UMSOM Students' Team Wins National Academy of Medicine Public Health Challenge

On October 18, two University of Maryland School of Medicine students and their  University of Maryland, Baltimore student teammates won the 11th annual National Academy of Medicine’s DC Public Health Case Challenge grand prize.

UMSOM students Erika Shook, (‘26), a Masters of Public Health student and JaNya Brown (‘25), a Science Training for Advancing biomedical Research Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program (STAR-PREP) student, helped craft a proposal to address substance use and mental health challenges among young adults in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia region. Calling their solution Guiding Resilience and Offering Wellness, or (GROW), the UMB team proposed a program incorporating wellness workshops and certifications, case management teams, and interactive screenings to support community college students in mitigating loneliness and problematic substance use.

“I’m proud to announce our talented team of interprofessional UMB students came together and worked hard to create an award-winning proposal to address mental health and substance abuse risk in young and emerging adults,” said Dr. Greg Carey, PhD, Associate Professor and Assistant Dean for Student Research and Education at UMSOM, and the Faculty and team leader advisor and coach for the team. “Our team of students enjoyed their research and preparation and had fun carrying the day even as they continued their demanding work and study schedules — it was an honor coaching them for the challenge.”

Created by the National Academy of Medicine to promote interdisciplinary approaches to problem-based learning, the DC Public Health Case Challenge asks teams from regional universities to propose innovative solutions to real public health challenges. The 2024 challenge focused on young adults facing mental health and substance use challenges, while past competitions have examined the prevention of intimate partner violence and improving the health of homeless women in Washington, D.C.

Read more on the National Academy of Medicine website >

About the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Now in its third century, the University of Maryland School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 as the first public medical school in the United States. It continues today as one of the fastest growing, top-tier biomedical research enterprises in the world -- with 46 academic departments, centers, institutes, and programs, and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals, including members of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and a distinguished two-time winner of the Albert E. Lasker Award in Medical Research. With an operating budget of more than $1.2 billion, the School of Medicine works closely in partnership with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide research-intensive, academic, and clinically based care for nearly 2 million patients each year. The School of Medicine has more than $500 million in extramural funding, with most of its academic departments highly ranked among all medical schools in the nation in research funding. As one of the seven professional schools that make up the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine has a total population of nearly 9,000 faculty and staff, including 2,500 students, trainees, residents, and fellows. The School of Medicine, which ranks as the 8th highest among public medical schools in research productivity (according to the Association of American Medical Colleges profile) is an innovator in translational medicine, with 606 active patents and 52 start-up companies. In the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking of the Best Medical Schools, published in 2023, the UM School of Medicine is ranked #10 among the 92 public medical schools in the U.S., and in the top 16 percent (#32) of all 192 public and private U.S. medical schools. The School of Medicine works locally, nationally, and globally, with research and treatment facilities in 36 countries around the world. Visit medschool.umaryland.edu