Connor Perlin, a fourth-year student in the School of Medicine and Health Sciences MD program, is one of six George Washington University students and alumni named Fulbright grant recipients for 2025–26. Perlin received an Open Study/Research Award to conduct research in Slovenia beginning in October.
The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship program for international academic exchange. The awards enable recipients to teach, study or conduct research abroad. Perlin received the Public Scholarship Fund of the Republic of Slovenia, which offers up to two grants for full-time independent research projects at Slovenian universities and/or research institutions.
Roughly the size of New Jersey, with more than 2 million citizens, Slovenia is a member of the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and was the first former Yugoslav republic to become an independent in 1991.
Perlin’s research, conducted in partnership with the University of Ljubljana and the National Institute of Public Health, will examine how community-based health centers in Slovenia deliver health promotion programs aimed at managing the rising burden of chronic disease. Slovenia's community-based health care model, says Perlin, “presents an invaluable opportunity to explore effective strategies for enhancing health care access and improving population health outcomes.
“I will work with administrative leaders, clinicians, and patients to explore how preventive measures, education, and care coordination are used to support disease management and patient access,” he adds.
By focusing on patient experience, delivery system design, and program outcomes, Perlin hopes to strengthen Slovenia’s health care reform efforts and identify strategies that could enhance chronic disease prevention and care delivery in the United States.
