Photos Credit: Universiti Malaya

The 10th Annual APRU Global Health Virtual Case Competition and 11th Student Poster Contest concluded at the APRU Global Health Conference 2025, held October 28–31 at Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Case Competition

APRU Global Health Virtual Case Competition marks its 10th cohort in 2025. Beginning on January 31, the program drew 110 teams from 26 universities across 13 economies—Australia, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and the United States—with each team comprising 3–6 students.

Teams tackled the challenge, “Advancing Inclusive Growth in Southeast Asia by Leveraging Data and AI for Food Security,” developing solutions that balance innovation with real-world feasibility.

The competition was supported by data.org and organized in partnership with Universiti Malaya, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Each team submitted a 10-minute video proposal, which was judged by an international panel from the APRU Global Health Program and invited global experts, who selected 10 finalists.

From these, three videos advanced to the final round at the APRU Global Health Conference 2025 on October 29 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where the winner received a US$1,000 prize determined by conference participants’ votes.

Team Sustainabite from Universitas Indonesia won first place with “SEHATI,” an AI-enabled mobile application designed to reduce childhood stunting by helping low-income households track daily nutrition and build healthier eating habits through a rewards-based system.  Team members were Afirsta Violla, Fatima Nadine, Jessie Afaratu, and Najiba Nurisma.

Here are the top 10 teams:

Winner
University of Indonesia, Sustainabite

Runners-up (in no particular order)
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, SEED
Universitas Indonesia, Healink

Other Top 10 teams (in no particular order)
The University of Sydney, Byte to Bite
Universitas Indonesia, Nutri-Z
UC Irvine, PeterCare Tech
Universiti Malaya, Plantelligence
Nanyang Technological University/National University of Singapore/University of Indonesia, CULTIV8
National University of Singapore, FEASTN
Nanyang Technological University, SustAInable Bites

Poster Contest

The 11th APRU Global Health Student Poster Contest, held alongside the APRU Global Health Conference 2025, invited full-time undergraduate and graduate students to submit academic posters and abstracts, with all eligible posters displayed virtually during the conference and category winners receiving US$500.

This year’s submissions came from 24 universities in 10 economies: Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, the US, and Vietnam.

The graduate category winner is Eleanor J. Ong (National University of Singapore) for “Substance use behaviours among sexual and gender minorities (SGM) with a history of adverse childhood experiences: a systematic review and meta-synthesis.”

The undergraduate category winner is Chan Ning Long (The Chinese University of Hong Kong) for “Association between sociodemographic factors and HIV knowledge among Hong Kong citizens: a cross-sectional study.”

Here is the complete list of the winners and runners-up:

Graduate Category:

[Winner] 

Eleanor J. Ong from the National University of Singapore for the poster titled “Substance use behaviours among sexual and gender minorities (SGM) with a history of adverse childhood experiences: a systematic review and meta-synthesis” view poster

[Runners-up]

Ryan Chow from The Chinese University of Hong Kong for the poster titled “Comparative Effectiveness of Anti-Obesity Medications on Body Weight and Glycemic Control in Overweight/Obese Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials” view poster

Ashis Talukder from Australia National University for the poster titled “Urbanization and Double Burden of Malnutrition at the Household Level in South and Southeast Asia: Insights from Night-Time Lights Data” view poster

Undergraduate Category:

[Winner] 

Chan Ning Long from The Chinese University of Hong Kong for the poster titled “Association between sociodemographic factors and HIV knowledge among Hong Kong citizens: a cross-sectional study” view poster

[Runners-up]

Maritza Andreanne Rafa Ayusha from the Universitas Indonesia for the poster titled “Value or Luxury? Cost-Effectiveness of Lipid-Lowering Therapies in Indonesia: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis” view poster

Joseph Mary L. Manalili from Angeles University Foundation for the poster titled “Lugud Matwa (Filial Love): Exploring Resilience in Caregiver Roles among Kapampangan Families” view poster