USU Health Administration Students Triumph in Unique Collaborative Competition

Uniformed Services University (USU) graduate students in the MHAP program took part in a unique competition to tackle and solve a complex health administration and policy issue in less than 24 hours, winning both first and second places.

Dr. Christian Betancourt, USU program director for the MHAP program says the four graduate students
who volunteered to participate for the competition, “... (showcased) not only their mastery of health
administration and policy but also their unwavering commitment to innovative problem-solving.” (Photo courtesy
of Dr. Christian Betancourt, USU)

November 28, 2023 by Ian Neligh

Uniformed Services University (USU) graduate students took part in a unique competition to tackle and solve a complex health administration and policy issue in less than 24 hours, winning both first and second places.

The USU Master of Health Administration and Policy (MHAP) program graduate students won the top two spots during a graduate-level health administration case competition earlier this month.

The challenge, the “DMV Case Collaborative,” was the first of its kind drawing students from USU, George Washington, Johns Hopkins, Virginia Commonwealth, and George Mason Universities.  Instead of schools competing against each other, the teams consisted of a mix of randomly-assigned students from each of the participating schools, who took on the problem. Four USU students attended the event and two were on teams that took first and second place.

The students’ goal was to take on a broad problem of how to help a home health facility expand and better align with its mission, vision, and values. They had to develop a solution, plan, and prepare a presentation in less than 24 hours. The first place team’s solution involved partnering with churches and local hospitals to provide home health services and build community involvement.

Case collaborators and judging panelists consisted of health and business executives from Canon Solutions America, LeadingAge, and Goodwin Living. 

The event took place at George Mason University Nov. 3 and 4.

Navy Ensign Britney Bessarab, a first-year MHAP student, says her team, which won first place, worked to utilize their strengths and collaborate effectively, adding the experience was also a chance to work with students from other programs and build connections.

“I just thought that it would be a unique opportunity to work with individuals from other MHA (programs),” says Bessarab. “It seemed like a unique opportunity to be able to compete.”

Two graduate students from USU’s Master of Health Administration and Policy program were on teams that

won first and second place during the recent DMV Case Collaborative. Here, Navy Ensign Britney Bessarab 

(right), a first-year student, stands with her fellow first-place team members consisting of students from different

schools. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Christian Betancourt, USU)

Bessarab says they had less than a day to assign roles on their three-person teams, do the research, and prepare a presentation to be ready for the judges by the next morning. She added her military background helped in logically handling the stressful, last-minute nature of the event.

“I feel like, being in the military, we’re used to last minute (assignments), and getting the opportunity to work with a variety of individuals from different cultures, different backgrounds, and making it work,” says Bessarab. “I was very lucky with my team that we were able to connect and get on the same page… we put in a lot of time and effort into the thing and stayed up till 1 a.m. working on it. We were very supportive of one another — which I think also helped us.”

Navy Ensign Charlcie Roman, a first-year MHAP student whose team took second place in the challenge, says she volunteered because it was a great opportunity for growth.

“We were given basic instructions on how to present and how to develop our ideas to solve their problem, which was also used to grade our overall presentations,” says Roman. “Ultimately, the experience was a great professional development and networking opportunity.”

According to Roman, it was a good learning experience to see what the different programs are like, but also a great reminder to see how her 14 years of military experience set her up for success not only in the MHAP program and the Military Health System but also in the civilian workforce. 

Bessarab also adds, “I think it shines some light on appreciating the other things that the military has given us — that we don’t think about until you get into an environment with other students that don’t necessarily have the same background.”

“With great precision and passion, our MHAP students exemplified excellence in teamwork and leadership through their remarkable performance in the DMV Case Collaborative, showcasing not only their mastery of health administration and policy, but also their unwavering commitment to innovative problem-solving,” says Navy Lt. Cmdr. Christian Betancourt, MHAP program director.

Students from USU, George Washington, Johns Hopkins, Virginia Commonwealth, and George Mason

Universities worked together to solve a health administration and policy challenge in less than 24 hours.

Here, Navy Ensign Charlcie Roman (left) stands with her team. She added the experience was a great

“professional development and networking opportunity.” (Photo courtesy of Dr. Christian Betancourt)