Global Health Case Competition

5 people stand at the front of a room presenting into a microphone

Our Global Health Case Competition is a unique opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students from multiple schools and disciplines to come together to develop innovative solutions for 21st century global health issues.

The Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility hosts the Global Health Case Competition, an interprofessional student learning competition for students to gain simulated professional experience while building a network of interdisciplinary students that will soon become their colleagues. The competition features teams comprised of 4 to 6 students from three or more UMN schools.

 

 

Global Health Case Competition

Interested in solving one of today's global health challenges?

Meena Murugappan, member of the Global Health Case Competition 2018 winning team, shared several tips for participating in the competition.  

  • Dedicate as much time and effort as you can during competition week.
  • Create a draft presentation by Tuesday and then host a mock presentation for experts on Wednesday.
  • Make your team's presentation cohesive and keep it simple.
  • The presentation is 50% content and ideas— and 50% how you market it.
5 people stand in a row

Discover How to Apply

The Global Health Case Competition is an interprofessional student learning competition sponsored by the Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility. An information session for the competition is held each fall, and applications open in November each year.

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Eligibility

Eligibility

Graduate students (masters and doctoral level), professional students, and upper-level undergraduate students from across the U of M who are interested in global health are encouraged to participate. Post-graduate and post-doctoral fellows/residents are eligible to participate in teams this year as well.

We hope to involve students from across the health sciences, College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS), the Humphrey School, the Carlson School, Law School, Science and Engineering, Liberal Arts and more – anyone with an interest in global health solutions.

Teams

Teams

Teams will be comprised of four to six students from three or more U of M schools. Students may apply as individuals and will be assigned to a multidisciplinary team. Students who prefer to assemble their own team must ensure that the team has three or more U of M Schools are represented. Students from Duluth and Rochester should assemble their own team to enable full participation.

Teams are welcome to recruit and nominate their own faculty or staff coach or they will be assigned one. To nominate someone to be a coach, please fill out the coach nomination form

Coaches

Interested in coaching a team during the UMN Global Health Case Competition?

Please fill out the coach form or email [email protected] for more details. 

Teams are welcome to recruit and nominate their own faculty or staff coach or they will be assigned one. To nominate someone to be a coach, please fill out the coach form

Application

Application

Applications for the 2024 Global Health Case Competition are now closed. Applications for the 2025 competition will open in November of 2024. 

If you have questions about the application process, contact Shannon Benson, CGHSR Student Coordinator. 

Competition Week Timeline

Competition Week Timeline

Teams have a full week to work on their proposals and presentations.

Key Competition Dates

  • January 18, 2024: Case Released to Teams 
  • January 27, 2024: Virtual Competition Day

Example Timeline

  • Wednesday Before Competition Week - Attend Required Team Training
  • Thursday Before Competition Week - Teams Receive Case
  • Friday to Thursday - Teams Work on Case
  • Thursday - Turn in Presentation for First Round
  • Saturday of Competition Week - Final Teams Present at the Second Round: Competition Day

Note that competition week looks different for each team based on individual schedules and coach schedules. Competition week is intense. Expect to log many hours working individually and meeting as a team. 

Credit Options & IPE Approval

Credit Options & IPE Approval

Students may be allowed to apply this experience to academic requirements and should confer with their academic advisors to determine if it meets their specific requirements. The following approvals have been acquired:

  • The Global Health Case Competition is part of the 1Health interprofessional education curriculum at the University of Minnesota. This means that the Case Competition offers a valuable interprofessional learning experience that has been carefully designed to expand upon your skills and knowledge in preparation for your future as collaborative health professional.  Inclusion in the 1Health interprofessional education curriculum also means that upon completion of the Global Health Case Competition, a record demonstrating your involvement in this experience will be added to your personal "1Health IPE Transcript" which can be accessed via the 1Health Database.  
  • Pharmacy students can earn credit for their participation as a directed study with faculty Dr. Jason Varin.

Awards & Competition at Emory University

Awards & Competition at Emory University

A distinguished multi-disciplinary panel of judges will evaluate the teams’ recommendations on Competition Day. Cash prizes to first and second place teams will be awarded.

The first place team will then go on to compete at the 2024 Virtual International Emory Global Health Case Competition. The competition will take place in March of 2024.

Key Dates

Key Dates for the UMN Global Health Case Competition 2024*

  • November 1, 2023: Applications Open
  • December 8, 2023: (5 pm): Applications Close
  • December 13, 2023: Teams notified of acceptance & placement 
  • January 17, 2024 (4:00 – 5:00pm): Virtual team training (required)
  • January 18, 2024: Case released to teams 
  • January 25, 2024 (8 am): First-round submissions due 
  • January 25-26, 2024: Submission review and first-round judging
  • January 26, 2024 (by 4 pm): Finalist teams announced 
  • January 27, 2024: (10 am - 12 pm): Virtual competition day 
  • March 22-23, 2024: Emory International Global Health Case Competition 

*Dates and times are subject to change.

 

Global Health Case Competition Results

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Global Health Case Competition 2023 (Virtual)

Global Health Case Competition 2023

In 2023, over 60 students across 12 schools competed in 10 teams. Each team had students from at least three UMN schools and colleges. The case scenario for this year’s competition centered on a case of avian influenza that crossed over to humans, with the potential to become a new pandemic.

This year's competition was development as a partnership with the School of Public Health Minnesota Prepared project, designed to expand the state and local public health workforce to support emergency preparedness and response initiatives in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

First Place in the 2023 Global Health Case Competition 

  • Ayush Shah, Team Captain (Medical School)
  • Jamel Benhamida (Medical School)
  • August Glomski (School of Public Health)
  • Olivia Jensen (College of Liberal Arts)
  • Diya Patel (Continuing and Professional Studies)
  • Jason Roycraft (School of Public Affairs)
  • Coach: Whitney Waldsmith, College of Veterinary Medicine

Second Place in the 2023 Global Health Case Competition

  • Rashika Shetty, Team Captain (Medical School)
  • Jeremy Giannone (Continuing and Professional Studies)
  • Chuyi Sun (College of Liberal Arts)
  • Nicole Wendel (College of Pharmacy)
  • Jacqueline Wille ( Medical School)
  • Coach: Rob Thames

Global Health Case Competition 2022 (Virtual)

Global Health Case Competition 2022

In 2022, over 50 students across 13 schools competed in 10 teams. Each team had students from at least three UMN schools and colleges. The case scenario for this year’s competition centered on a tragic case of a fictionalized young woman in Ethiopia who experienced obstructed labor resulting in obstetric fistula, a traumatic injury to their bladder, vagina and/or rectum.

First Place in the 2022 Global Health Case Competition 

  • Sarah Fenno (Medical School)
  • Nick Hable (Medical School)
  • Sophia Park (College of Biological Sciences)
  • Afra Suri (College of Veterinary Medicine)
  • Amal Suri (College of Biological Sciences)
  • Coach: Corrie Fielder (Carlson School of Management)

Second Place in the 2022 Global Health Case Competition

  • Abigail Boettcher (School of Public Health)
  • Meghan Ford (School of Public Health)
  • Bhavana Goparaju (Institute of Health Informatics)
  • Ratchada Jantraporn (School of Nursing)
  • Anna Pirsch (School of Nursing)
  • Coach: Vanessa Tennyson

Global Health Case Competition 2021 (Virtual)

Global Health Case Competition 2021

In 2021, over 80 students across 12 schools competed in 15 teams. Each team had students from at least three UMN schools and colleges. The case scenario for the 2021 competition centered on a hypothetical outbreak of an infectious disease during the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India. Teams analyzed the case and proposed their recommendations. While normally the competition takes place in a one day-long event, this year, the first round was done with a pre-recorded video presentation and the final round was live on Zoom in front of a panel of judges. 

First Place in the 2021 Global Health Case Competition 

  • Jesse Abelson, Medical School
  • Kelly Reger, Medical School
  • Christopher Prokosch, Medical School
  • Sarah Kenney, College of Veterinary Medicine
  • Paige Palomaki, dual-degree Veterinary Medicine and Masters of Public Health program
  • Rees Parrish, dual-degree Veterinary Medicine and Masters of Public Health program

Second Place in the 2021 Global Health Case Competition

  • Chenwei Yan, College of Liberal Arts
  • Asmaa Ferdjallah, Medical School
  • Karen Chen, School of Public Health
  • Isabella Bennett, College of Liberal Arts
  • Moriam Yarrow, School of Public Health

Third Place in the 2021 Global Health Case Competition

  • Narmada Venkateswaran, School of Public Health
  • Yukino Nakamura, College of Science and Engineering
  • Carmel Ann Largosa, College of Liberal Arts
  • Katerina Graf, College of Science and Engineering
  • Gitanjali Raman, School of Public Health

Global Health Case Competition 2020

Global Health Case Competition 2020

In 2020, over 80 students from 13 different schools at the University of Minnesota participated in the case competition. The 15 teams were comprised of both undergrad and professional students that spent a week working on proposals for solutions to the 2020 case addressing electronic nicotine delivery systems in China's Guandong Province. On final presentation day, each team presented their thoroughly researched plans on both prevention and cessation proposals.

First Place in the 2020 Global Health Case Competition 

  • Sophie Zielke, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
  • Ethan Robertson, College of Biological Sciences
  • Lucas Simpson, College of Education and Human Development
  • Geneva Taylor, College of Science and Engineering
  • Marali Singaraju, College of Liberal Arts

Second Place in the 2020 Global Health Case Competition

  • Caitlin Varquez, School of Public Health
  • Jacqueline Warehime, College of Design
  • Kate Shaughnessy, School of Public Health
  • Emily Vance, College of Liberal Arts
  • Kalid Dalu, College of Liberal Arts

Third Place in the 2020 Global Health Case Competition

  • Gabriel Richardson, Carlson School of Management
  • Melanie Iversen, College of Liberal Arts
  • MacKenzie Differding, College of Liberal Arts
  • Victoria Clouse, School of Journalism
  • Ally Martin, College of Education and Human Development

Global Health Case Competition 2019

Global Health Case Competition 2019

Students spent a week developing sustainable, feasible, and creative solutions to address challenges around refugee health and well-being in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The judges and case competition staff were very impressed by the dedication and quality of work from all of the teams. This year, there were 78 students from sixteen different schools and colleges within the University of Minnesota who competed and fifteen dedicated faculty and staff coaches who supported them throughout. Our judging panel this year spanned a wide variety of professions and ways of interacting with refugee and immigrant health services around the state.

First Place in the 2019 Global Health Case Competition 

  • Malvikha Manoj, College of Liberal Arts
  • Pang Chaxiong, College of Education and Human Development
  • Tounhia Khang, School of Public Health
  • Anne Li, School of Public Health
  • Coach Karin Hamilton, College of Veterinary Medicine

Runner Up in the 2019 Global Health Case Competition 

  • Hibo Wehelie, College of Biological Sciences
  • Kristine Kancans, College of Liberal Arts
  • Julia Kancans, College of Liberal Arts
  • Tsegereda Lamesgin, School of Public Health
  • Atticus Wolfe, School of Public Health
  • Khadija Mohamed, College of Liberal Arts

Runner Up in the 2019 Global Health Case Competition

  • Lauren Tehan, College of Biological Sciences
  • Neelam Chandiramani, College of Biological Sciences
  • Tripura Talagadadeevi, College of Liberal Arts
  • Alexandra Mueller, College of Biological Sciences
  • Elizabeth Johnson, College of Biological Sciences, School of Public Health
  • Carolyn Handke, Allied Health Programs

Global Health Case Competition 2018

Global Health Case Competition 2018

After spending the week immersed in the topic of developing a palliative care system for either Indonesia or Papua New Guinea, 11 teams made their presentations to a panel of expert judges.

First Place in the 2018 Global Health Case Competition

  • Meena Murugappan, Public Health
  • Sailee Tambe, Public Health 
  • Hannah Cowan, Biological Sciences
  • Emma Fiala, Liberal Arts
  • Mateo Frumholtz, Public Health
  • Team Coach: Bill Toscano, Public Health

Runner Up in the 2018 Global Health Case Competition

  • Samuel Lee, Science and Engineering
  • TaeJun Park, Biological Sciences
  • Augustus Pendleton, Biological Sciences
  • Virginia Pendleton, Public Health
  • Pushkar Chaubal, Mangement
  • Tiffany Cheng, Liberal Arts
  • Team Coach: Fred Rose, Institute on the Environment 

Runner Up in the 2018 Global Health Case Competition

  • David Begelman, Biological Sciences
  • Rachel Astashinsky, Science and Engineering
  • Abhi Ramesh, Liberal Arts
  • Shray Malik, Biological Sciences
  • Team Coach: Jess Roberts, Public Health 

Global Health Case Competition 2017

Global Health Case Competition 2017

Thirteen teams spent the week immersed in the global topic of sex trafficking, seeking local solutions for the city of Atlanta. On competition day, they made their presentations to an expert panel of judges.

First Place in the 2017 Global Health Case Competition

  • Mara Smith, School of Nursing
  • Noureldin Saad, School of Public Health
  • Iana Panovkina, School of Nursing
  • Brendan Coutu, Medical School
  • Yasmeen Saad, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
  • Spencer Cahoon, School of Public Health
  • Team Coach: Linda Frizzell, School of Public Health

Runner Up in the 2017 Global Health Case Competition

  • Carrie Degerness, School of Nursing
  • Natalie Loots, School of Public Health
  • Pam Potempa-Rivers, College of Liberal Arts
  • Maya Rivera, School of Public Health
  • Team Coach: Megan Voorhees, Institute on the Environment

Runner Up in the 2017 Global Health Case Competition

  • Sheila Kennedy, School of Nursing
  • Sarah Lentz, College of Biological Sciences
  • Anshumaan Atriwal, Carlson School of Management
  • Christy Choi, School of Pharmacy
  • Olasunmbo Okedele, School of Public Health
  • Team Coach: Fred Rose, Institute on the Environment

Global Health Case Competition 2016

Congratulations to the University of Minnesota team for their outstanding performance at the 2016 International Emory Global Health Case Competition.  The team was the winner of the Participants Choice Award and was awarded Honorable Mention (4th place) after advancing to the finals for their solutions for Obstetric Fistula in India.  We congratulate Besufekad Alemu (College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Sciences), Hiwote Bekele (School of Public Health), J'Mag Karbeah (School of Public Health), Kimani Cyrus Ndung'u (College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Sciences), Shuangqi Wang (Law School), and Patrick Williams (School of Public Health) along with coach Carolyn Porta (School of Nursing) for their hard work and dedication to global health professional development.

The team advanced to Emory by winning the University of Minnesota Global Health Case Competition in January.

Global Health Case Competition 2015

Global Health Case Competition 2015

The 2015 U of M Global Health Case Competition brought 14 teams together to propose a bid to the International Olympic Committee highlighting their cities' ability to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

First Place in the 2015 Global Health Case Competition

  • Kathryn Gustafson, College of Pharmacy
  • Balvindar Singh, College of Biological Sciences
  • Tarun Jain, Carlson School of Management
  • Nils Johnson, School of Public Health
  • Brian Mikolajczyk, College of Science and Engineering
  • Team Coach: Dr. Srinand Sreevatsan, College of Veterinary Medicine

Second Place in the 2015 Global Health Case Competition

  • Julia Lee, School of Public Health
  • Uzoma Abakporo, School of Public Health
  • Ainslee Neu, College of Biological Sciences
  • Oriana Beaudet, School of Nursing
  • Erin Weslander, College of Pharmacy
  • Simon Cecil, School of Public Affairs
  • Team Coach: Dr. Carolyn Garcia, School of Nursing

Third Place in the 2015 Global Health Case Competition

  • Cesar Dominguez Marquez, School of Public Health
  • Bonnie Baumgartner, College of Science and Engineering
  • Faiza Aziz, College of Biological Sciences
  • Alex Vo, Medical School
  • PaHoua Vang, School of Public Health
  • Jessie Jiang, Carlson School of Management
  • Team Coach: Noel Jarvis, Psychiatrist

Third Place in the 2015 Global Health Case Competition

  • Sirikan Rojanasarot, College of Pharmacy
  • Joy Hwang, College of Pharmacy
  • Rebecca St. Germaine, College of Pharmacy
  • Emily Myers, College of Liberal Arts
  • Prajwal Pradhan, School of Public Health
  • Felicia Hansell, Medical School
  • Team Coach: Karin Hamilton (Veterinary Medicine

 


 

"I learned how to interact and engage with individuals that had very different academic and personal lived experiences than me. As the only undergrad on the team, I also had another layer that I was learning to interact with. The experience further reinforced my views on the advantages of diversity in race, gender, age and other perspectives. I developed skills in learning when to step back and when to step forward, as well as how to ensure that my voice is heard, and how to genuinely listen to other voices at the table."

Malvikha Manoj
College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota
First Place Team, Global Health Case Competition 2019