Ohio University students selected to compete in international global health and innovation competition

Photo courtesy of: Ohio UniversityJoelle Hopkins (left) and Victoria Lewis (right), both students within the College of Health Sciences and Professions, have been accepted into the Unite for Sight Global Health and Innovation Prize international competition at Yale University.

Two Ohio University students from the College of Health Sciences and Professions (CHSP) have been accepted into the Unite for Sight Global Health and Innovation Prize international competition for their work on an innovative needle exchange program.

CHSP students Victoria Lewis (public health) and Joelle Hopkins (applied nutrition) were part of a team that proposed a needle exchange strategy that garnered second-place honors at the Global Health Case Competition; the two decided to re-brand their proposal, entitled “X-Change for Impact,” and submit an abstract for the Unite for Sight Global Health and Innovation Prize international competition.

“We really liked our idea and we wanted to see if we could take it further,” said Hopkins.

“X-Change for Impact” is meant to partner with health and social workers to rotate needle boxes through key target areas. The boxes accept used needles and distribute sterile needles and condoms in return. X-Change would have the added feature of a chip that could track the number of times and when needles are exchanged and be able to send a notification to trained professionals if more than three needles are submitted in an hour — indicating potential overdose risk.

Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis commended the students for their creative drive and forward thinking.

“Student research and creative activity are integral to Ohio University’s educational mission,” President Nellis said. “We want to provide our students with the academic access necessary for advancing the frontiers of knowledge and improving the quality of life for individuals across the world.”

Within X-Change, Lewis and Hopkins identified the fact that Hungarian partners with Ohio University requested “innovative technologies and strategies to build capacity against marginalization and addiction in Budapest” and that since 2010, changes in Hungarian politics resulted in needle exchange programs being cut and led to an increase in drug-induced mortalities and infections. In 2015, complications from opioid injections accounted for half of all drug-related deaths.

Prizes of $10,000 and $5,000 will be awarded respectively to the two best social impact pitches presented at the 2018 Global Health and Innovation Conference at Yale University in April. Lewis and Hopkins made it through the first round with their abstract submission and recently moved through the second round as well with their video pitch. The two have been invited to the April conference at Yale to present. In the meantime, Lewis and Hopkins will continue to prepare and also submit some paperwork — which will include a letter of support from OHIO’s partners in Hungary. The duo have until Monday, Jan. 29 to apply to the semifinal round of the social impact lab which will include submission of an additional five-minute video presentation.  

Meredith Gartin, a visiting assistant professor with the Global Health Initiative, said that as a teacher, she is pleased that both Lewis and Hopkins “have learned more about exclusion and human rights and have really deepened their understanding of what it means to be a vulnerable person that no one wants to serve.”

“(Lewis and Hopkins) have come up with a way to create an intervention that may serve that population,” Gartin said.

“When we learned about the problems opioids are creating in communities, the risk of HIV and other diseases associated with needles … this process really developed into a passion for me in dealing with this problem,” Hopkins said.

Gartin added that Lewis and Hopkins have applied public health practice to something previously only used as a tool to gather used needles. She said in addition to working the pitch for the competition, there are efforts to obtain individual donations (those interested can contact gartin@ohio.edu) that would help obtain the materials needed and begin working with engineers on development.

Once constructed, the idea is to coordinate with John Wesley Theological College in Budapest to implement installation of the boxes in the community. There may be an ability to implement studies locally such as in the Cleveland and Columbus areas as well.  

Hopkins expressed confidence in the proposal’s merits, crediting support for her and Lewis from faculty and the OHIO community.