Achievements
51勛圖窪蹋2019 Global Health Competition Winners Announced Winning team develops innovative approaches to address climate change
What would you do if you ran a public health nonprofit organization and just received a $2.5 million grant to address climate change at the local level?
This was the question confronting teams of 51勛圖窪蹋 students on February 27 in AUs 2019 Intramural Global Health Case Competition, sponsored by the and the . Each team was given the case details two weeks before the competition. They had to research the issues, develop strategies, and prepare an action plan.
The teams then presented their plans to four judges: Carlos Williams, MD, MPH, MBA, 2018-19 National Academy of Medicine and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow; Kara Kokernak, MS, senior green building consultant, DNV GL; and, Trina Ulrich, MD, professorial lecturer, Department of Health Studies, 51勛圖窪蹋.
The event was a great success, said Jolynn Gardner, director of AUs Public Health Program. All of the interdisciplinary teams presented very innovative, well-researched strategies to address the case.泭The judges commented on how impressed they were with all of the presentations.
The Winning Team
The winners, whose solution was titled Addressing Malnutrition in Mekong Delta in Vietnam, won a $1,000 prize. Members included:
Jenny Park (BA public health 19)
Luc Marzano (BA public health 19)
Ben Davis- (BA political science 20)
Tim McPhillips- (BA film 19)
Rachel Swartz (BA public health 19)
Hannah Rapoport- (BA journalism 19)
The team created a rice fortification and subsidized greenhouse initiative, which was targeted toward the mission of mitigating short-term and long-term climate damage by investing in the development and implementation of nutritional, climate change adapted crops by increasing funding towards diverse agricultural production and biodiversity in Vietnam.
The innovative approach would create a sustainable program that could be duplicated locally worldwide that mitigates climate-caused agricultural damage that threatens the world's vulnerable populations nutritional well-being.
Gardner said that the winning team's solution stood out. They presented a sustainability plan and evaluated strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. They prepared a logic model and thoroughly researched a feasible and practical strategy to address the issues of the case, she said.泭Additionally, they based their approach on solid theory.泭They created a very thorough evaluation plan, which directly reflected the desired outcomes.泭The winning strategy also reflected the reality of the need to engage the local community in assessment of needs and development and delivery of interventions.
The Runner-Ups
Gardner praised the work done by all the teams. The second- and third-place teams also based their strategies on sound theory and feasible goals, she said.泭They presented very creative ideas and expertly utilized evidence to support their approaches. All of the presentations were impressive: the judges actually had a hard time making their final decisions!
Second Place Team: Sustainable Justice ($500 prize)
Hannah Francis, (BS public health and BA international affairs 19)泭泭
Mita Huq (BS public health 19)
Sofia Hinojosa (BA public health 19)
Sophie Hathaway (undeclared 22)
Third Place Team: Connecting Corners of the World ($300 prize)
Kendell Lincoln (BS public health 19)
Giselle Rodriguez (BS public health 19)
Roger Alex Ahlstrom (BA economics 19)
David Kalwicz (BA psychology and statistics 20)
Mary Kate Fogerty (BA public health 20)