The Pharmalliance International Case Competition (ICC) is an entirely student-driven, collaborative case competition that occurs annually in March or April. Students from UNC, UCL and Monash work together to come up with a creative solution based around a patient scenario. This year, teams had a choice between two cases: one focused on substance use disorder in pregnancy and another focused on medical cannabinoid use in children. Teams initially submitted a storyboard response to the case of their choice. The top 3 storyboards were selected and remaining student teams were given the chance to create a video response to the case. Videos were judged on creativity, solution innovation, and delivery of information. The winning team was selected by a panel of student and faculty judges from UNC and UCL.
The top 3 teams’ storyboards and videos were showcased on the PharmAlliance Student Domain Blog. Winners were announced and gifted $10 Amazon gift cards.
Congratulations to the winning team, Team 7: Alice Hann (Monash), Alec Martschenko (UNC), Haley Mun (UNC), and Akina Nana (UNC)! Team 7 created a storyboard and video, responding to the case substance use disorder in pregnancy. In their video, this team was able to depict a response to their scenario from two perspectives, as a community pharmacist in both the US and Australia. Their video highlighted the differences and similarities between pharmacy practice in two countries.
The ICC 2020 was delayed and adapted in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, however the show went on! Although we were unable to announce the winners at PharmAlliance Week 2020, they will be celebrated at the next PharmAlliance gathering.
Overall, ICC 2020 served as a great opportunity for students to engage in innovative problem solving and creative thinking. Additionally, they were able to establish international connections that will shape them as they progress through their careers in pharmacy.