US Fulbright Specialist and Scholars Contribute to Qatar’s Higher Education Landscape

Fulbright Specialist Judge Kristi Gray and Director of Qatar University Legal Clinic Dr. Mohamad Mattar lead an October 30 discussion with QU faculty members and Qatari government stakeholders on Law to Combat Human Trafficking and Means to Enhance its Enforcement in Qatar.

In celebration of the conclusion of International Education Week, the U.S. Embassy announces three accomplished U.S. Fulbright participants in Qatar.  This includes two Fulbright Scholars, Dr. Charity Lovitt at Qatar University (QU) and Dr. Wahiba Abu-Rass at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), and one Fulbright Specialist, judge and attorney Kristi Gray, at QU College of Law.  Each distinguished expert is working closely with their Qatari hosts to make significant contributions to Qatar’s educational and research environment.

Dr. Charity Lovitt, professor and director of pre-major programs at the University of Washington-Bothell Campus, will spend one-semester teaching chemistry at QU’s College of Arts and Sciences.  Dr. Lovitt uses innovative, evidence-based pedagogy to prepare students in Qatar to excel in the field of chemistry.  Dr. Lovitt is also leading workshops on knowledge and teaching methods with QU faculty members.  

Dr. Wahiba Abu-Rass, professor at Adelphi University’s School of Social Work in New York, will spend one academic year at HBKU College of Humanities.  Specialized in mental and social health services, Dr. Abu-Rass is conducting research on telemental health hare (TMHC) and its role in reducing barriers to and stigmas around mental health care.  Dr. Abu-Rass aspires to enhance mental healthcare services in Qatar by using new TMHC interventions and providing policy recommendations tailored to the Qatari context.

Judge and attorney Kristi Gray, an expert in prosecuting human trafficking cases, recently completed a successful six-week Fulbright Specialist Project with QU College of Law.  From September to October 2023, Judge Gray worked closely with the QU Law Clinic director and his staff, legal scholars, researchers, and more than 140 law clinic students on conducting a comparative analysis of Qatari law number 15 of 2011, which addresses human trafficking.  This project led to the drafting of the first interpretative legislative guide of the Qatari law, which will contribute to the work of several Qatari stakeholders in combatting human trafficking. 

The Fulbright program is one of the United States’ most prestigious academic and professional exchange programs.  Since its inception in 1946, over 400,000 Fulbrighters from the United States and 165 countries have studied, taught, and conducted research in each other’s countries.?