Two Florida Atlantic Researchers Earn Fulbright Appointments

Florida Atlantic University researchers Cheryl A. Krause-Parello, Ph.D., associate vice president for research and associate executive director of the Institute for Human Health and Disease Intervention (I-Health), and Nick Underwood, Ph.D., associate professor of history and Raddock Family Chair for Holocaust Studies within FAU's Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, have earned prestigious appointments through the Fulbright Program, further strengthening FAU's growing international research and scholarly profile.

Krause-Parello has been selected for the Fulbright Specialist Roster, a three-year appointment that makes her eligible to be matched with international projects developed by institutions in more than 150 countries. Through the Fulbright Specialist Program, foreign institutions identify areas of expertise they need and develop projects that draw on specialists from the United States.

Underwood has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award for the 2026-27 academic year and will be in residence at the University of Warsaw in Poland. During his Fulbright appointment, he will teach a graduate course in Jewish Studies, conduct archival research in Warsaw and advance his current book project on Jewish migration, Yiddish culture and the reconstruction of post-Holocaust France.

Together, the appointments highlight the breadth of scholarship at FAU, spanning health research and modern European Jewish history and Holocaust studies, while creating opportunities for international collaboration and exchange.

"I am honored and excited to be selected for the Fulbright Specialist Roster and to share my expertise with colleagues and institutions around the world," said Krause-Parello. "I look forward to contributing to international projects where my experience in nursing education, research and practice, research administration, and human-animal interaction can help address institutions' specific identified needs or capacity building priorities, while learning from researchers and communities whose perspectives can expand my own work."

Krause-Parello serves as associate vice president for research at FAU and associate executive director of I-Health, an institute focused on advancing health through innovative research and practical applications. In her leadership roles, Krause-Parello helps advance initiatives that train and support faculty, students and healthcare professionals in addressing the health needs of Florida communities.

She earned her Ph.D. in nursing from Rutgers University and brings more than 24 years of experience in higher education as a faculty member, administrator and researcher. She is also the founder of C-P.A.W.W.®, a university-based health initiative that supports military members, veterans and their families through research examining human-animal interaction.

Krause-Parello's work has received international recognition. She was named a 2023 International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame Honoree and is a past president of the International Society of Anthrozoology. Her selection to the Fulbright Specialist Roster comes as another significant Fulbright achievement within a year, underscoring the international recognition of her scholarship and expertise. In July 2025, she received a Fulbright United States Scholar Program award from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board for the Germany International Education Administrators Program (academic year 2025-26).

"Dr. Krause-Parello's selection for the Fulbright Specialist Roster is an outstanding accomplishment and reflects the international impact of her scholarship," said Gregg Fields, Ph.D., FAU vice president for research. "Her expertise in health research, human-animal interaction and community health will contribute meaningfully around the world. We are proud to see her recognized through Fulbright and look forward to the opportunities for international collaboration and knowledge exchange."

Unlike the traditional Fulbright U.S. Scholar program, the Fulbright Specialist Program is driven by international institutions, which identify specific needs and develop projects designed to address their institutional priorities. Specialists selected for the roster may be matched with approved projects during their three-year tenure.

Underwood's Fulbright appointment comes as he begins his new role as associate professor of history and Raddock Family Chair for Holocaust Studies in the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters.

"We are delighted to welcome Dr. Underwood to Florida Atlantic University and the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters," said Michael J. Horswell, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Letters. "His expertise in Holocaust history, modern European Jewish history and Yiddish culture will strengthen our programs in Jewish and European history. We are especially proud of his Fulbright appointment and look forward to the perspective and international connections he will bring to our students and academic community."

As a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Warsaw during the 2026-27 academic year, Underwood will teach a graduate Jewish Studies course titled "Transnational Jewish Histories." He also will conduct research in archives in Warsaw and work toward completing three chapters of a book in progress, tentatively titled "Jewish Migration, Yiddish Culture, and the Reconstruction of Post-Holocaust France, 1944-1965."

The Fulbright experience will directly advance Underwood's broader research on Jewish migration, Yiddish culture, European Jewish communities and the aftermath of the Holocaust. His scholarship focuses on twentieth-century European Jewish history, particularly Yiddish culture and Yiddish-speaking immigrant Jews in France.

Underwood is the author of "Yiddish Paris: Staging Nation and Community in Interwar France," published by Indiana University Press in 2022 and named a finalist for a 2023 National Jewish Book Award. He also co-edited "Jewish Ideas of France: Migration, Diaspora, and Empire," published by Routledge in 2025.

His current scholarship includes a second book project, "Community Development as Antifascism: The Rue Amelot and Jewish Resistance in Vichy and Nazi Occupied France." He has co-edited special journal issues addressing subjects including Yiddish theater, Jewish urban histories and global antifascist cultures, and his research has appeared in numerous peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes.

Underwood's scholarship has been supported by fellowships and research awards from organizations including the American Philosophical Society, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Holocaust Educational Foundation of Northwestern University, the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and the Western Society for French History. He also has served as a visiting scholar at the Simon Dubnow Institute for Jewish History and Culture at Leipzig University.

He has held leadership positions in the field, including serving as president of the Western Society for French History and as vice president for program of the Association of Jewish Studies. Before joining FAU, he was an assistant professor of history at The College of Idaho, where he held the Berger-Neilsen Chair in Judaic Studies.

"I am thrilled to join Florida Atlantic University as the Raddock Family Chair for Holocaust Studies and begin this new chapter in a community that values interdisciplinary scholarship and meaningful engagement with students," said Underwood. "The Fulbright opportunity in Poland is an extraordinary complement to that work, allowing me to deepen my archival research, advance my book project and engage with scholars and students working on Jewish history. I look forward to bringing those experiences back to FAU and building new connections that benefit our students and scholarship."

Underwood will begin teaching at FAU in spring 2027 following his Fulbright experience in Poland. His appointment as Raddock Family Chair for Holocaust Studies and his Fulbright award position him to expand FAU's offerings in Jewish and European history while strengthening the university's connections with scholars and institutions abroad.

The appointments of Krause-Parello and Underwood underscore FAU's commitment to supporting faculty scholarship with international reach and to creating opportunities for its researchers and students to engage with global academic communities.

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