WESTERN UNIVERSITY
President's Challenge inspires students to tackle critical problems in health care

Western students have answered a call to action for a second year with a resounding response. 

More than 200 students from nearly every faculty took part in this year's President's Challenge, a multi-week competition hosted by the Morrissette Institute for Entrepreneurship, Powered by Ivey, that brings innovative, creative thinkers together to generate solutions for Canada's most pressing problems.

At the semi-finals of the President's Challenge, 10 teams of Western students pitched their proposals for improving wait times in Canada to see a specialist. A judging panel of health care and business experts selected five teams to advance to the Final Challenge and Showcase in Toronto. (Morrissette Institute for Entrepreneurship)

This year's challenge addresses the long wait times Canadians face after they are referred to a health-care specialist. With a median wait time of nearly 28 weeks, Canada ranks at the bottom of 11 high-income countries. Participants were challenged to find practical solutions that would put Canada at the top of the rankings. 

"I'm delighted to see such a positive response once again to the President's Challenge," said Western President Alan Shepard. 

"This is a terrific opportunity for students to learn from one another, engage in innovative thinking and find ways to make unique and creative contributions to solve real-life problems, all while developing their leadership and entrepreneurial skills."

Over the course of a month, 60 teams of two to four students developed and workshopped proposals that charted a patient's journey, including all the steps to implement their ideas in Canada. 

"Students are deeply moved by the problems in our health-care system," said Eric Morse, executive director of Morrissette. "We are encouraged to see so many who want to become part of the solution."

Increasing interest in the President's Challenge 

Fifty-three teams took part in the inaugural challenge in 2024, exceeding expectations. 

"Throughout last year, the most frequent question we received from students was, When is the next one?'" said Morse. 

The team proposing Referra-Link, (L to R) Darren Porciello, Jenna Diab and Luke Aprile, is a finalist in the President's Challenge. (Morrissette Institute for Entrepreneurship)

Students in the 2025 competition pitched their proposals to a panel of health and technology experts at the semi-finals earlier this month. The top five teams will now present at the President's Final and Showcase on March 31 in Toronto in front of leading experts in health care: Dan Carbin, Connie Clerici, LLD'22, Dr. Michael Peddle and Dr. Chris S. Simpson. 

"This feels like something that could have actionable change. And we are here at the start of it. That's so exciting," said Luke Aprile, a member of the team proposing Referra-Link, a solution for streamlining referrals through a centralized pool to prevent uneven patient distribution among specialists. 

Aprile and his teammates, Jenna Diab and Darren Porciello, are fourth-year students in medical science, business and computer science, respectively. The competition tested the team's analytical and research skills as they first had to understand how existing systems in health care function. 

"Our main challenge was trying to come up with a solution that doesn't involve massive spending or increases in resources," Porciello said. 

Diab says their solution works because it doesn't require overhauling current systems. "Referra-Link would integrate seamlessly with the health-care systems already in place so it can be implemented at low cost." 

Entrepreneurial expertise at Western 

Every team had access to mentors from Morrissette, as well as health-care and business experts in the community. In addition to helping participants narrow their focus and determine the steps for applying their ideas, they helped them make a compelling pitch to the judges.  

The team proposing NavigAid, (L to R) Ashna Chari, Fasih Rehman and Erica Diana, is a finalist in the President's Challenge. (Morrissette Institute for Entrepreneurship)

One team heading to the finals is crediting its success in the semi-finals to the advice from Sunday Ajak, BA'23, a business advisor at Morrissette and former president of the University Students' Council. Erica Diana, Ashna Chari and Fasih Rehman, all health and medical sciences students, proposed a universal health record called NavigAid that would consolidate multiple health records across the system. 

"The business side of things is not really up our alley," said Ashna Chari. "Sunday strengthened our presentation by preparing us for questions from a business and logistics perspective." 

"He also showed us how to present our ideas so non-health-care professionals can get on board and understand what we mean," Erica Diana added. "The judges asked us, Doesn't this already exist?' We explained how our system would be different by preventing medication errors and time-wasting duplication." 

Students say the competition advanced their skills across multiple disciplines. It also boosted confidence when facing a field of competitors with more experience.  

Skills development creates opportunities 

"We're second-year undergrads up against a lot of master's and PhD students, so we felt out of our depth," Chari said. "But the competition showed us it doesn't matter where you are in life. You just believe in yourself and your abilities. That mindset will carry forward to a lot of things I do now in my day to day." 

Some teams are already looking forward to next year's competition, even before this year's event concludes. 

"The first thing that we said to each other was, We're doing this again next year,'" Diana said. "Even if we don't make it as far as we did this year, it would still be a great opportunity to put what we've learned into use to solve real-world problems." 

The sentiment is shared by other participants grateful for the footing it establishes for projects beyond the competition. 

"It's diversified our expertise and given us the opportunity to apply our problem-solving skills to see what initiatives we could actually accomplish," Aprile said. "The opportunity to consult with specialists and present our ideas was a great experience." 

"This competition showed us just how much access to expertise and resources is available at Western," Diana said. "If you have an idea for a new solution, all the things that can make you successful are right here."