UW–Madison graduate student Brittany St. John has been awarded a Fulbright Future Postdoctoral Scholarship by the Australian-American Fulbright Commission.
St. John is a doctoral candidate in the School of Education’s Department of Kinesiology, focusing on occupational science.
The scholarship, which is funded by the Kinghorn Foundation, will support St. John’s work in partnership with the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre in Victoria, Australia, to disseminate the Engaged Eaters Program, an effective feeding intervention for autistic children and their families that can be delivered via telehealth.
Feeding challenges are common among autistic children and increase the risk of detrimental medical and developmental outcomes.
A team led by Karla Ausderau, an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology, developed the Engaged Eaters Program at UW–Madison, and St. John was involved in the development and initial pilot of the program. St. John is currently overseeing an additional pilot study focused on the adaptation of the program for telehealth delivery.
St. John will undertake her work in Australia from January through October 2023.