SIUE Public Health Students Excel at Case Study Competition in Health Education
A team of three students pursuing bachelor’s degrees in public health at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has earned second place in the Central Region of the National Case Study Competition in Health Education.
Seniors Hawwaou Diallo, Brian Gomez and HenLi Shih used their background in public health and their own cultural experiences to develop an advocacy and communications plan to address school violence at a fictitious high school in New Mexico.
“This was our first team in 15 years to compete in the National Case Study Competition in Health Education,” said Nicole Klein, PhD, professor in the Department of Applied Health and undergraduate public health program director. “The time was right—we had a great group of students who wanted more experience solving real and current public health problems and a commitment to work on a co-curricular, non-credit project in the middle of a busy semester.”
With Diallo, Gomez and Shih’s strong family roots in Africa, Mexico and Taiwan, respectively, each student brought different ideas and perspectives to the project based on their heritage.
“I learned a lot about communication and different perspectives from other people because our team is so diverse,” said Shih. The team members used their individual experiences and strengths to add elements to their presentation. “We used our backgrounds, how we grew up and what we value to build our plan.”
To address the issues of school violence presented in the case study, the SIUE team created a plan for the school which included implementing a zero-tolerance policy for violence, utilizing de-escalation techniques, addressing students’ mental health issues and partnering with local organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters.
At the competition, the students presented to a panel of judges, who assessed the team on their mastery of competencies expected of entry-level health education specialists.
“This team of outstanding students completed the entire case study independently without coaching or guidance from any of our faculty or our network of alums,” added Klein. “We couldn't be more proud of their performance.”
Photo: SIUE public health students (L-R) Hawwaou Diallo, Brian Gomez and HenLi Shih.
