30 multidisciplinary student teams from 13 universities across nine countries recently competed in the Indo-Pacific Global Health Case Competition, supported by the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences and the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health.
The Hon Tim Watts MP and Professor Jane Gunn AO presenting first place to the winning team from Universiti Malaya, on screen.
The competition tasked student teams from across the Indo-Pacific region with developing an innovative and evidence-based five-year public health intervention aimed at reducing the burden of childhood asthma in the Philippines, before presenting their proposals to expert judging panels.
The Hon Tim Watts MP, Australian Government Special Envoy for Indian Ocean Affairs, reflected on the importance of the competition as he presented first place to a team from Universiti Malaya in Malaysia, and second, third and fourth place to teams from the University of Melbourne.
“Health security is vital for the stability and resilience of our region, and bringing together university students from across our region to solve a multifaceted, complex global health problem is exactly the kind of expertise that we need to develop in our future leaders,” he said.
Asthma affects roughly 10% of children in the Philippines and is driven by a complex mix of air pollution, limited access to care, second-hand smoke and increased e-cigarette use among adolescents. Left untreated, it can lead to recurrent hospitalisations, lung damage, and missed schooling.
This year's competition included 30 teams from universities across the Indo-Pacific region.
The winning proposal focused on replacing wood stoves with locally used alternatives that produce less air pollution, training teachers and barangay health workers in asthma screening, and encouraging ongoing effective self-monitoring and treatment through education programs and reward systems.
“It was fantastic to see a diverse range of students coming together to get to know each other and step into a real global health challenge that’s affecting communities in the region,” said Professor Jane Gunn AO, Interim Provost, University of Melbourne.
Students joined the competition from across Australia, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and Thailand, with some teams travelling from interstate and overseas to join the competition in-person at Melbourne Connect.
“Tackling global health challenges demands global perspectives, cross-cultural understanding, and strong international networks. It was inspiring to see our students embrace the opportunity build these competencies, learn and collaborate alongside their peers from across the region,” said Professor Michael Wesley, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global, Culture and Engagement), University of Melbourne.
Teams were encouraged to take a cross-disciplinary and creative approach to the problem, while considering how their proposal can build upon existing programs and infrastructure, and how their intervention can sustain longer-term impact through community co-design and uptake.
Students were encouraged to take a cross-disciplinary and creative approach when developing their proposals.
Speaking to students during the presentation ceremony, Head of the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health Professor Sant-Rayn Pasricha said the skills students learned during the competition will support them to drive improved health outcomes globally.
“Responding to a call, working with a multidisciplinary team to design a comprehensive proposal, identifying timelines, budget and feasibility, that’s what we do every day as global health practitioners,” he said.
Participants from the winning Universiti Malaya team and a group of students selected from the University of Melbourne will travel to the United States next year to compete in the prestigious Emory Morningside Global Health Case Competition in Atlanta.
https://mdhs.unimelb.edu.au/news-and-events/2025-indo-pacific-global-health-case-competition
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