•
BIDDEFORD, Maine

UNE health professions student team captures second place at national Interprofessional Case Competition

A team of University of New England graduate students representing four academic programs secured a second place finish at the 2013 National Clarion Interprofessional Case Competition held at the University of Minnesota April 19-20.  

Though it was UNE's first time participating in the competition, its team bested several others from much larger schools that have participated in the Clarion contest since its inception.

UNE's Center for Excellence in Interprofessional Education (CEIPE), headed by Shelley Cohen Konrad, Ph.D, of the Department of Social Work, initiated UNE's first-time participation in the competition, which requires students from varying health care programs to collaborate in finding a solution that transcends any one discipline.

"UNE's high place in our inaugural Clarion Case Competition is indicative of our mission as an innovative health sciences university grounded in the liberal arts. We are proud that our students were able to blend their clinical know-how with solid skills in strategic planning and persuasion. While we've known our strengths all along, this win elevates us on the national stage as a leader in health care education," UNE President Danielle N. Ripich, Ph.D. said.

UNE's winning team consists of Eugenia Edmonds '15 (College of Osteopathic Medicine), Cody Lapointe '13 (Department of Occupational Therapy), Kimberly Mulcahy '14 (College of Pharmacy), and Brendan Roggow '13 (Department of Physical Therapy).

Lisa Pagnucco, PharmD, BCACP, assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy, and Jeff Nevers of Career Services were the team coaches.

The competition centered around a health care case study, written by University of Minnesota faculty, involving a fictional hospital's high COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) readmission rates. Teams were charged with creating a plan to reduce readmissions for the disease and justifying the validity of their recommendations. They presented their 20-minute case to a fictitious "board of trustees," consisting of actual executives and clinical directors of various Midwestern healthcare entities, who then followed the presentation with a 10-minute question and answer session.

The UNE team members' second-place finish ranked them behind the winning team from the University of Missouri and ahead of the third-place team from the University of Minnesota and the fourth-place team from the University of South Carolina.  As a result of their finish, UNE students were awarded a cash prize.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.