Research year: My experience in Nepal via the Fulbright program

I left my clinical clerkships on a high, plane ticket in hand and eager to carry this new clinical lens into my longstanding passion for global public health. Throughout my life, service trips to Kenya and Honduras have shaped my life choices, from selecting my college major to committing to medicine. This year, I planned to work in Nepal and use my research skills to bridge bedside care with population-level impact through the Fulbright program.

I completed the Fulbright U.S. program (through the U.S. Department of State) with additional support through the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) Fogarty International Center. I chose to take a dedicated research year to build skills in global public health and implementation-focused research while embedding in a Nepali clinical-academic setting and contributing to locally led maternal health initiatives.

At Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences, I studied how continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) could enhance care for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in a resource-limited setting. The project attempted to link CGM metrics to maternal and neonatal outcomes, assessed feasibility and acceptability and evaluated whether real-time data could guide clinical decisions. The goal was to further enable supervised telemonitoring and guide timely interventions for expectant mothers.

We are actively interpreting the CGM dataset and drafting manuscripts for publication—analyses are ongoing as we interpret data in association with outcomes and investigate models for further interpreting the data. Preliminary analyses suggest that specific glucose peak patterns during pregnancy may be associated with neonatal outcomes and perinatal complications, supporting CGM’s potential utility beyond average glucose measures.

Below, I share more details about my research year as well as some guidance for medical students who are wondering if a research year is the right choice for them.

How the research tied into my care

CGM can guide prenatal care by prompting nutrition adjustments. Sometimes, treatment escalation showed how data can bend the curve before complications harden into negative outcomes. The farther I went into CGM data and prenatal care, the more preventive medicine rose to the surface. Whether the goal was averting neonatal hypoglycemia, reducing cesarean risk or empowering patients to understand how meals shape glucose curves, the central task was always to change tomorrow’s outcome today. For students who love clinical reasoning and want population-level impact as well, a research year can serve as a bridge into preventive medicine, quality improvement and digital health without abandoning bedside care.

My project was embedded within ongoing maternal-health research at Dhulikhel Hospital, including the Dhulikhel Hospital Birth Cohort Study, a prospective hospital-based cohort that follows women across pregnancy and the postpartum period. Through this, we found that higher overall diet quality was associated with lower odds of third-trimester depressive symptoms (22.3% screened positive; each 1-point increase in diet quality score was linked to a 16% reduction in odds of depression).

Participants are recruited during antenatal visits, with structured interviews and questionnaires complemented by medical record abstraction, enabling a multifaceted view of maternal and neonatal health. Building on this infrastructure, I focused on continuous glucose monitoring in gestational diabetes, attempting to link CGM-derived glucose patterns with clinical outcomes, all while also learning how related domains like nutrition, mental health and social support are measured and interpreted within the same setting.

Outside of my public health research, I also had the opportunity to trek the Annapurna Circuit. Crossing Thorong La, a Nepal mountain pass, at 17,769 feet and covering roughly 120 miles turned a physical test into a mental one. Oxygen runs thin at this altitude; so does ego. The views of Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu and Machhapuchhre were humbling and healing, and sharing the trail with adventurers from around the world was energizing.

Personally, the year abroad reframed anxiety for me as a future-oriented state tied to preparing for what might come. Leaving room for the possibility that tomorrow could be better than planned helped temper that anxiety. The experience deepened my humility and stamina. At the end of my trek, a bright edge of prayer flags cut the sky … not triumph, but gratitude. That’s how the year felt overall: I left to quiet the noise of training and returned having heard what matters.

I got to spend time in the OB-GYN clinical environment and work closely with physicians and public health researchers during routine prenatal care workflows. Balancing both was feasible because my role was structured around clinical observation and support within the same setting where data collection, research and follow-up occurred.

Is a research year right for you?

Whether a research year is right for you depends on your individual goals. It is a compelling choice if you want to dig deeper into a specific topic or field. Your intention will drive how productive and enriching your experience will be. For me, I took this as an opportunity to learn more about mixed-methods research, implementation science, data visualization and telehealth workflows, specifically in low- and middle-income settings. I recommend diving deeper into these four suggestions to figure out if this is the path for you as well:

• Ask yourself: Is there a clinical problem that keeps you up at night or sparks your curiosity? Your research focus doesn’t have to mirror your eventual career, but passion matters because it sustains your motivation through long application cycles, Institutional Review Board reviews, grant check-ins and mentor meetings.
  
• When selecting grants, fit matters! Reviewers quickly spot proposals that feel forced, so align your host site’s priorities with your skills and goals. Clearly articulate bidirectional value and how your work will advance the host institution during your tenure and endure after you leave. Above all, prioritize a focused clinical question, a feasible plan, committed mentorship and integration with local systems.
  
• Next, identify mentors early by engaging with recognized experts who align with your research question or proposed project. For international work, secure both a U.S. mentor and an in-country mentor who will co-own the project and establish clear, consistent communication. Define what “success” means to each mentor at the outset and align timelines and deliverables accordingly, ensuring your efforts drive the concrete, detailed goals outlined in your grant proposal.
  
• Watch for red flags, like if your mentor’s bandwidth is stretched or the site can’t truly support the project, and if your expectations hinge on guaranteed papers instead of building skills and lasting relationships.

Related reading:

A DO’s guide to navigating the visa process when applying to residency

How our lives before medicine help us become the doctors we’re meant to be