2020 MUSC Global Case Competition Team Announced

Center for Global Health

March 03, 2020

The MUSC Center for Global Health would like to congratulate the following students for being selected to be a part of this year’s MUSC team headed to Emory’s Global Health Case Competition:

• Nour Hijazi, College of Graduate Studies
• Joseph Karam, College of Graduate Studies
• Diego Nigoa, Clemson Bioengineering
• Stephan Stewart, College of Nursing
• Sarah Taylor, College of Pharmacy
• Noah Trump, College of Medicine

Emory’s competition brings together 30 teams from national and international universities to propose innovative solutions to current real-world global health issues. The teams are presented with a case involving a specific issue, and they have a week to research the topic and brainstorm solutions before flying to Atlanta to present their final recommendation to a panel of leaders and experts across fields of global health.

Last year’s case focused on implementing innovative hurricane disaster preparedness strategies in a changing global climate, requiring the team to develop a plan to improve their country’s resilience to, preparedness for, and responses to hurricanes, focusing specifically on those innovations that will protect human health. Previous years' cases addressed outbreak of hypothetical infectious disease in Qatar prior to the 2020 World Cup, children’s mental health needs in Monrovia, Liberia; reorganizing the World Health Organization; violence in Honduras; and severe childhood malnutrition in Ethiopia.

Each team must represent at least three disciplines. The MUSC team, including students from medicine, pharmacy, nursing, graduate studies, and Clemson Bioengineering, will come together and draw on their various background to approach a significant global health problem from multiple angles.

“Participating in this event challenges our students to problem-solve as a multidisciplinary team and to work together to narrow down their individual perspectives into one innovative, cohesive solution,” said Kathleen Ellis, Executive Director, MUSC Center for Global Health.

This event highlights the value of collaborating with experts from other fields. While in Atlanta, students will connect with an international community of students and faculty interested in global health, and interact with experts from Emory University, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other leading organizations.

The competition will take place at Emory University in Atlanta from March 12 to 15, 2020. This year’s competition marks the sixth year that the Center for Global Health is sponsoring a team to participate in this exciting event.

Kathleen Ellis, Executive Director of MUSC Center for Global Health will be the team’s advisor.

Nour Hijazi, College of Graduate Studies