During June and July 2025, the Center for Research on Society and Health (CISS) will host Jaia Wingard and Mahima Agrawal, two students from the Master of Public Health (MPH) program at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health (USA), as part of the APEx (Applied Practice Experience) program—an essential training component that allows students to apply their knowledge in real-world and diverse contexts.


Successful Aging from a Sociocultural Perspective

Jaia Wingard, a student in the Master’s program in Epidemiology and Applied Biostatistics, is working alongside Dr. Alexis Sossa Rojas on the project “Exploring the Concept of Successful Aging: Perspectives from Older Adults.” Together, they are conducting a literature review and developing materials aimed at improving the quality of life of older adults by incorporating their own voices and experiences.

“I hope this experience will be mutually enriching,” says Dr. Sossa. “I look forward to receiving new ideas and perspectives that can benefit our work and broaden our understanding of the challenges faced by older adults today.”

For her part, Jaia highlights the importance of aligning this internship with her personal and professional interests: “As a future physician, I believe immersing myself in Chilean culture will help me develop valuable skills to connect with communities and cultures different from my own. (...) I hope to translate the results of this research into community-engagement initiatives.”

Social Movements and Public Health

From the United States, Mahima Agrawal —who is pursuing a dual Master’s degree in Bioethics and Public Health— is collaborating remotely with researcher Dr. Natalia Miranda on the project “Social Movement Coalitions and Their Organizations.” The internship is part of an ongoing research line focused on coalitions within Chilean social movements, with a particular emphasis on data analysis from the COES Conflict Observatory.

“This internship was a natural fit with the lines of research I’ve been developing for years on social movements, protest, and coalitions. The opportunity to work with Mahima Agrawal—whose interdisciplinary background includes public health, social justice, and data analysis—allows us to enrich our work mutually,” explains Dr. Miranda. “(...) It aligns with an approach to research that seeks to produce knowledge from the Global South, with a critical, comparative perspective and the capacity to influence beyond our borders.”

Mahima values the project’s focus and its transformative potential: “This was one of the first times I saw social movements as the subject of public health research, rather than just a strategy within it, which expanded my understanding of all the unique ways this field can be applied.” (...) “Ultimately, my goal is to become a better advocate for human rights. That means going against the grain, challenging power structures even when it's unpopular, and amplifying the voices of others to drive policy change.”

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