UCO Public Health Students Place First in National Competition

March 21, 2022

Media Contact: Makenzie Barnes-Elkins, Communications and Public Relations Coordinator, UCO College of Education and Professional Studies, 405-974-5408, mbarneselkins@uco.edu

UCO Public Health Students Place First in National Competition

A team of three undergraduate students majoring in public health at the University of Central Oklahoma recently took first place in the 2022 National Case Study Competition in Health Education (NCSCHE). Fifteen teams from eight universities competed in the event.

Team members included Moriah Contino, a public health senior from Dubuque, Iowa; Avery Geist, a public health senior from Edmond, Oklahoma; and, Michelle Romero, a public health senior from Bethany, Oklahoma.

“We are thrilled to see this team win the national competition after placing first in the regional competition last fall,” said Sunshine Cowan, Ph.D., UCO professor of public health and assistant dean of the UCO Jackson College of Graduate Studies.  

“They not only brought remarkable knowledge to their solution, but they also infused creativity and included connections to solutions beyond the immediate case. The rules for this competition strictly mandate that students may not receive any outside assistance. The honor of this win lies entirely with them, and we are incredibly proud.”

During the competition, students used research and public health theory to solve a public health community case study without assistance from outside resources. The projects were judged by a panel of national health experts using criteria based on the competencies required of a certified health education specialist.

The public health program at Central prepares professionals to identify and assess factors contributing to the health of a population and to promote overall health in all communities. The program is accredited by the Society for Public Health and American Association of Health Education Baccalaureate Program Approval Committee (SABPAC).

For more information, visit www.uco.edu/programs/ceps/program-public-gealth-major.com.

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Editor's Note: Download art associated with this release at https://media.uco.edu/Press/uploads/2022/03/2bf8110.jpg

Cutline: A team of undergraduate public health majors at the University of Central Oklahoma recently took first place in the 2022 National Case Study Competition in Health Education (NCSCHE). Pictured, top row left to right, Sunshine Cowan, Ph.D., UCO professor of public health and assistant dean of the UCO Jackson College of Graduate Studies; Moriah Contino, a public health senior from Dubuque, Iowa; and, Kerry Morgan, Ph.D., assistant professor of kinesiology and health studies at UCO. Front row left to right, Michelle Romero, a public health senior from Bethany, Oklahoma; and, Avery Geist, a public health senior from Edmond, Oklahoma.