The Georgetown University School of Nursing (SON) inaugurated its global health case challenge, which invited students to develop health care solutions to climate change, during a virtual event March 10.
Both graduate and undergraduate participants in randomly assigned groups devised solutions addressing wildfires and health care in immigrant communities based on a fictional case study set in California. The event was organized by the INnovations in Solving Problems through Interdisciplinary Research and Education (INSPIRE) program, a joint collaboration between the SON and the Global Health Institute (GHI), which coordinates research for health care solutions.
Pamela Biernacki, assistant dean for innovation and program development at the SON and the event’s organizer, said the case challenge introduced students to interdisciplinary problem solving approaches.
“At the intersection of healthcare providers, policy-makers, environmental specialists and scientists, there is an abundance of knowledge that students can both share and learn from,” Biernacki wrote to The Hoya. “By tackling complex, real-world problems in collaborative groups, students will experience firsthand the value of building cross-sector relationships and working together to address pressing challenges.”
Organizers presented students with a case that followed a 50-year-old immigrant from Mexico with asthma and mental health issues exacerbated by wildfires. The case asked students to consider her immediate health care needs as well as the impact of her lack of legal residency status and economic situation.
Jordan Pai (SOH ’27) said participating in the case challenge taught him health care requires an interdisciplinary outlook, especially when dealing with issues like climate change.
“In health care, you can’t just address one problem, which in this case was her having asthma,” Pai told The Hoya. “There are so many other problems that just confound the issue that you need to take an interdisciplinary, cross-sectional approach to solve the whole thing. If you’re only solving one part of it, you’re not going to be able to solve the issue at its root.”
Biernacki said the organizers focused on climate change because of its widespread impact.
“Climate change and its impact on health, particularly wildfires, is a critical topic as it brings together expertise from various disciplines, including environmental science, public health and access to healthcare,” Biernacki wrote. “Wildfires not only affect air quality and mental health, but also highlight the need for interdisciplinary solutions to mitigate and adapt to these growing environmental threats.”
Scientists have determined climate change worsens wildfires by increasing temperatures and reducing precipitation, which can displace individuals and communities.
Samraa Smadi (GRD ’25), who experienced wildfires growing up in Southern California, said she explored multidisciplinary approaches to addressing the human impact of wildfires.
“With climate change, these wildfires are more prevalent, meaning change has to happen now for us to find emergency management and collaborative governance interventions,” Smadi wrote to The Hoya.
“I wanted to gain a holistic, topic-specific perspective of wildfire outcomes on health and individuals, while identifying gaps in health care systems that hinder timely care,” Smadi added.
Pai said personal perspectives from students who have experienced wildfires humanized the issue and helped him develop more empathetic policy proposals.
“It added a dimension of emotion that you wouldn’t necessarily see in a health care scenario if you’re trying to just treat a patient,” Pai said.
“Here, it’s more like, ‘I know people that have been affected by this, I’ve been affected by this, how can I contribute in a way to deal with a more multi-dimensional problem?’” Pai added.
Biernacki said she hopes to integrate the case challenge with coursework and involve more faculty in the future, in addition to introducing judging and awards during the event itself.
“The INSPIRE Core Team recognizes the importance of securing faculty commitment for the success of the initiative,” Biernacki wrote. “We will work to engage additional disciplines in the planning process, highlighting the various ways the INSPIRE event can be integrated as a strategic learning activity within their courses.”
Smadi said the case challenge demonstrated the efficacy of collaboration in solving global issues like climate change.
“This event was a great reminder that complex problems need a multi-stakeholder, multidimensional and cross-sector approach in order to solve them,” Smadi wrote. “That while it is easier to stay in our silos, it is not the avenue for success.”
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