UW–Madison’s Beth Fields, an associate professor of occupational therapy in the School of Education’s Department of Kinesiology, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar award.
The Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship international exchange initiative, supports scholars and professionals in advancing knowledge, addressing global challenges, and fostering mutual understanding. Since its founding in 1946, nearly 450,000 participants have contributed to its legacy of international collaboration and impact.
Fields will travel to Denmark during the 2026-27 academic year, where she will be based at Aarhus University. There, she will teach and collaborate on research focused on caregiving, aging, and prevention-oriented health systems.
Her research centers on how family and friend caregivers are conceptualized, supported, and integrated across health and social systems, with particular emphasis on dementia caregiving and family-based prevention interventions.
In collaboration with Aarhus University Senior Researcher Jeanette Christensen and Danish colleagues, Fields will examine how Denmark’s prevention-focused, community-oriented health system supports caregivers and families. She will also explore how these approaches can inform policy, practice, and education in the United States.
“This award is deeply meaningful to me — it affirms the importance of caregiving as a global public health issue and provides a unique opportunity to contribute to the exchange of ideas, research, and educational approaches across countries,” says Fields. “I’m excited about the opportunity to build lasting international partnerships and to learn from Denmark’s strong emphasis on prevention, caregiver inclusion, and relationship-centered care.”
In addition to her research, Fields will serve as a guest lecturer and mentor for graduate students at Aarhus University, contributing to courses in population health, research methods, and evidence-based practice. She notes that these experiences will enhance her teaching at UW–Madison by bringing global and cross-cultural perspectives into the classroom.
“I’m honored to represent the School of Education through this work and to bring these insights back to our students, trainees, and collaborators,” she says.