Psychology academic receives Fulbright grant
Professor Susan Schenk from Victoria University of Wellington’s School of Psychology has received a 2019 Scholar Award Grant from Fulbright New Zealand.
The grant will support Professor Schenk to travel to the University of Utah in November, where she will complete research to help understand the causes of drug addiction. She plans to spend nine months in the United States (US).
“The Fulbright grant is an excellent opportunity,” Professor Schenk says. “I’m always looking for new challenges and chances for growth in my research, and this grant will help provide that.”
Fulbright New Zealand was established in 1948 to promote educational and cultural exchange between New Zealand and the US. Fulbright New Zealand offers grants to academics, students, professionals, and artists to study, research, and teach in the US and forge international connections and collaborations.
Drug addiction is a long-standing area of study for Professor Schenk. She began her PhD studies in Canada in the early 1980s after noticing the effect increasing use of cocaine was having on the population.
“I started asking what makes people get into trouble with drugs, how drugs change the wiring in our brains, and how we can fix these problems,” Professor Schenk says. “Nearly four decades later we have a better understanding of how drugs change the brain, but due to the complexity of these changes we are still working on ways to address these changes.”
One of the biggest changes in that time has been the way we think about addiction, Professor Schenk says. Governments now recognise addiction as a public health concern and treat it as a disease we can cure rather than a moral problem.
“Everyone knows someone who has been affected by drug addiction,” Professor Schenk says. “We are making progress on addressing this problem, but it is a complex issue.”