Case Competitions provide a team-based experience for health science learners to problem-solve using their different roles, strengths, skills and points of view. These experiences allow students to take the lead on designing a solution or innovation that meets needs for an individual patient, an organization, a system or a community. While each competition represented here has a different area of focus and distinct timing and logistical details, all have common threads that support interprofessional education competencies and relationship building among students. All of these competitions focus on interprofessional teamwork, communication, and problem solving.
Case Competition Highlights
CHIP
The CLARION Case Competition invites students from across professions to problem-solve together on systems-level issues that impact patient and population health. The competition is hosted by the CLARION Student Board, a student organization supported by CHIP. Winners of the local competition are invited to represent the University of MN at the National Competition, held annually in Minneapolis in mid April and attended by up to 18 universities from across the country.
Example Case: System of Belonging: Healthcare Organizations and Teams during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Contact: Laura Dammer Hess, [email protected]
MN Northstar Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program
The Interprofessional Geriatric Case Competition is a monthlong virtual experience in October. It is an opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students from multiple disciplines and universities to come together as a team to develop a comprehensive plan of care for an older adult. The top scoring team competes against interprofessional teams in a National Competition with 20+ universities.
Example Case: Camila, a 75-year-old Latinx female without legal immigration status living in a small rural agricultural community with lingering symptoms after a COVID-19 infection
Contacts: [email protected] and Teresa Schicker, [email protected]
Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility
The Global Health Case Competition unites graduate and undergraduate students from multiple disciplines to create innovative 21st Century solutions for global health issues. Tackling complex challenges—like youth mental health in China or obstetric fistula in Ethiopia—provides students with valuable simulated professional experience in an interdisciplinary environment. The winning team earns a spot to compete at the international level at Emory University.
Example Case: Restoring Dignity for Women with Obstetric Fistula in Ethiopia
Contacts: Shannon Benson, [email protected], and Anna Pendleton, [email protected]
Business Enhancement Center for Health
The Interdisciplinary Health Data Competition promotes interdisciplinary collaboration on using data to address current healthcare challenges. Students complete an exploratory analysis of specified datasets to provide innovative solutions and insights. This event encourages graduate students across all disciplines at the University of Minnesota to practice, enhance, and showcase their understanding of real- world healthcare problems and their abilities to solve them with innovative use of data science tools and methodologies.
Example Case: How value and quality impact disparities in care
Contact: Pinar Karaca-Mandic, [email protected]
Interprofessional case competitions in detail
| Details | CLARION | Geriatric | Global Health | Health Data |
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| Time commitment Timing in sem/AY | Teams prepare for approximately one month between late Jan – late Feb | Teams prepare for approximately one month between late Sep – early Nov | Teams prepare for approximately 10 days in late Jan - early Feb | Teams prepare in late Feb – early April |
| Pertinent deadlines |
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| Student time dedicated for activity (approx.) | Up to 40 hours between late Jan and late Feb | Approximately 12-24 hours between early Sept through mid-Nov to prepare for the Regional and National competition | Approximately 30 hours concentrated to the 10 days of the competition | Approximately 20 hours over 2 weeks between the data release and the submission deadline |
| Learners Learner Level | Any level UMN student | Upper level undergraduate student, and any graduate or professional student | Upper level UMN undergraduate student, UMN graduate or professional student | UMN graduate or professional student |
| Professions | All health professions | All health professions, Social Work, Biological Science | All UMN professions | All UMN professions |
| Common professions | Dentistry, Healthcare Administration, Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Public Health, Pharmacy | Physical Therapy, Nursing, Medicine, Dentistry, Dental Hygiene, Pharmacy, Public Health, Biological Sciences | Public health, Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, Biological Sciences, Liberal Arts | Business, Medicine, Nursing, Economics, Pharmacy, Public Health, Anaytics, Health Administration |
| Other criteria | Can’t be employed in a professional leadership position | Students from all UMN campuses and other universities included | N/A | N/A |
| Learning Objectives Key words about specific learning |
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| ‘Practice’ focus | Organization and systems-level innovations | Develop a patient-centered, multidisciplinary plan of care for a medically complex older adult. | Engage in systems-thinking and collaboration about an interdisciplinary and int’l health-related challenge | Use data to address current challenges in healthcare and identify innovative solutions and insights |
| Other requirements met by participation |
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