CISS Practicum: Exploring the Link Between Economic Prosperity and Perceived Drug Use

Marissa Favet will study the relationship between country-wide economic prosperity and public perception of drug abuse.

July 28, 2022

Marissa Favet, Master of Public Health (MPH) candidate at Mailman, is in Chile to work with Universidad Mayor’s Research Center on Society and Health (CISS) in studying the relationship between country-wide economic prosperity and public perception of drug abuse.

Favet - one of the five graduate students from the Mailman School of Public Health that are in Chile to perform their global practicums - will work under the direction of professor José Cabezas (GSAS’12).

“I love researching at the intersection of public health and other disciplines (in this case political science)… as we say at Mailman, public health is everything!” she says. “Collaborating on this project with Dr. Cabezas has been an incredible experience. Between familiarizing myself with databases like V-DEM and reading about global laws pertaining to drug use, I consider myself quite lucky for the opportunity to learn more about the interdisciplinary nature of public health and the Latin American political landscape.”

With this practicum, the MPH in Health Policy Analysis candidate is looking to hone her knowledge of global health systems and policies. In her free time, Favet loves running (“a great way to explore the city”), as well as reading and “lying in sunny spots. The time I have spent here in Chile so far has been breathtaking in every sense-- between the sparkling seas of Valparaiso and the striking splendor of the Andes I am in awe that the same slender country can house it all,” she says.