February 17, 2022

On Wednesday, February 16, 2022, the Center for Public Health Practice at the Dornsife School of Public Health (DSPH) held its third annual Public Health Case Competition virtually.

DSPH undergraduate and master’s students in six interdisciplinary teams created and presented solutions to protect vulnerable populations from extreme heat events in Philadelphia.

The teams had just under two weeks to collaborate with one another before presenting to an expert judge panel of public health leaders in the community and Dornsife faculty for a chance to win prize money for their plans. During the work period, students were able to meet with a randomly assigned faculty mentor for guidance and support.

In addition to their outreach plans, teams created educational posters targeting community members. These posters were displayed virtually and voted on by the public and members of the DSPH community. The educational poster with the most votes won the People’s Choice Award.

Teams presented in the afternoon and the competition concluded with the unveiling of the winning teams.

Congratulations to the winners!

Winner: Team #8 ($1,000 awarded to the team)

Honorable Mention: Team #3 ($500 awarded to the team)

People’s Choice: Team #3 ($500 awarded to the team)

All 2022 Competitors and Their Educational Posters

Team #4: Julia Jo, Zara Castillo, Jesse Stover, and Brianna Heidenreich

Team #6: MaKenzie Hackney, Jordyn Armstrong, Meredith Cohen, and Ojaswini Deepak Parab

Team #7: Katie Singley, Ciara O'Sullivan, Alysha Melnyk, and Aryana Simpson

Team #8: Salika Gadiwala, Archisha Vijay Rokde, Conor Millard, and Wandia Mureithi

2022 Judges Panel

• John Kirby, Director, Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships
• Jessica Caum, Program Manager, Bioterrorism & Public Health Preparedness Program, Philadelphia Department of Public Health
• Mariana Chilton, Professor, Health Management and Policy, Center for Hunger-Free Communities
• Aminata Sandra Calhoun, Community Advocate for the Building of Environmentally Sustainable Communities

2022 DSPH Faculty Team Mentors and Case Reviewers

• Neal Goldstein, Assistant Research Professor, Epidemiology and Biostatistics
• Yvonne Michael, Professor, Epidemiology and Biostatistics
• Ed Gracely, Associate Professor, Epidemiology and Biostatistics
• Michael LeVasseur, Assistant Teaching Professor, Epidemiology and Biostatistics
• Esther Chernak, Associate Professor, Director of the Center for Public Health Readiness and Communications Environmental and Occupational Health
• Amy Carroll-Scott, Associate Professor, Community Health and Prevention
• Alina Schnake-Mahl, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Urban Health Collaborative
• James Buehler, Clinical Professor and Interim Chair of the Department of Health Management and Policy

Special thanks to the event organizers, judge's panel and DSPH mentors and case reviewers.