Teams took turns presenting their plans and questioning Kelly and Taylor under time limits. They had to construct their questions and plans on the fly. The students did a beautiful job, they took great initiative, Kelly said after the competition ended. A tuberculosis case was chosen for the contest because the disease has come back since 1985 after years of decline, said Sandra Upchurch, Ph.D., assistant professor of systems and technology in the School of Nursing and a member of the faculty committee that wrote the case and judged the results. While cases have dropped nationally since 1993, incidence of the disease is up or flat in 18 states.
Winners also receive an engraved crystal plaque.
All team members receive a certificate, a T-shirt, and are invited to a dinner hosted by President Low. The University of Texas Houston Health Science Center. Permission to reprint is available upon request.