We are thrilled to announce the resounding success of the inaugural Health Equity Data Science Challenge, launched in Fall 2024 through a strategic partnership between the Berthiaume Institute for Precision Health (BIPH) and the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society.
Igniting the Spark: The BIPH Contribution This initiative was born from a vision to democratize healthcare technologies and address health disparities in marginalized communities. BIPH spearheaded the concept, introducing the idea to the leadership team at the Lucy Family Institute to create a challenge that aligns perfectly with our strategic vision of advancing health equity. By operating at the intersection of technology and health, we aimed to translate biomedical innovations from the campus to the general population equitably.
A Collaborative Success While BIPH provided the strategic spark, the initiative was brought to reality through the exceptional leadership of Katie Liu (Assistant Director of Research Programs, Lucy Institute) and Mary M. Wachira (Program Director, Health Equity Data Lab), who were instrumental in translating the concept from the drawing board to execution. Simon Weaver (Lucy Graduate Scholar ‘25) also played a critical role in assembling graduate mentors to support the teams.
The Challenge Participating teams tackled real-world healthcare disparities using curated datasets, including ARCOS opioid prescription data, census information, and insurance data mapping hospital stay durations. Students developed and tested hypotheses to uncover the systemic causes of these disparities.
Impact and Results The response exceeded our expectations, attracting nearly 60 students (surpassing the target of 32) from diverse backgrounds spanning engineering, sciences, arts & letters, and business. Eight teams presented their findings to a distinguished panel of judges from the Indiana Department of Health, Beacon Health, Accenture, AnalytixIN, Optum Health, and the University of Notre Dame.
The judges were universally impressed by the students’ ability to translate raw data into compelling narratives about health disparities.
Congratulations to the Winners:
- 🏆 First Place ($2,500): “Bridging the Gaps: Examining the Effects of New York’s I-Stop Law on Opioid Distribution Across Counties” – Megna Panchbavi, Catherine Healy, Destiny Stewart, and Nicole Aguirre.
- 🥈 Runner-Up ($1,000): “The Opioid Crisis in East Tennessee” – Josh Williams and Brandon Hulse.
- 🥈 Runner-Up ($1,000): “Coal, Crisis, and Recovery: Examining the Impact of Coal on Opioid Addiction West Virginia” – Julienne Angtuaco, Louis Cornett, and Toni Akintola.
The Health Equity Data Science Challenge proved to be a remarkable success and will now be an annual event going forward. We are proud to have sparked this initiative and look forward to seeing how future students will use data to shed light on real-world problems.
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