Students from across the Indo-Pacific region join the University of Melbourne for a global health case competition

A palpable mix of excitement and nerves filled the room as students and judges enjoyed the tea, coffee and breakfast spread. While some rehearsed their presentations, others greeted old and new friends from other universities and faculties, and everyone in the room, and online, prepared to give the competition their best shot.

The Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, with support from the faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, welcomed 28 student teams from five countries to compete in the University of Melbourne Indo-Pacific Global Health Case Competition.

This competition invites students to form small teams, who are given two weeks to provide a response to a global health issue, which was addressing the issue of malaria in Papua New Guinea.

For the second year running, teams from universities in the Indo-Pacific region joined University of Melbourne students to compete, and with over 150 participants this year, it was the biggest event to date.

The day was opened by one of last year’s winners from the University of Melbourne, Ahelee Rahman, who shared how the competition had changed her life, reigniting her passion for her studies.

Daniel Etzion, from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), gave the opening speech, emphasising that there has never been a more important time to work in public health.

“With so many outstanding students gathered here in this room, I look forward to seeing what you all go on to achieve,” Etzion said.

On the day, each team had 20 minutes to present their solution to their judging panel. A judging panel of more than 15 esteemed professionals and academics, from across the public health sector, listened to the students’ presentations.

"The best thing about this competition has been working with a group of friends from multiple disciplines. As I’m studying data science, it also brings me experience that I cannot get from class to work on real-work solutions,” said a University of Melbourne Bachelor of Science student.

Students who attended in-person from overseas were excited that the competition not only helped them to build skills and knowledge, but gave them the opportunity to travel to Melbourne.

“The best thing about this competition is that it’s shown me I can do more than I think. It’s also a great opportunity to learn about global health; I realised that it’s related to me more than ever,” said a Mahidol University Bachelor of Medicine student, who had travelled with her team from Thailand to be at the competition day.

In the closing speeches, students heard from Professor Rosemary McKenzie, Head of the School of Population and Global Health. “I was blown away by the quality of the presentations today and was particularly pleased to see elements of measurement and evaluation expressed in the solutions,” said Professor McKenzie.

The 2024 competition international team winners joining virtually from Universitas Indonesia,
pictured with Professor Jamie Evans (Pro Vice-Chancellor Students and Education) and
Professor Rosemary McKenzie (Head of the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health).

Professor Jamie Evans, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Students and Education), presented the prizes, congratulating every student who participated in the event for their hard work and enthusiasm brought to the competition.

“The region needs students like yourselves to tackle issues on a global scale. One of the great things about this competition is that, and while you have learnt a lot about the topic of malaria, you will also have learnt a lot about Papua New Guinea, its people and culture,” said Professor Evans.

As the results came in, students congratulated each other and shared in the success of their peers. Planning Saw, University of Melbourne Doctor of Medicine student from the winning team, reflected: “It was fascinating and truly enjoyable how six strangers, all passionate about global health, came together and worked tirelessly as a team, complementing each other’s strengths, with the shared vision of developing a strategy we genuinely believe could come to life. To Sam, Cara, Thilda, Finn, and Wilson—thank you for an incredible two weeks.

“I’ve learned that the best strategies aren’t just well-conceived, but also well-executed, taking into account feasibility, budget, and timelines—factors I hadn’t fully appreciated before.”

The 2024 University of Melbourne winning team with Professor Jamie Evans
(Pro Vice-Chancellor Students and Education), Professor Rosemary McKenzie
(Head of Melbourne School of Population and Global Health),
Professor Margie Danchin (Associate Dean International, MDHS), and Professor Nathan Grills.

The results were as follows:

First place was awarded to Team 4 (University of Melbourne)

Second place was awarded to Team 5 (University of Melbourne)

Third place was awarded to Team 6 (University of Melbourne)

Fourth place was awarded to Team 2 (University of Melbourne)

The top international place was awarded to Team 22 (Universitas Indonesia)

The University of Melbourne thanks all the judges for contributing their time and expertise to this event.