
Field of Study:
Political Studies
Home Institution in the U.S.:
Pitzer College, Claremont, CA
Host Institution in Nepal:
National Kidney Center, Kathmandu, and Nepal Development Society, Kathmandu
Start Month/Year in Nepal:
July 2024
Duration of Grant:
Ten months
Ava Francis-Hall
Ava Francis-Hall, a recent graduate from Pitzer College, holds a degree in political studies with a minor in economics. Although her research experience has extended across the globe from the Bay Area, California, to Ireland and Nepal, she continues to be driven by examining what “home” means across different populations and how state policy and community care structures can support this notion.
Drawing from her previous academic experience in Nepal through the Pitzer in Nepal program, Ava leverages her background in social policy and public health to analyze the impact of adverse health effects on returnee migrants and their communities. Her Fulbright project is evaluating Nepal’s dialysis infrastructure and care systems for returnee migrants with chronic kidney disease (CKD), a condition increasingly seen amongst migrants who work in countries with rising temperatures. She is conducting her research at Nepal’s National Kidney Center’s three branches, exploring the personal, economic, and health challenges faced by these migrants in accessing care. Through participatory research and patient/family interviews, she is studying how migration and CKD together create a unique burden of care and affect family functionality and health outcomes.