Dr Lena Hann received the prestigious US Fulbright Scholar appointment from the US Department of State and the Fulbright Commission Sweden. During her Fulbright time, she served as guest researcher at Uppsala’s Centre for Gender Research and worked with the WHO Collaborating Centre at Karolinska Institutet's Department of Women's and Children's Health
ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS (March 4, 2025) — February 1 marked Associate Professor Dr Lena Hann’s first day as department chair of Augustana College’s Public Health Program. The veteran educator just returned from a whirlwind twenty months of scholarship and research in Sweden.
Her time in Sweden started by leading a group of Augustana students on the June study abroad course “Whole Person Health in Scandinavia,” and continued with her sabbatical during the 2023-2024 academic year.
Dr Hann then remained in Sweden for fall semester 2024 after receiving the prestigious and competitive US Fulbright Scholar appointment from the US Department of State and the Fulbright Commission Sweden.
Fulbright Scholars play a critical role in US public diplomacy, establishing long-term relationships between people and nations, according to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
A previous Fulbright finalist, Dr Hann said she couldn’t believe it when she received the news that she had finally made it through the exhaustive and in-depth application process.
Dr Lena Hann at the Public Health Agency of Sweden during her Fulbright appointment. While in Stockholm, she led a staff workshop at the agency's headquarters and was a keynote speaker at the Public Health Agency's national conference
“When I heard back from them that I got the award, I wasn’t ready to hear it. It was really exciting. I cried with joy and was in disbelief,” she said. “The Fulbright is not only a privilege for me in my own career — it really shows the work of Augustana’s Public Health Program and the support we have, for our students and our faculty.
“Augustana’s Public Health Program was built to be interdisciplinary. This has provided me the most interdisciplinary experience I could imagine.”
As a Fulbright Scholar, she served as guest researcher at Uppsala’s Centre for Gender Research and worked with the WHO Collaborating Centre at Karolinska Institutet's Department of Women's and Children's Health. With a focus on women’s health, her work included teaching a PhD course, finishing and publishing a clinical best-practices book, co-writing a book chapter about a Swedish graphic novel, publishing journal articles, and giving more than a dozen public talks all around Sweden.
US and Swedish Fulbright Scholars and Fulbright staff at the Swedish Parliament
Uppsala University is a sister school with Augustana; the schools offer exchange programs and cross-cultural learning opportunities. Dr Hann said working at Uppsala’s Centre for Gender Research was invigorating, with a rich mix of scholars from the United States, Mozambique, Spain, India, Japan, and other Nordic countries studying a variety of topics.
“It’s all at the Centre: social sciences, humanities, public health, biosciences, chemistry, and art,” she said. “On a day-to-day basis, scholars teach classes, work on their own research, and hold seminars to present what they’re working on. The interdisciplinary perspectives give you feedback to think of your research in a new way.”
Dr Hann also piloted her own research project about Swedish health-care providers' experiences in reproductive health, where she visited hospitals and interviewed medical professionals across the country. She attended the 2024 Nobel Prize Ceremony in Stockholm and a special meet-and-greet with US Nobel Laureates at the US Ambassador to Sweden's residence.
She also enjoyed staff retreats at castles in the Swedish countryside, presented at several conferences and met colleagues, friends and students for fika — cozy, ritual coffee breaks, a staple of Swedish culture and a practice regularly celebrated at Augustana.
Drs Lena Hann and Elina Nilsson outside the Nobel Prize Ceremony at the Stockholm Concert Hall. Dr Nilsson is now a Fulbright Scholar at Augustana, teaching a Scandinavian studies course
”Sweden was such a great experience with special people. I’ll be eternally grateful for my time as a Fulbrighter.”
Today she’s back at Augustana teaching three courses for budding public health professionals, overseeing Senior Inquiry capstone projects, and advising more than eighty undergraduates, all while continuing to collaborate on research in the US and Sweden.
She’s keeping her Swedish language skills up to scratch through classes in Augustana’s Scandinavian studies program, which she said will help her as she shapes a future Scandinavian study-abroad course.
Dr Hann joined Augustana in 2016 and became Augustana’s first tenured faculty member of the Public Health Program, which launched ten years ago. She said her Fulbright experience will continue to shape her teaching, research, and service to students and the community in innumerable ways.
“It’s a challenging time to work in public health, and I’m honored to lead passionate students and committed faculty who together are ready to take on any challenge put before us,” said Dr Hann. “Augustana teaches critical-thinking skills, interdisciplinary strategizing, and approaches to complex health problems that can translate across multiple fields. We’re preparing the future leaders of public health, and the future is bright.”
Augustana Provost Dr Dianna Shandy said Dr Hann’s Fulbright experience was a well-deserved opportunity.
"Dr. Hann epitomizes the teacher-scholar-mentor model that is quintessentially Augustana," said Dr Shandy. "We are thrilled that she was the recipient of the prestigious Fulbright honor, and we know her engagement with the academic community in Sweden as a Fulbright Scholar will directly benefit Augustana students."
Dr Hann wishes more people were aware of Fulbright opportunities, which are available not only to tenure-track faculty, but also people early in their careers, those in the arts and students.
“I hope talking about my Fulbright inspires other people to apply.”
