Anna Kozan

Anna Kozan is graduating in May 2024 with a BS in nursing and a BA in Spanish language studies from Ramapo College of New Jersey (RCNJ).  In her Spanish studies program, she conducted research on the intersection of language and health, and the potentially detrimental outcomes that can occur when patients speak a different language from their care providers.  In 2023, she completed a Critical Language Scholarship (CLS), Spark, to study Russian.  She is now volunteering as a CLS alumni ambassador and advertising the program through social media and by hosting events.  She has been working as a patient care technician at a hospital in New Jersey since October 2022 and developing her clinical skills to help her in her career as a nurse.  Anna also works as a Spanish tutor at Ramapo College.  Besides, she is the social media chair of the RCNJ Spanish Club.  She is also a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and of the Sigma Delta Pi National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society.  Anna is fluent in Spanish and holds an intermediate mid-proficiency in Russian, as well as a novice high proficiency in Arabic and the American Sign Language.  She is also a choreographer and performer for the RCNJ Dance Company.

In her Fulbright-Nehru project, Anna is researching if language barriers in India’s Karnataka state is affecting patient care, health literacy, and health outcomes.  Working with Dr. Archana Siddaiah at St. John’s Medical College in Bengaluru, she is interviewing healthcare workers at the college to determine their experiences with language barriers and patient care.  She is also interviewing patients to find out whether they are experiencing problems in care due to language barriers.  The goal of the project is to implement community-based solutions for the issues that are identified.