Students from almost every discipline at the University of Notre Dame spent several days preparing presentations on one of the world’s most pressing global health challenges: tuberculosis.
2024 Global Health Case Competition, University of Notre Dame (Photo cred: A. Hubert, 2024)
Hosted by the Eck Institute for Global Health, the 2024 Notre Dame Global Health Case Competition was held on Saturday, February 10, 2024. For nine years, the Notre Dame competition has grown to attract participants from across campus, highlighting the necessity for multidisciplinary collaboration to solve complex global health challenges. This year marked the largest number of participants, with almost 80 students from undergraduate and graduate programs, divided into 15 teams and two rounds of presentations.
Participants were tasked with tackling Nigeria’s tuberculosis crisis. Over 245,000 people in the west African country die from tuberculosis each year, making it one of the world’s top 30 “high-burden countries” for infection. For the competition, the Eck Institute worked with Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria to develop a scenario in which teams were asked to allocate $800,000 in funds to advance new approaches to TB for a one-year pilot study in Lagos State.
The winning team from the day’s competition provided a comprehensive approach to addressing the complexities of TB through social media and educational outreach campaigns aimed at minimizing TB stigmas, and suggesting innovative approaches to improving diagnostic processes with electronic health record systems. As a result of their successful presentation, they were able to advance to the Emory University Morningside Global Health Case Competition to represent the University of Notre Dame.
Notre Dame Global Health Case Competition winners: Jiaying Pan, Eyitayo Awe, Jake Harris, and Alina Lee. Not pictured: Gaayathri Binoj (Photo cred: A. Hubert, 2024)
The winning 2024 Notre Dame Global Health Case Competition team included:
“Our current students will be among those leading future collaborations and efforts to address global health challenges,” says Marian Botchway, assistant director of the Eck Institute for Global Health. Botchway, who organizes the annual University event, emphasizes that “participating in this competition helps the students to better understand real-world problems and further recognize the importance of interdisciplinary collaborations that are needed for multi-faceted, global health solutions.”
For more information about the Eck Institute for Global Health’s annual Global Health Case Competition, please visit the website.
Contact: Christine Grashorn, Communications Specialist Notre Dame Research / University of Notre Dame cgrashor@nd.edu / 574.631.4856 research.nd.edu / @UNDResearch
About the Eck Institute for Global Health The Eck Institute for Global Health (EIGH), an integral part of Notre Dame Research, builds on the University’s historical strength in infectious disease research, including vector-borne diseases, while broadening the interdisciplinary expertise into other key global health areas, including maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH); community health; mental health; nutrition and non-communicable diseases; the environment and health; health analytics and technologies; and health systems and organizations. Our team of interdisciplinary researchers and their students holistically address health disparities around the world. EIGH faculty affiliates recognize health as a fundamental human right and promote research, training, and service to advance health standards for all people, especially those in resource-poor countries who are disproportionately impacted by preventable diseases. The EIGH is training the next generation of global health researchers and leaders through undergraduate, Master of Science in Global Health, doctoral, and postdoctoral programs.
Originally published by Christine Grashorn at globalhealth.nd.edu on April 08, 2024.
