Narrative Medicine

Case Competition

The registration for Narrative Medicine Case Competition 2024-2025 is now closed. Stay tuned for information on our 2025-2026 Narrative Medicine Case Competition!

  • What

    The Narrative Medicine Case Competition (NMCC) is an interdisciplinary case competition open to all post-secondary students. NMCC is designed to highlight the multifaceted nature of healthcare, and to encompass the diversity seen in both patients and the healthcare system.

  • Who

    Everyone, no matter their specialization, is invited to compete. Healthcare is so much more than just the science behind it. Healthcare is cultural competency, social policy, urban planning, and entrepreneurship. Whether you are a pre-med student, in business, or going into tech, you have a place in NMCC.

  • Why

    Every patient's case poses a distinctive set of challenges, influenced by their individual story, goals and values. It takes more than one to address all of this as we all bring our own skills and lived experiences to the table. The healthcare network reaches far beyond the clinic, and NMCC is designed to foster exploration of this network.

Purpose

To promote the development of narrative competence in healthcare, the Narrative Medicine Case Competition (NMCC) will host students from UBC from different faculties to tackle a patient/community health crisis case. Students will be placed into teams to work collaboratively to design an encompassing treatment or tool for treatment for their patient/client. The design process will prompt teams to factor in accessibility, interprofessional communication, and to address challenges in equipping healthcare providers with attainable and effective means to treat their patients. The goal of NMCC is to provide an opportunity for students to navigate the multidimensional challenges in healthcare delivery, with the guidance and experiences of mentors in academic, clinical and patient-end experiences.

What is the Narrative Medicine Team Challenge?

Each team will be provided with the same patient case, and will spend the two days of the case competition designing a plan that is dedicated to improving patient-centred care. The case is designed to address a healthcare crisis that affects British Columbia’s medical system. HIH has arranged for the following in order to guide teams:

The 2023 Narrative Medicine Case Competition

First appeared in Issue 111, May 2023 PCPE Newsletter

Saturday morning, each team received an identical case to analyze and inspire ideas to develop into a formal project “pitch”, designed to improve patient-centred care – all in barely 24 hours! The case centered on a patient vignette highlighting challenges in healthcare delivery in Vancouver’s urban core, such as housing insecurity, Indigenous health and patient “non-compliance”. Teams could ask just five questions to learn more about the patient’s health, story and context.

Workshops and mentorship throughout the event brought patients and professionals together with the student teams to explore concepts in patient-centred care. The guest speakers and mentors spoke about the patient-provider relationship to help the teams consider how the patient in the case may have perceived their interaction with the emergency team at St. Paul’s Hospital, the case setting.

On Sunday the competition intensified with the interdisciplinary student teams polishing and then presenting their improvement proposal to a diverse panel of judges, again composed of patients and healthcare professionals. Judges awarded high scores to proposals that showed insight and sensitivity about appropriate patient-centred care, as well as strong project planning features.

First place was awarded to “Team 3”: Celine Juadiong (3rd year UBC student, Integrative
Sciences), Christina Lam (3rd year SFU student, Health Sciences and Psychology), Bimbola Olure (MSc UBC student, Reproductive and Developmental Sciences) and Sonya Prasad (4th year UBC student, Medical Anthropology and Parent with Lived Experience). Leading with a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach, Team 3 landed on the anthropological perspective of problematizing the notion of patient “compliance”.

Team 3’s winning “pitch” proposed a strategy of education for culturally safe practices and creation of a diverse, specialized care team at St. Paul’s Hospital to focus on decolonizing the biomedical approach of patient compliance. A few weeks after the competition, Team 3 gained an unexpected opportunity arranged by patient mentor Carolyn Canfield (UBC Independent Citizen-Patient and Adjunct Professor, Department of Family Practice). After quick online introductions, Team 3 presented their proposal on April 27 to a senior staff team immersed in the real world of cultural safety and equitable access at Providence Health Care to see how the team’s assumptions fit with the actual practice setting.

With the success of this learning event winding up a great inaugural year, HIH will resume its activities in September 2023, with a series of interdisciplinary workshops, panels, and guest speaker events to explore narrative medicine through the perspectives of the patient and healthcare provider. To learn more about the HIH Narrative Case Completion and how to get involved, please contact the HIH team at the following:

  • Website: ubchih.com

  • Instagram: @ubc.hih

  • Email: ubc.hih@gmail.com

HIH would like to thank the judges and mentors who contributed to the success of the 2023 Narrative Medicine Case Competition: patient partners Carolyn Canfield, R. Paul Kerston, Kent Cadogan Loftsgard, Bruce Raber; and professional partners Thomas Hedley, Maria Hubinette, Jasbir Jaswal, Salina Kung and Heather McClenaghan.

Team Formation

  • Teams must have 3-4 members. Within each team, there must be at least two different specializations; a diversity in the team members’ backgrounds is encouraged in order to reflect the diversity of the interdisciplinary teams that approach complex cases in the healthcare system.

  • Participants will have the option to form team up with peers that they have signed up with. For participants who do not have team members in mind, HIH will be releasing a team-formation channel on a virtual platform in the week leading up to the competition. There, you will get the chance to introduce yourself (academic background, experiences, and goals for NMCC), and can meet others who are looking for a team. If you cannot find a team, HIH will assign you to a team with an open position that aligns with your background and goals.

  • While it is not required to meet up with your team before April 1st, teams are encouraged to organize a virtual meeting to acquaint yourselves with one another and to make sure everyone is on the same page. Teams are welcome to conduct research on the framework outlined in the Case Package, however projects completed prior to NMCC cannot be submitted for judging. The case will be presented at the opening ceremony and teams are expected to come up with a unique solution during the weekend of the competition. Teams are given dedicated time during the conference to work on their projects and get feedback from mentors on site, however participants are welcome to work on their project outside of the conference schedule.

FAQs

  • No! NMCC is open to students from all backgrounds and levels of experience. NMCC is designed to encompass the diversity in the healthcare system, whether that be social, cultural, technical, or economic factors. Everyone plays a role in the healthcare system, and we are looking forward to learning more about the role that you play.

  • No, NMCC is open to students from all post-secondary institutions. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us at ubc.hih@gmail.com

  • We will launch a virtual platform for participants to introduce themselves (experience, interests, goals). You’ll get a chance to virtually meet up with other participants looking for teammates. If you cannot find teammates, our team can assign you to a team that is looking for a member.

  • No previous case competition experience is required. All teams will receive the case package, which will walk you through how to approach the case, and you will have workshops and mentors on site to help guide you. If you still have any other concerns regarding your experience, please feel free to reach out at ubc.hih@gmail.com

  • The event is fully in person! Participants are expected to attend both days, and all team members must be present for the final presentation to the judges. If you cannot make it for any item on the agenda, please let us know at ubc.hih@gmail.com, and ensure that your team members are aware ahead of time.

  • Your team is expected to come up with a unique proposal for the case. The case has been prepared with the guidance of the mentors and judges, and you won’t have access to it until after the opening ceremony on April 1st. While you can use your research from previous projects, you are not allowed to submit a previous project at NMCC.

  • The event is free for all participants!

  • Once registration closes, we will release a waitlist form as we have a limited capacity due to our venue and catering restrictions. As soon as a spot opens up, we will reach out to you!

  • You won’t have the case until the first day of the competition. You can still do some general preparation to lay a good foundation: meet with your team members ahead of time to familiarize yourselves with your skills and goals, look over the Case Package (provided the week before the competition) and make sure you understand how to approach the case and what the judges are looking for.