I dreamed to be Fulbright Scholar from my childhood. In 2005, I started to participate in the Fulbright Exam Process at the US Embassy in Tbilisi. During that time, only five men had the chance to win a Fulbright scholarship and I already had my PhD. I wanted to show my knowledge and gain friends in American universities which led me to become a Prospect Host professor at Yale. I’ve always dreamt about Yale and needed the help of Health Economist Mr. Professor Hong Wang in order to gain experience from an American Health Economist from Yale.

I then sent my project to Yale’s Associated Professor, Mr. Hong Wang, in 2005 about how to reform the Health System of the Post Soviet Country. I’ve conversed and met with many interesting people who found that my topic was very patriotic for my country.

In four months, I got a notification from my personal email that I am a part of the short list of people who were chosen ; my heart was shaking and me and my wife celebrated. We prepared everything we needed and decided to have my mother care for our daughters during this time.

In August of 2006, we were finally in America. The first week was a cultural shock but Yale was welcoming with Mr. Hong Wang proving to be a great mentor in order to improve my scientific knowledge. When I returned back home, I was one of the main personnel working on the Health Care Model.

Thanks to Fulbright, I am now able to improve my country and its health system!

Kakhaber Djakeli – Fulbright to Connecticut, USA 2006