Public Health IDEAS Hackathon Fall 2022

Comments from Judges

"Great ideas from young minds. Some of the innovative solutions may have long-lasting impacts on health promotion!"

Abu Mohammed Naser Titu, PhD, MBBS
Assistant Professor of Environmental and Urban Health

"I have found many insightful ideas in these abstracts. Many students have proposed innovative solutions to address critical public health questions that may demand serious follow-up research. Congratulations to all of these students!"

Xinhua Yu, MD, PhD, MS
Associate Professor of Epidemiology, PhD Program Coordinator for Epidemiology

"I am always amazed when I get to listen to or read ideas from young people! They are innovative and creative and think outside of the box to solve issues that are important to them. The experience of reviewing the abstracts for the REAIM initiative was fun! It is clear that the youth of the world see the issues that are impacting our health and wellbeing and are excited to participate in coming up with innovative and sustainable solutions!"

Jennifer Turchi, PhD
Assistant Professor

This is an innovative initiative aimed to assist youth to come up with out-of-box solutions to address public health challenges of the 21st century. This platform brings together youth's ideas on how today's pressing public health problems can be addressed across diverse local and global settings.

We bring together some selected high schools in this inaugural launch - before we embark upon the journey to solving public health challenges by connecting youth locally, nationally, and globally.

Public Health issues include diseases and conditions that impact entire populations.

How to tackle obesity?

Ways to enhance physical activity

Mental health issues among youth

Environmental and climate health concerns

Risky health behaviors such as drug, alcohol and substance abuse

Access to healthy food

Social media misinformation

Ways to address violence and bullying

Become a Public Health Champion of Change.

This will serve as an excellent opportunity to get your ideas recognized, highlight, and find solutions to the growing public heath challenges among the youth.

Get your thinking caps on and be a part of this enriching experience!

Why participate?

Who can participate?

Important Dates

Abstract Details

Allow

This initiative will allow the participants to achieve the objectives.

Turn

Turn ideas into reality.

Solve

Solve public health problems through innovative and sustainable solutions.

Contribute

Contribute towards improvement of good health and well-being.

Become

Become champions of public health change.

Why Participate

High school students from grade 9 to 12 with interest in solving Public Health challenges of the 21st century.

11/1/2022

Announcement of Initiative

11/19/2022

Information Session

11/22/2022

Deadline for Participant Registration

12/1/2022

Abstract Submission

12/10/2022

Initial Screening

12/20/2022

Pitching of Ideas & Announcement of Results

Abstract Details

(Limit: 500 words)

Problem statement (10 points) highlight topic and the public health problem it addresses.
- Background
- Objective
- Significance and Relevance
Solution/Innovation proposed (10 points)
Approach - describe how you plan to address this problem (10 points)
Impact: How would you assess? (10 Points)
Sustainability: How will you propose the sustainability of the solution? (10 Points)

Awards and recognition

Certificate of participation
Public Health Swag
Gift vouchers
The best 7 public health ideas will get an opportunity to be featured on the website, social media and newsletter

The Judging Criteria

Top

Public Health Ideas

The 7 best public health ideas would be selected by the esteemed jury representing multidisciplinary team based on the following criteria:

Creative
Research oriented
Entrepreneurial
Accessible
Transformative
Effective

Participating Schools

What the experts are saying

"This unique educational partnership is a very innovative approach to addressing the issues in public health locally, nationally, and globally, while promoting critical thinking, creative problem solving, and the development of a growth mindset for students in the program. It is succession planning that will provide a pipeline of highly trained, well-educated practitioners and leaders in Public Health."

Dr. Mary C. McDonald
President & CEO of MCD Partners Consulting, TN, USA

"I am thoroughly impressed with the exceptional and innovative design of the REAIM Public Health Ideas initiative. Engaging our youth in conversations that will shape the future is essential, particularly as it relates to public health. I am excited to see the advancements, locally and globally, that will be created as a result of this forward-thinking project, and I commend the School of Public Health for leading this charge."

Dr. Bill Hardgrave
President, University of Memphis, TN, USA

"This initiative offers an opportunity to include youth voices into the civic discourse about public health and engage them in co-creating solutions for their futures. I look forward to what we will all learn from this experience."

Dr. Jan Young
Executive Director, The Assisi Foundation of Memphis, Inc., TN, USA

"Our mission as a UHS community is that we prepare students for the 21st century global community. In partnering with the school of public health in our launch year, we aim to create experiential learning opportunities and dual enrollment coursework that matters. This opportunity will absolutely be transformational for all involved."

Dr. Kristle Hodges Johnson
Executive Director, University High School, University of Memphis, TN, USA

"This partnership provides an unmatched opportunity for our high school students to examine real world public health challenges and identify thoughtful, collaborative, and innovative solutions. I am confident these solutions lie in the hands of this next generation of leaders, and look forward to seeing them apply their learning in ways that benefit our global community."

Dr. Sally G. Parish
Associate Vice President for Educational Initiatives, University of Memphis, TN, USA

"Investing in youth's public health education and well-being could lead to socioeconomic development and help solve public health challenges of the 21st century in today's interconnected world."

Dr. Ashish Joshi
Dean, School of Public Health, University of Memphis, TN, USA

"Public health issues have assumed center-stage as crucial and critical components of growth, productivity and all-round health of communities and nations. It's time that adolescents become harbingers and ambassadors of public health issues and bring their innovative, vibrant, thoughtful and deep insights to not only discussions on different platforms, but also suggest ways and means to address and combat them. Participation of youth can truly be a forceful and impactful gamechanger."

Dr Rakesh Kumar
Global Health Expert, India

"The population of young people between the ages of 10 and 24 years is currently 1.8 billion. This presents a unique opportunity in our history to engage youth locally and globally in effective and meaningful efforts that realize their full potential for health and wellbeing. The World Health Organization highlights four areas of strategic opportunity for engaging youth in health and sustainable development: (1) Leadership; (2) Country impact; (3) Global public goods; and (4) Partnerships. It's truly exciting to see that the University of Memphis School of Public Health is leading in this regard."

Dr. Yonette F. Thomas
Founder and CEO of Urban Health 360A

"There is no better mechanism to construct knowledge than to engage actively in connecting new facts and activities within the framework of each individual's knowledge of the world. This structured opportunity to have students in different parts of the world work together to build their public health problem-solving skills upon the base of their shared knowledge will be tremendously empowering for all involved."

Dr. Abby Parrill-Baker
Interim Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost/ Professor, University of Memphis, TN, USA

Hackathon Fall 2022

Brochure

Why Participate

High school students from grade 9 to 12 with interest in solving Public Health challenges of the 21st century.

Abstract Details

(Limit: 500 words)

Awards and recognition

The 7 best public health ideas would be selected by the esteemed jury representing multidisciplinary team based on the following criteria: