UCO Public Health Students Win Gold at National Case Study Competition
June 9, 2025
A team of undergraduate students from the University of Central Oklahoma’s public health program took home gold in the National Case Study Competition in Health Education. UCO was one of only six undergraduate teams to achieve this distinction among the 23 teams participating.
Team members include Araceli Saaed, a senior from The Colony, Texas; Cici Lennon, a junior from Edmond, Oklahoma; and, Jamie Sibert, a senior from Midwest City, Oklahoma. The competition was a part of the Society for Public Health Education Conference, hosted in April in Long Beach, California.
"Thanks to the support of our department and college, our public health students have the opportunity to engage in complex case studies that test their knowledge and skills against top programs from across the nation," said Sunshine Cowan, Ph.D., professor and co-coordinator of the public health program at UCO.
"With competition rules requiring that teams work independently, this gold medal win is a true testament to their hard work and dedication."
Participants were challenged to address a real-world public health case study centered on rising chlamydia rates in Long Beach. Each year’s case study reflects issues specific to the conference's host city. This was the first time in the competition’s history that a sexually transmitted infection served as the focus of the case. Teams were tasked with designing a culturally sensitive intervention using scientific research and public health best practices.
UCO’s Public Health program prepares students to evaluate and address factors impacting community health while promoting wellness across different populations. The program is currently undergoing a self-study for accreditation through the Council on Education for Public Health.
For more information about Central’s public health program, contact Cowan at 405-974-5238 or jcowan1@uco.edu or visit go.uco.edu/PublicHealth.
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Cutline: A team of undergraduate students from the University of Central Oklahoma’s public health program took home gold in the National Case Study Competition in Health Education. UCO was one of only six undergraduate teams to achieve this distinction among the 23 teams participating.
Autumn Anderson