Associate Professor Rajkumar Sevak in Pacific’s Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Fellowship to advance mental health research and pharmacy education in India. 

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s premier international academic exchange program. The highly competitive fellowship is designed to expand knowledge and innovation, address global challenges and strengthen relationships between the United States and countries around the world.

During his fellowship, Sevak will work in Gujarat, a Western state in India to support the development of PharmD education programs while also conducting research focused on mental health and neuropsychiatric therapeutics.

“I am deeply honored to receive such a prestigious award,” Sevak said. “The Fulbright is incredibly competitive and international in scope, bringing together accomplished journalists, scientists, artists, athletes and scholars from more than 130 countries who all compete for the same funding. Knowing the caliber and diversity of applicants, I feel truly humbled and grateful to be selected. It’s an amazing honor.”

India has recently begun expanding its PharmD curriculum, modeled in part after the clinical and patient-centered approach used in the United States. Sevak’s work will focus on helping adapt successful elements of U.S. pharmacy education to India’s evolving academic programs.

At Pacific, students are trained through patient care processes that emphasize assessment, treatment, monitoring and follow-up across a wide range of conditions, including mental health disorders. Sevak aims to introduce those elements into India’s pharmacy curriculum. 

“The whole idea is to go to a developing country like India, where I can utilize my knowledge and skills about neuropsychiatric therapeutics and teach the curriculum there, and also conduct research on mental health, because PharmD curriculum is relatively new in India,” Sevak said.

Dean of the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, Berit Gundersen said the recognition will not only uplift Pacific, but the community as well. 

“A Fulbright award is one of the highest recognitions of academic excellence and we are thrilled to see one of our faculty members honored in this manner,” Gundersen said.  “It not only elevates the visibility of our program, but it also enriches our community through international collaboration and exchange of ideas.  We are proud to celebrate Dr. Sevak's success and the impact it represents for both the school and the university.”

Sevak says his experience will bring back a wealth of knowledge to Pacific’s students. 

“Students at Pacific could benefit from my experience in global health, and I can better prepare them for serving diverse communities in the U.S.,” he said. “In California, we have people from all over the world, and being culturally responsive in terms of providing care can really help our students.”

Sevak joins an illustrious group of Fulbright winners around the world, which over the years have included 63 Nobel Prize winners, 98 Pulitzer Prize winners and 83 MacArthur Fellowships.