SLU M.H.A. Students Advance to Finals in 2025 UAB Student Case Competition
03/12/2025
A team of Saint Louis University Master of Health Administration students take top honors in the 19th annual UAB Health Administration Case Competition. Case competitions allow students to gain hands-on experience diving into real-world health care problems.
Hosted by the University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB), the annual UAB case competition brings about 45 teams from Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education-accredited health administration programs to compete in the exciting competition. The top 12 teams advance to the semifinals, with the top six teams moving on to the finals.
Student participants put significant hours into analyzing the given case written by a specific health system. Each team then prepares a consultant-style presentation with a solution to the case and presents their findings and recommendations to a panel of competition judges, who are health care executives from across the country.
The annual competition was held Feb. 19-21 in Birmingham, Alabama. This year, the SLU team consisted of second-year MHA students Arianna Goss, Kathryn Laird and Spencer Shreve, alongside first-year student observer Lana Cristiani and overseen by faculty advisor Michael Rozier, S.J., Ph.D.
"The top universities in the country are represented at this competition and the judges are high-ranking executives at multi-billion dollar health systems,“ Rozier said. “Our students put in a tremendous effort and showed that they are among the very top health administration students in the country. Even more, I think they had fun doing it."
The 2025 UAB case focused on developing a comprehensive sustainability strategy for an AdventHealth hospital, incorporating a localized implementation plan. SLU’s ECO Plan was a framework designed to drive meaningful environmental change. The plan consists of three key pillars: Empower, Connect and Optimize. Empower emphasizes the importance of culture and change management. Connect focuses on strengthening external partnerships to support a greener future. Optimize enhances department specific initiatives to improve efficiency.
Ultimately, this year’s team advanced to the final round and the SLU team ended up ranking fourth out of 40 teams.
“With the case competition, you run through such a rollercoaster of emotions in between the rounds while you wait for results. When they first read off our team name, I was originally in such a state of shock and disbelief,” Goss, the team leader, said. “Simultaneously, as a team, we were thrilled to have the chance to present again and represent SLU.”
College for Public Health and Social Justice
The Saint Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice is the only academic unit of its kind, studying social, environmental and physical influences that together determine the health and well-being of people and communities. It also is the only accredited school or college of public health among nearly 250 Catholic institutions of higher education in the United States. Guided by a mission of social justice and focus on finding innovative and collaborative solutions for complex health problems, the college offers nationally recognized programs in public health and health administration.