Former Fulbright Pursues Alzheimer’s Care
Baylor University has been recognized as a Fulbright Top Producing Institution for the third year in a row. The 2025-26 Fulbright year includes a record 22 Baylor students and recent alumni selected for the highly competitive fellowships and awards in locations across the globe. Participation in these programs helps recipients continue their education, deepen the pursuit of their callings and serve the global community.
Jade Connor Eruchalu, B.S. ’17, was selected for a prestigious Fulbright study grant in 2017. For her Fulbright year, she continued her studies at Maastricht University in the Netherlands for a master’s in governance and leadership in public health.
“I was extremely honored and excited to be named a Fulbright Scholar,” Connor Eruchalu said. “This program did not simply teach students about public health, but it gave me the tools to make decisions about a variety of public health disciplines and to implement programs that can transcend geographic borders and demographic differences.”
Her studies were directed toward the goal of improving the lives of patients with dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease. She even held a research internship with the Alzheimer’s Center Limburg.
“The Netherlands has many innovative national programs for citizens with dementia, and I learned a great deal from the Dutch approach to care of patients with dementia through public health measures,” Connor Eruchalu said.
Connor Eruchalu chose Baylor for her undergraduate studies after attending Invitation to Excellence, a special weekend program for high-achieving high school seniors that showcases Baylor’s exciting academic opportunities.
“That weekend I spoke to Baylor students who were doing incredible things: going on medical mission trips, studying abroad, conducting research, serving the community — all of them making real differences in the world,” Connor Eruchalu said. “I was also drawn to Baylor’s culture of community and service. Everyone I met at Baylor felt a genuine desire to help those in need and serve in whatever sphere of influence they had.”
During her time at Baylor, Connor Eruchalu was both a William Hillis Scholar in Biomedical Sciences and a Carr P. Collins Scholar. The Hillis Scholars program provides research experiences, enhanced mentoring and learning opportunities for high-achieving undergraduate prehealth students to prepare them for top graduate programs and medical schools. The Collins Scholars program recognizes and rewards students who demonstrate leadership through service.
After earning her master’s degree and completing her Fulbright year, Connor Eruchalu returned to the United States for medical school at Harvard, where her research interests have included disparities within healthcare, aging, and the implementation and evaluation of community health programs targeting these issues.
Currently, Connor Eruchalu is completing her medical residency in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Upon graduation in June, she will begin a new role as chief resident and plans to pursue a fellowship in geriatrics. She envisions her career being a mix of primary care and inpatient medicine, caring for older adults and their caregivers.