On February 15th, students across Yale participated in the 6th annual YIGH Global Health Case Competition. During the competition, participating students were placed into multidisciplinary teams. After receiving case materials, teams had two weeks to develop a proposal to address the challenge of climate change and food insecurity in the Ecuadorian Andes. Seven teams presented their proposals to a panel of judges on the day of the competition.
The Global Health Case Competition is a fantastic opportunity for students to apply their knowledge and skills to address real world problems. It was inspiring to see the great teamwork, commitment, and innovative ideas proposed by each team at the competition this year.
The 2025 case theme was “Climate Change and Food Security: Impacts on Indigenous Communities in the Ecuadorian Andes.” Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall patterns, and glacial retreats have impacted food security and cultural heritage in the Ecuadorian Andes. Indigenous communities in this area are facing high rates of childhood malnutrition and water scarcity as a direct consequence of the climate crisis. Participants were asked to propose innovative solutions that address climate change-induced food insecurity in Indigenous communities living in rural areas of the Ecuadorian Andes while balancing environmental sustainability, cultural heritage preservation, and the promotion of equity. Each team presented a project plan including a budget, timeline, monitoring and evaluation strategy, and stakeholder engagement.
Thirty-seven students from the Yale School of Public Health, Yale School of Medicine, Yale School of Nursing and Yale College participated on seven teams in the competition. The winning team – Vida Digna, which means dignified life in Spanish, included Christina Pantzer, YSN ’25; Pranjali Gupta, YSPH ’26; Simona Hausleitner, YC ’25; Olivia McCarthy, YSPH ’26; Evie Gardner, YC ’27; and Kavya Raju, YSPH ‘26. Their proposal included three components to address water scarcity, soil degradation, and empowering the community through local, food-focused collectives. The students explained how these interventions would be culturally relevant, sustainable, and scalable in the Ecuadorian Andes Indigenous community.
It was a privilege to serve as a judge for the case competition. The interprofessional collaboration among the student participants was outstanding. What stood out most was their collective commitment and passion for global health. Throughout the presentations, their passion was palpable. This experience gives me hope for the magnitude of work that can be accomplished when individuals with shared goals and love for humanity can accomplish to alleviate suffering. I hope to stay connected with this important work in the future.
Vida Digna received a $1,000 prize and will go on to represent Yale at the Emory Morningside Global Health Case Competition, which will be held in Atlanta on March 28th – 29th. Students from Yale took home first place in 2022 and 2024.
Second-Place - Rooted Resilience: Bassel Shanab, YSM ’26; Charlene Jamie Miciano, YC ’24, YSPH ’25; Amy Guan, YSPH ’26; Lilia Potter-Schwartz, YC ’26; Bianca Taya, YSPH ’25; and Yumi Yang, YSPH ‘26.
Third-Place - Project Chuquiragua: Ahmed Elzamzami, YSM ’26; Jingjing Fu, YSPH ’25; Uday Dhanda, YSPH ’25; and Alessandra Pappalardi, YC ‘27.
2025 Case Planning Committee
- Event Chair: Shankeri Vijayakumar, MPH ‘25
- Marketing Coordinator: Yasmin Hung, MPH ‘26
- Faculty Communications Coordinator: Aiwen (Erin) Chen, MPH ‘26
- Case Writing Team Lead: Atalay Demiray, PhD ‘28
- Case Writing Team: Jack Carew, PhD ’27; Jiaye Chen, MS ’25, Yosra Raziani, PhD ’29; Sheel Trivedi, BS ‘26
2025 Case Competition Judges
- Jason Abaluck, Professor of Economics
- Mayur Desai, Professor of Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases) and Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
- Jennifer McIntosh, Senior Lecturer in Nursing, Graduate Entry Prespecialty in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing
- Martin Mutonga, Integrated Interventional Radiology resident, Yale-New Haven Hospital
- Nükte Göç Gürpınar, Doctoral student at New York University