-Term Group Project Abroad (GPA) in South Africa. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, the program brings U.S. scholars abroad to strengthen globally informed curricula through research and cultural exchange.

Led by Serie McDougal of California State LA, in collaboration with Program Coordinator Zama Dlamini, Gipson-Jones joined a small cohort of faculty from institutions across the country, traveling to Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town. Before departure, the group completed intensive isiZulu language training, which continued throughout the trip.

In South Africa, they collaborated with faculty and health professionals at universities including the University of Johannesburg, Wits University and the University of Pretoria, engaging in conversations on traditional knowledge systems, community-based care, and culturally grounded health practices. The scholars also visited major cultural and historical sites, including the Origins Centre, Nelson Mandela’s home, the Hector Pieterson Museum, and key Zulu heritage landmarks.

“I was so very excited, grateful and honored to be selected as one of the Fulbright-Hays Short-Term Group Projects Abroad awardees. I had never been on the continent before, and this experience was life-altering. I still cannot believe I had the opportunity to learn from some of the top South African scholars, maternal health professionals, and traditional healers,” Gipson-Jones shared. “My Fulbright-Hays experience opened my eyes to South Africa’s history, knowledge, health practices, strengths and existing opportunities for collaborations to support mutual maternal health needs in both the U.S. and South Africa. It also deepened my ability to prepare my students to provide equitable and culturally informed care from the lens of cultural humility.”

These experiences are now shaping Gipson-Jones’s curriculum in the School of Health Sciences, especially her course GSS 3188: African Americans, Race & Medicine. She also developed four new modules on Black maternal health, drawing on the African philosophy of Ubuntu (“I am, because we are”), and the shared maternal health challenges faced in both nations. Her work continues to focus on health equity, racial justice and community-engaged approaches to improving maternal health outcomes. Gipson-Jones has been a part of the Stockton community since 2019.

Reported by Mandee McCullough

Photos submitted