I was asked by Fulbright Chile to write a brief summary of my experience in the US. Let me begin by saying that the Fulbright scholarship was truly a life-changing opportunity. I will try to summarize my background and what I consider to be the most salient aspects of our lives these past years. Needless to say, I am deeply indebted to Fulbright for providing me this opportunity to study, work, and live in the US.

I was given a Fulbright Scholarship to pursue a doctorate at Brandeis University (2008-2012). I graduated with a PhD in Social Policy in July 2014, and I am currently on my first year of Academic Training. I work as a Senior Research Associate at the Schneider Institute for Health Policy at Brandeis University. My research interests are broadly related with population health, health economics, poverty, and inequality. I was originally trained as a civil engineer at Universidad Católica de Chile, and later, as a political scientist at Universidad Alberto Hurtado, in Santiago, Chile.

My wife and I arrived in Boston without too much clarity on what to expect for the coming years. We had agreed she would focus on learning English and I would try to succeed in my doctoral studies. We could hardly imagine that almost 7 years later we would look back and realize these years have been the most transformative in our lives. Most importantly, we had two wonderful boys who have made our lives incredibly fun and full of surprises. Soon after our arrival, my wife was hired as a teacher at a bilingual public school in Cambridge, where she continued developing her professional career in a demanding yet supportive environment. She built strong ties with the school and with her colleagues, and learned a lot from a diverse and vibrant community of young students. On my side, I quickly found out that academic life in the US had a quick pace and could be very challenging sometimes. My professors were hard working and productive, yet always found time to share their experiences and knowledge. Being a Fulbright scholar was always helpful presentation card. I had great opportunities to do applied research, participate in conferences and scientific meetings, and to meet incredibly capable people from academia, government, and industry, whose professional careers are oriented at improving other people’s lives and well-being.

Overall, we have learned that most Americans are welcoming and warm, dislike hierarchies, and value and respect other people’s perspectives and ideas. We have learned about the dangers of certainty and about the limits of knowledge. We have seen two incredible presidential campaigns, visited various US states, enjoyed great food and music, seen the Celtics, Bruins, Patriots, and Red Sox in their home stadiums, and shoveled tons of snow. Above all, we have met incredible people and created long-lasting friendships. In sum, these past years have been wonderful and we are deeply indebted to Fulbright for having helped to make this possible.

Eduardo A. Undurraga
Profesor Asistente