Maxwell Welcomes International Professionals for Anti-Drug Trafficking Program

Twenty distinguished leaders from around the world will soon convene at the Maxwell School for an intensive, three-week academic program to cultivate technical expertise and deepen engagement to combat the production, trafficking and use of illicit drugs.

The school’s Executive Education program and recently added Public Health Department will host the Distinguished Humphrey Fellowship Program on Combatting Illicit Drug Trafficking starting Sept. 8. Funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, the program is part of the federal government’s wider global efforts to combat illicit drugs.

“We’re honored to have been selected to host this important program, which will support global efforts to comprehensively address illicit drug trafficking from perspectives ranging from public health and public safety to transnational crime and artificial intelligence,” says Dessa Bergen-Cico, professor of public health and a leading expert in drug policy. “This program aligns with the Maxwell School’s efforts to foster global engagement and informed dialogue around complex international issues.”

Bergen-Cico will provide academic leadership and guidance throughout the program. She and public health colleagues—who joined Maxwell in a transition from the David B. Falk College of Sport this summer—will join Maxwell social scientists in offering expertise to the visiting scholars.

The selected fellows are distinguished senior professionals working in such fields as border protection, public policy, forensic science, public health and international cooperation. They hail from five global regions: Africa, Central and South America, East Asia and the Pacific, the Near and Middle East, and South and Central Asia. Countries represented include Cambodia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, India, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Mexico, Nigeria and Senegal.

Part of the U.S. Department of State and administered by the Institute of International Education, the Distinguished Humphrey Fellowship is part of the Fulbright Exchange and provides executive-level training for senior foreign leaders that are well-positioned to influence policy in fields of critical importance to the U.S. This is the first Distinguished Humphrey Fellowship program focused on combatting illicit drug use, production and trafficking.

The fellowship includes an academic seminar, professional networking, site visits and meetings with the Department of State and federal agencies which are working to reduce illicit drug trafficking and use.

Fellows will learn about cutting edge drug surveillance methods, as well as economic and political factors fueling drug production and trafficking, strategies for monitoring criminal banking and cryptocurrencies, the use of AI in drug production, technological trends in trafficking, and successful models of law enforcement collaboration. Participants will also share their expertise and develop drug prevention strategies to be implemented in their home countries.

Steven Lux ’97 M.P.A., director of Executive Education, is pleased that Maxwell has been selected as a site for the training program and points out the school’s long connection to another Humphrey exchange in which fellows from several emerging democracies and developing countries visit annually for a 10-month program involving graduate study, professional development and cultural exchange.

“It is an honor to have been selected as a host site for this prestigious program that will bring professionals from around the world to tackle a vexing global issue and national priority,” says Lux. “We expect to learn from them as much as they from us.”