Quinnipiac U. Nursing Professor From Branford Wins Fulbright Award

From Quinnipiac University:

HAMDEN, CT —Laima Karosas, of Branford, clinical professor of nursing at Quinnipiac University, has received a prestigious U.S. Fulbright Scholar Award for the 2024-25 academic year.

Karosas will use the Fulbright award to teach and conduct research at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU), specifically with nursing faculty.

“I am honored to be a Fulbright Scholar in Lithuania where I have worked with nurses for over 30 years,” Karosas said. “This grant allows me to remain longer in the country, establish stronger ties, teach nursing students and examine the role of advanced practice nurses in Lithuania.

Karosas will teach in the classroom and more extensively share knowledge in several areas including qualitative research methods, evidence-based practice, a history of Lithuanian nursing and global advanced nursing practice, women and ‘women’s’ work and health policy as well as serving as adviser and consultant on master’s and doctoral level research projects. In addition, Karosas will provide workshops and seminars about evidence-based curriculum evaluation and revision as well as increasing ties with community stakeholders for program improvement.

“We are extremely proud of the work Dr. Karosas continues to do with her professional nursing colleagues in Lithuania,” said Larry Slater, dean of Quinnipiac’s School of Nursing. “This Fulbright is a deserved honor, recognizing her longstanding commitment to nursing and advanced practice nursing in the country, while allowing her to expand her critical work to build collaborative partnerships that will no doubt impact the state of nursing and, therefore, public health in Lithuania. As the first-ever Fulbright scholar for the School of Nursing, Dr. Karosas is trailblazing a path for Quinnipiac and the School of Nursing, demonstrating our commitment to building health capacity around the globe.”

The $28,300 award will allow Karosas to teach and conduct research in Lithuania for six months starting on Jan. 28.

“As a result of the Fulbright Scholar Award, I hope to better understand the scope of practice for advanced practice nurses in Lithuania,” Karosas added. “That information, in turn, will equip advanced practice nurses to consider next steps for implementing their scope of practice in daily practice.”

The Fulbright Program, the United States government’s flagship program of international educational and cultural exchange, offers passionate and accomplished students and scholars in more than 160 countries the opportunity to study, teach, conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to mutual understanding. The talented Fulbrighters from all backgrounds inspire, innovate, and contribute to finding solutions to challenges facing our communities and our world.

The activities further the Fulbright mission by creating a stronger relationship between the applicant and the host institution, sharing and advancing knowledge between both countries and, ultimately, improving the healthcare of residents in both countries, Karosas said.

Karosas is a faculty member in the School of Nursing at Quinnipiac. She is certified as an adult nurse practitioner by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board and a family nurse practitioner by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. She is also a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

Prior to joining Quinnipiac in 2002, she was a nurse practitioner in various settings including veterans' health, hospice and palliative care, urgent care, long-term care and primary care. She has worked with nurses globally and collaborated with colleagues in Lithuania to study the perception of nursing in Lithuania, standardization of outcome language and spiritual care in oncology patients. Her clinical expertise and knowledge of qualitative research methods as well as quality improvement skills have resulted in a partnership between the students and faculty of the Lithuanian Health Sciences University in Kaunas, Lithuania and Quinnipiac.

About Quinnipiac University

Quinnipiac is a private, coeducational institution located 90 minutes north of New York City and two hours from Boston. The university enrolls 9,000 students in 110 degree programs through its Schools of Business, Communications, Education, Computing and Engineering, Health Sciences, Law, Medicine, Nursing and the College of Arts and Sciences. Quinnipiac is recognized by U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review’s “The Best 388 Colleges.” The university is in the midst of program expansion and renewal for both traditional and adult learners, attraction of diverse communities, development of innovative corporate partnerships and construction of an ambitious set of capital projects. For more information, please visit qu.edu. Connect with Quinnipiac on Facebook and follow Quinnipiac on X @QuinnipiacU.