Abaneh Ebangwese

Abaneh Ebangwese

School of Nursing

Cameroon, 2025

University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) PhD student Abaneh Ebangwese, Cert ’24, BSN ’15, RN, CCRN, has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright US Student Program scholarship, becoming the first UMSON student ever selected for the honor. The Fulbright is a scholarship granted by the US Department of State that supports research, study, and teaching opportunities in more than 140 countries.

As part of the 2025 - 26 Fulbright program, Ebangwese traveled to Yaoundé, the capitol of Cameroon, where she will spend nine months conducting research to identify and analyze cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among adults there. In preparing her Fulbright application, she discovered that Cameroon’s most recent peer-reviewed data on CVD prevalence dates back to 2017.

Her work involves partnering with local health facilities and community stakeholders to collect survey and biometric data on health indicators such as blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, diet, physical activity, smoking, sleep, and body composition. She will also use statistical methods to examine how these risk factors occur individually and in clusters within this population. This will provide insight into patterns of CVD vulnerability in an under-researched region of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Three months into her time in Cameroon, Ebangwese sent the following reflection:

"It’s hard to believe, but I’ve been in Cameroon for about three months now. The experience has been incredibly dynamic and, in many ways, deeply rewarding. Like any meaningful global health work, the journey has come with its share of unexpected challenges, from navigating multi-level approvals across national and regional agencies to adapting to on-the-ground realities that require flexibility and persistence. These moments have certainly stretched me, both professionally and personally."

"At the same time, this experience has opened doors I could not have anticipated. I’ve had the opportunity to connect with national and international leaders, including meeting the Director of the CDC in Cameroon. I was also invited to serve on a panel at the US Embassy to discuss research strategies, and to deliver a seminar at one of the country’s leading universities on Fulbright and global research engagement. These opportunities have been deeply rewarding and continue to inspire me to stay focused and push forward despite the ups and downs."

Ebangwese’s family is originally from Cameroon; she is first-generation American. Her interest in CVD is reflected in her PhD dissertation, which examines CVD risk factors among US long-term care workers, a group considered marginalized due to systemic challenges such as low wages, physically demanding work, limited access to health care, and high occupational stress. 

While enrolled in the PhD program, Ebangwese also earned UMSON’s Global Health Certificate, designed to prepare health professionals for global health practice, education, and research. 

Since its establishment in 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided opportunities for more than 400,000 individuals of all backgrounds to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. They exchange ideas, foster people-to-people connections, and work to address complex global challenges. Notable Fulbright alumni include 62 Nobel laureates, 93 Pulitzer Prize winners, 82 MacArthur Fellows, 44 heads of state or government, and thousands of leaders across sectors worldwide.