February 26, 2026

The Dornsife School of Public Health hosted it’s seventh Public Health Case Competition throughout February with student teams presenting on Wednesday the 25th to a judge’s panel and live audience. This annual competition challenges interdisciplinary teams of undergraduate and graduate students to address a real Philadelphia public health issue.

This year's competition topic was preventative health access in Philadelphia. Teams designed a community-informed strategy to rebuild vaccine trust and increase vaccination confidence within a specific underserved community in Philadelphia.

Teams chose a vaccine and target population, then created both a community engagement plan and a targeted communication deliverable [PDF] that addresses barriers such as misinformation, access challenges, and historical mistrust. By centering local voices and partnering with trusted community organizations, the competition challenges teams to develop practical, equitable solutions that strengthen vaccination confidence and community health.

Over a two-week period, faculty mentors gathered with student teams twice to advise on their overall plan and deliverable. The competition culminated with virtual presentations to a panel of judges and audience members consisting of faculty, staff, fellow students, and competitor's loved ones. Teams had to answer questions from the judge’s panel before deliberation took place.

Next, the competition winners were revealed and celebrated for their efforts. The judge’s panel selected a First Place Team (Team 2) and an Honorable Mention Team (Team 4). There was also an open voting period during the week of the competition to award a People's Choice Team (Team 3).

Special thanks to the student teams, judges, mentors, and organizers!

Congratulations to the Winners

First Place: Team 2 ($1,000 awarded to the team)

Honorable Mention: Team 4 ($500 awarded to the team)

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

Case Competition Teams

Team 1: Disha S, Tara Polackal, Michael Gremling, Emily Kumpf

Team 2: Chizoba Okorie, Triny Efanga, Sally Akosua Nyarko, Radwa Khalid Mohammad Abulainain Nahla, Evidence Akanbi

Team 3: Cynthia Santana-Anzures, Ekram Omer, Naa Lomotey, Yawa Kugbe, Zugeida Mejias

Team 4: Hunter Gashi, Raksha Bhat, Christina Rawa, Nikhil Sreenivas Eedala

Team 5: Manya Mittal, Jessica Lim, Saarah Khairi, Julie Gauthier, Abir Alikerar, Katrina Magtalas

Check out the team's deliverables:

In addition to creating graphics, Team 2 created a website, Team 3 created a social media video, and Team 4 created a video.

View graphics

*Team submissions are listed in order by team (one - five)

Lead Event Organizer

Tariem Burroughs, PhD, MSEd, MSODL, Executive Director for External Partnerships, Office of Education

Judges Panel

• Melissa Kaufman, EdD, Associate Dean for Education, Dornsife School of Public Health
• Christy Dure, MPA, MHA, Assistant Teaching Professor, Dornsife School of Public Health
• Janna Ataiants, DrPH, MPA, Assistant Research Professor, Dornsife School of Public Health
• Sofia Moletteri, Senior Health Planner, Office of HIV Planning Philadelphia

DSPH Faculty Team Mentors

• Leah Schinasi, PhD, Assistant Professor, Environmental and Occupational Health, Urban Health Collaborative, Dornsife School of Public Health
• Jennifer Breaux, DrPH, MPH, CHES, Associate Teaching Professor, Dornsife School of Public Health
• Ed Gracely, PhD, Associate Professor, Dornsife School of Public Health
• Tariem Burroughs, PhD, MSEd, MSODL, Executive Director for External Partnerships, Dornsife School of Public Health
• Arturo Zinny, PhD, MA, LPC, Assistant Clinical Professor and Executive Director, Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice, Dornsife School of Public Health
• Michael LeVasseur, PhD, MPH, Assistant Teaching Professor, Dornsife School of Public Health

DSPH Faculty Case Authors

• Christy Dure, MPA, MHA, Assistant Teaching Professor, Dornsife School of Public Health
• Tom Hipper, MSPH, MA, Assistant Clinical Teaching Professor and Associate Director, Center for Public Health Readiness and Communication, Dornsife School of Public Health
• Allison Rusgo, PA-C, PhD, Director of Didactic Education and Associate Clinical Professor, College of Nursing and Health Professions

Learn more about Dornsife's Case Competition