Bay Path Professor Marie Meckel Receives Fulbright Specialist Award

LONGMEADOW — Bay Path University announced that the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board have awarded Marie Meckel, assistant professor in Physician Assistant Studies, a Fulbright Specialist Grant.

With this award, Meckel will partner with the Wa West District Health Administration, Ghana Health Service, to launch a cervical cancer screening and prevention initiative. The project is designed to exchange knowledge, foster partnerships, and expand access to preventive healthcare in underserved communities.

Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women in low-resource settings, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. In Ghana, more than 3,000 women are diagnosed annually, and nearly 2,000 die — often due to late-stage diagnoses. To address this urgent need, Meckel’s two-week project this month will feature four community outreach events offering free cervical cancer screenings, HPV vaccinations, and health education to women in remote villages.

Meckel joins more than 400 U.S. citizens each year who share expertise with host institutions abroad through the Fulbright Specialist Program. Specialists are selected for their academic and professional accomplishments, leadership in their fields, and potential to build lasting international collaborations.

The Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange initiative, operates in more than 160 countries and has supported more than 400,000 scholars, teachers, scientists, and professionals since 1946. Alumni include Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, as well as heads of state, who have contributed to advancing solutions to shared global challenges.