The N.C . State Global Health Initiative will renew the UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke rivalry next week with a student competition focused on public health.
Marian McCord , associate professor in the College of Textiles and director of the Initiative, said the competition will engage students in current global health problems and allow students to network.
“It’s a great opportunity to work on real world problems with real world implications,” McCord said. “The competition is challenging, it stimulates the thinking about global health and it’s an opportunity to present in front of and meet a large group of global health professionals.”
The competition starts Monday and students, working in teams or individually, will have the week to develop their strategies to address their health issue. Ian Hill, a junior in biochemistry and polymer and color chemistry, has helped organize the event the past two years and said the health issues are focused on U.N . concerns.
“The issues are actual issues, so we want to make sure students are serious about the cases,” Hill said. “Everyone will work on the same case and this case will be revealed Monday night.”
Last year’s case was addressing childhood mortality in children under five in Afghanistan, and according to Hill, these global heath disparities take in many aspects of the U.N.’s Millennium Development Goals-a list of eight goals addressing global poverty and health.
The competition will culminate the morning of Saturday, March 31. Competitors from each school will present their strategies and will have the opportunity to network with public health and industry professionals.
“It’s a great day to make connections and learn about the opportunities in the world of global health,” Hill said. “There are so many facets, like the social, medical and research aspects, that are involved in global health.”
Teams of students will need to be creative and culturally sensitive to effectively address their health concern, according to Hill.
“They will need to have a good presentation, knowledge and expertise on the subject,” Hill said. “These aren’t trivial issues-they’re afflicting people right now. They will have to discuss politics, social concerns and even religious aspects of the case.”
In the past, N.C. State, Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill had their own respective competitions, but last year the three universities came together under the auspices of the Triangle Global Health Consortium. The University is a member of the consortium, and according to McCord, all students can benefit from the organization’s exclusive opportunities.
“N.C. State is a founding member of the consortium,” McCord said. “The relationship between the two is very strong. We have universities, non-profits, NGO’s and industry members involved in the consortium and students should get involved. It’s all about improving global health in the world and establishing the connections to help find solutions.”
Going on his third year of organizing the event, Hill said the competition has solidified his conviction for global health.
“I want to go into research, but like in everything, you need to have a global view,” Hill said. “You need that when you’re writing grants. Other than that, I really enjoy the diversity of this event. People from all walks of life and fields of study get together and open doors to different perspectives of how to solve real-world problems.”
Competitors will contend for a top price worth $1,700; last year, a team from N.C. State won second place. Though it’s for a good cause, this competition might be a good way to revive a healthy rivalry off the basketball court.
