On Friday, October 13, 2023, Naj Wikoff, NOAH VP Emeritus, was accepted as part of the Fulbright Specialist Program, under the category of Global Health, for the next three years. This program operates under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and the World Learning Program. His participation was recommended by a peer review panel of international leaders in medical care and public health; an artist getting that level of endorsement is very unusual.
What it simply means is that Naj is available to provide training and consulting services to help universities, medical centers, and other institutions worldwide use the arts to help address some health crisis or concern. The US State Dept will cover the cost of sending him wherever for some agreed upon length of time so he can share his insights and at the same time learn from them, and ideally working together to help them create a sustainable activity using local talent to make a measurable difference.
For NOAH’s international members or international affiliates of our members, this will, in essence, be a way of bringing Naj to their country/community. Anyone interested can contact him directly and he can discuss their concerns, share his bio, and, if he might be a good fit, provide access to application forms and assist them in that process.