Six students from the University of Kentucky will compete in Emory University’s Global Health Case Competition (GHCC) in Atlanta, Georgia, Saturday, March 17. This is the fourth year that UK will compete in Emory’s competition. Students from three teams that participated in UK’s GHCC were selected to form a new team for the competition.

Emory’s competition brings 24 teams together from national and international schools to propose solutions to current real-world health issues. The teams are presented with a case involving a specific issue, and they have a week to create a realistic approach to solving it. This year, the teams will be working on a method to contain a deadly virus during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

UK faculty and other professionals in the state will assist the students, providing their expertise to advise the team. Professor Terry Lennie of the College of Nursing will be the team’s faculty advisor, giving input to the students’ ideas. Lennie has attended Emory’s competition with UK teams in the past and feels optimistic about this year’s team doing well.

“It’s wonderful to work with our students because they’re very bright and very enthusiastic about competing,” Lennie said. “To see all the brilliant ideas they come up with gives you a reassurance that our next generation is in good hands.”

Participating in the competition with students from across the globe and from many different backgrounds teaches the importance of approaching a problem from multiple angles.

“They appreciate that there’s not just one way to view a problem. There are multiple approaches depending on your point of view, and they’re all valid and equally beneficial,” Lennie said.

Medical student Austin Eirk was a member of the first place team in UK’s 2018 competition and is looking forward to working on the case.

“It’s interesting to investigate how different areas of the world solve their medical problems. If you don’t have certain options because you don’t have the money, what do you do to solve the problem?” Eirk said.

The UK team going to Atlanta includes:

• Prachi Raichur – Bangalore, India. College of Arts and Sciences
• Anita Shanker – Frankfort, Kentucky. College of Medicine
• Austin Eirk – Louisville, Kentucky. College of Medicine
• Joy Coles – Lexington, Kentucky. College of Nursing
• Yuxi Zhang – Shanghai, China. College of Medicine
• Coghsan Holly Pan – Hangzhou, China. College of Pharmacy, Gatton College of Business and Economics.

UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, go to: uky.edu/uk4ky. #uk4ky #seeblue