USU Students Participate in the 2023 DC Public Health Case Challenge, Gain First-Hand Knowledge of Building a Critical Public Health Plan

Six graduate students from the Uniformed Services University participated in this year’s DC Public Health Case Challenge

Five students from USU participated in the 10th Annual DC Public Health Case Challenge. The challenge took

place October 6, 2023 at the National Academy of Science Building, Washington D.C. Pictured left to right: ENS

Norbert Owusu, Teresa Russell, Lt. Matthew Horch, and peer mentor, Remle Scott. (Photo credit: Risdon

Photography)

November 16, 2023 by Hadiyah Brendel

Joshua Trowell takes a break after presenting a poster at a Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics conference to hop in an interview. He’s in a hallway at the Uniformed Services University (USU), speaking on his phone. That’s how driven he is to get the word out about the health challenge he and his team just participated in. 

It was the 10th Annual DC Public Health Case Challenge. The challenge brings together teams from local universities with schools or programs of public health to promote interdisciplinary and problem-based learning around a health issue affecting the area. Each team consists of three to six members, from at least three different disciplines. 

The teams have two weeks and a hypothetical $1 million budget. Tasked with building a proposal, the team then presents before a panel of expert judges. This year’s topic was “A Public Health Approach to Improve the Health of Women Experiencing Homelessness in D.C.” 

The event occurred October 6 at the National Academies of Sciences in Washington, D.C. The USU team presented a proposal titled “EMPOWER HER: A Holistic Healthcare Initiative for Women who Experience Homelessness in the Heart of Washington, D.C.” 

And even though his team didn’t place in the competition, Trowell is eager to talk about the experience.

The team included six USU students: Trowell, a PhD candidate in Public Health, Navy Lt. Matthew Horch, an MPH student in the Occupational and Environmental Health residency program, Teresa Russell, PhD candidate in Public Health, Army Maj. Marjorie Brooks, Graduate School of Nursing, Navy Ensign Norbert Owusu, Master of Public Health Administration and Policy student, and Hyun Lee, PhD candidate in Molecular and Cell Biology. 

Most of the team brought a personal value to this year's DC Public Health Case Challenge, "A Public Health

Approach to Improve the Health of Women Experiencing Homelessness in D.C." Trowell says this is why

they were so passionate to give their time and attention. Pictured left to right: Joshua Trowell (PH), Lt. Matthew

Horch (MPH, OEM), Teresa Russell (PH), Maj. Marjorie Brooks (GSN), ENS Norbert Owus, MSC, USN

(MHAP), Hyun Lee (MCB). (Photo credit: Risdon Photography)

Dr. Weyinshet Gossa and retired Air Force Col. (Dr.) Catherine Witkop served as co-advisors. Gossa is associate professor of Family Medicine at USU’s School of Medicine (SOM). Witkop is associate dean for Medical Education and professor in Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics at the SOM.

In addition to support from their faculty advisors, the team was also able to tap into support from the PMB department. Trowell says he reached out to faculty members in the department who allowed the team to present their case challenge at a seminar. Afterwards, the team received full reviews from faculty experts in women’s health. 

Trowell is president of the Global Health Interest Group (GHIG) at USU. Each year, the president of the group sources students from the university to take part in the DC Public Health Case Challenge. They also participate in the Emory Morningside Global Health Case Competition in Atlanta in the spring. 

Both competitions, Trowell says, are “a way to get our name out into that student space. Where we're sharing ideas, we're collaborating, and we're building interventions that could be used in the real world.”

“[We’re] working with people in the communities where that problem is persistent in order to get real feedback about interventions that can help vulnerable populations,” adds Trowell.

Remle Scott, a former president of the GHIG who led her team to a first place win at the Emory Competition this spring, provided peer mentoring for the group. Like Trowell, Russell is also a member of GHIG.Trowell recruited the other four team members via word-of-mouth. 

This was the first time the group worked together. But they knew establishing effective communication was vital. Trowell says when they did introductions, he asked them to give their background as well as what they thought their strengths were when working with a team. 

“I think [that] helped with the team dynamic and the flow of how we were able to get through itm because it is really challenging to come together with complete strangers and pull off something that is recognizable,” says Trowell. 

Horch adds, “In my relatively short time in the military, I've learned that nothing happens if you can't communicate effectively and convince the decision makers. The case challenge was a way to practice this communication process.”

And as they built camaraderie, they discovered a few of them shared a personal connection to the challenge. 

“I think what happens, because this is my second time being a part of a team [on a health case challenge], people who are attracted to these types of programs and opportunities, have some type of connection with the work,” says Trowell. 

For Trowell, he experienced homelessness for a period of time. “Having to be in the sixth grade and not really knowing where I would stay for the next six months affected me.” Yet, how do we define who is homeless?” Trowell asks.

Homelessness can include people who are temporarily homeless, such as those in transitional housing. But, Trowell points out, “it doesn't define who they are.”

Most of the team brought a personal connection, or value, to this year’s case challenge. Trowell says this is why they were so “passionate” to give their time and attention to the challenge in the midst of clinics, labs, and coursework. 

Russell says this year’s topic on women’s health aligns with her interests in “investigating and mitigating disparities in healthcare access among underserved populations.”

She says the challenge gave the team “a trial run of what public health program planning and development looks like in a practical context.”

“But I also gained experience in key professional skills. I was able to practice working with a multidisciplinary team, writing and presenting a proposal ‘pitch’, and public speaking in a high-stress environment," says Russell. 

“One of my career aspirations is to work in a public health role where I can influence programs or policies to help folks access the healthcare they need and break down barriers related to the social determinants of health,” says Russell. 

For Owusu, the topic also echoed a first-hand experience. “Having faced homelessness during my migration from Ghana to New York, the challenge was not just a competition but an opportunity to channel my first hand understanding of the issue into meaningful and compassionate solutions,” says Owusu. 

“The challenge, therefore, became more than an academic exercise—it became a platform to turn passion into action,” he adds. 

The USU students had just two weeks to prepare a comprehensive intervention on the public health problem.

They presented their intervention before a panel of expert judges at the National Academy of Science Building

in Washington, D.C. (Courtesy photo)

“Through the challenge, I had the opportunity to engage in thoughtful discussions, drawing on insights from public health, sociology, economics, and other disciplines. This interdisciplinary approach is vital for crafting holistic and effective interventions that can address the root causes of homelessness and provide sustainable solutions,” says Owusu.

Owusu also says participating in the challenge will provide a transformative experience in his Navy career. He cites application of theoretical knowledge, understanding of societal issues, project management skills, positive impact on communities, and teamwork and collaboration as just a few of the skills he fine-tuned in the challenge. 

Horch reiterates that participation in the challenges was a great opportunity for real-world application of knowledge. 

As a student in the greater DC area, Horch says “I think it was important for me to understand some of the overlooked health issues of the homeless population in the district. It's possible that I will be working with similar populations as a military physician in the setting of armed conflict, disaster response, or global health engagement.” 

Overall, the team members viewed their involvement in the challenge as not only an avenue to build important skills they’ll use in their medical careers, but also an undertaking of personal significance. 

“I found a sense of purpose and fulfillment, knowing that our efforts had the potential to make a real difference in the lives of those (women) facing the challenges of homelessness,” says Owusu. 

Coming up in the spring is the Emory Morning Global Health Competition. So far, Trowell has one confirmed DC Public Health Case Challenge team member who will be joining him. He’s motivated to get the word out and inspire more of his fellow graduate students to “see the great opportunity” to join in.