Simon Rahman is an MDCM student and a McGill Global Health Scholar supported by the Margaret W. Siber MDCM 1970 and George R. Siber MDCM 1970 Global Heath Scholar Award. This past summer, Simon worked with Prof. Raphael Lencucha on How is context considered in the implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
"My project focuses on identifying contextual factors affecting the implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) across the 182 countries that have signed on to implement the FCTC provisions. The FCTC is an international treaty that aims to standardize tobacco control across countries. The creation of the FCTC represented a major milestone for the promotion of public health and provided new legal dimensions for international health cooperation. My responsibilities include organizing the WHO policy documents and global progress reports and identifying the factors that have led to the differences in how countries have worked to achieve the goals of the FCTC. Finally, my work includes analysis that will identify and examine how context is defined and described, what is included and excluded from this conceptualization, and critically assess the implications for FCTC implementation.
I found that the most interesting aspect of my work has been discovering the vast differences in how similar policy is applied across the globe. Countries with similar goals have created new ways to tackle the challenge of tobacco control within local contexts. I really enjoyed my project and learnt a lot about health policy and global health through my work on this internship. Learning how global health is influenced by public policy and international collaboration has given me a greater understanding about how health is influenced by many factors."
Learn more about the McGill Global Health Scholars Undergraduate Program.
