HPM team takes first prize at UAB case competition

March 4, 2014

A team of three University of North Carolina health policy and management students has won first place in the annual University of Alabama at Birmingham Health Administration Case Competition.

Jennifer Moore, Christopher Coughlin and Callan Blough, second-year Master of Healthcare Administration students at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, received the prize at the seventh annual competition, held Feb. 27 – March 1.

Left to right are UNC case competition team members Jennifer Moore, Christopher Coughlin and Callan Blough.

The competition, begun in 2007, provides graduate students from accredited health administration programs an opportunity to apply what they have learned to a real-life, real-time case. Student teams from around the country travel to Birmingham to present their recommendations before a national team of judges. The first-, second- and third-place teams receive cash awards. The UNC team won $9,000.

Sandra Greene, DrPH, Professor of the Practice in Health Policy and interim chair of UNC’s health policy and management department, noted that this year’s UAB case was unique in that it focused on hospice services rather than the traditional hospital-based cases previously used in the competition.

“Jennifer, Callan and Chris took on this challenge,” Greene said, “and within three weeks, they became very knowledgeable about hospice services and prepared an extensive business plan in response to the case.  They were able to utilize many of the skills and competencies they have gained during their two years in our program.  We’re very proud of their first-place win!”

The UNC health policy and management team is usually a finalist in the UAB competition. This is the second consecutive year – and third time – a UNC team has won first place.