February 22, 2024

The fifth annual Public Health Case Competition at the Dornsife School of Public Health (DSPH) was held on Wednesday February 21, 2024. This year's theme was the intersection between public health and housing.

In seven interdisciplinary teams, DSPH undergraduate and master’s students created innovative solutions to address housing insecurity and its impact on health here in Philadelphia.

Over two weeks, teams met to discuss and devise possible interventions and solutions, culminating in a virtual presentation to a panel of judges on competition day.

In addition to the presentations, each team created a "Know-Your-Rights" flyer with the goal of informing Philadelphians about their legal rights when it come to housing and health justice. Flyers focused on questions that residents may have about poor housing quality or eviction protections.

Teams researched existing protections and programs in Philadelphia, such as grants for lead pipe replacement, and identified local organizations and/or city programs that could assist individuals facing these issues.

The flyers (pictured below) were open to viewing and voting by the public and the DSPH community. The one with the most votes received the People’s Choice Award.

Thanks to all our teams, judges, mentors, and organizers for a successful competition.

Congratulations to the Winners

First Place: Team 6 ($1,000 awarded to the team)

Honorable Mention: Team 1 ($500 awarded to the team)

People’s Choice: Team 2 ($500 awarded to the team)

Teams

Team 1: Miliani Smith, Shailly Verma, Madeline Plummer, Lita Lillibridge

Team 2: Meghan Gupta, Raksha Shastry, Kailin Li, Lem Phan

Team 3: Jevyn San Pedro, Janani Krithivasan, Melissa Guerrero, Patricia Frimpong, Atoishy Dayve

Team 4: Victoria Rodríguez Villarreal, Andrea Sperl, Saarah Khairi, Mridula Ghotane

Team 5: Emily Lincoln, Anil Kumar, Jalayna Antoine, Bikiltu Dirbaba

Team 6: Emmy Shingara, Jessica Lim, Manya Mittal, Asha-Leigh Ashton

Team 7: Vishwa Desai, Rama Surendra Kasuru, Pravallika Jagan

Lead Event Organizer

Tariem Burroughs, PhD, MSEd, MSODL, Director of Experiential Learning and Career Services, DSPH

Judges Panel

• Gabriel L. Schwartz, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Health Management & Policy, DSPH
• Melissa Kaufman, EdD, interim associate dean for education, Dean's Office, DSPH
• Naida Elena Montes, PhD, adjunct professor, Temple University College of Liberal Arts

DSPH Faculty Team Mentors & Case Reviewers

• Jerry Fagliano, MPH, PhD, clinical professor and chair, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, DSPH
• Neal Goldstein, PhD, MBI, associate professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, DSPH
• Edward Gracely, PhD, associate professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, DSPH
• Stephanie Hernandez, PhD, MS, assistant professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Drexel FIRST Program, DSPH
• Jennifer Kolker, MPH, clinical professor, Department of Health Management and Policy, DSPH
• Michael LeVasseur, PhD, MPH, assistant teaching professor, Department ofEpidemiology and Biostatistics, DSPH
• Yvonne Michael, PhD, MPH, assistant teaching professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, DSPH

Page through the "Know-Your-Rights" flyers created by the teams:

Team flyers are listed in order from team one to seven.

Learn more about Dornsife's annual Public Health Case Competition