Fulbright Scholar Paulus working in Poland

Dr. Trena Paulus, a Professor in the Research Division in the Quillen College of Medicine

Department of Family Medicine, is a Fulbright Distinguished Scholar in Humanities and Social Sciences for 2022-23.

As a Fulbright Scholar, Paulus is at Adam Mickiewicz University (AMU) in Poznan, Poland, for an appointment that continues through June. She is working with the Faculty of English to identify qualitative research methods relevant to that community and what methodological and technology innovations may still be needed. She is working with faculty and students to design, develop, and co-teach a baccalaureate-level course in qualitative research methods for students in language and linguistics. In addition, she is providing mentoring and workshops on using qualitative data analysis software and offering a seminar for a new AMU program in medical humanities on how to apply qualitative interviewing skills to patient-centered communication in health care settings to improve patient outcomes.

Paulus sought this collaboration after giving a guest lecture at AMU as part of a series, “Challenges and affordances of qualitative methodologies,” an initiative of the newly founded Institute for Advanced Studies in Social Sciences and Humanities, and discovering mutual areas of interest with AMU officials.

Paulus specializes in methodological innovation, specifically in the use of new technologies and adaptation of language-based analysis methods.

She has over 15 years of experience teaching research methods at the graduate and undergraduate levels, as well as six years teaching English to international students. Since 2014, she has co-authored three books on the intersection of methodological and technological innovation. She is also a certified professional trainer for ATLAS.ti qualitative data analysis software.

In addition to her Fulbright Scholarship, Paulus was a 2022 Provost’s Academy Scholar at ETSU.