MEDNAVI wins Rep. Greg Murphy’s 2023 Congressional App Challenge in North Carolina’s Third District
Rep. Murphy has named Arianna Lee and Math and Amy Lei of North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics as the winners of the 2023 Congressional App Challenge in North Carolina’s Third District.
When asked what inspired the creation of MEDNAVI, the students said, “Both of us are extremely passionate about improving healthcare access and addressing health disparities in the community.
Arianna, having grown up in Eastern North Carolina, was acutely exposed to rural healthcare challenges from a young age. Her summer volunteering at ECUHealth, which serves one of the largest rural regions in the country, provided a stark realization of the pressing need for an app like MEDNAVI. In September, she had the opportunity to interview Dr. Leah Frerichs, an associate professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at UNC Chapel Hill. She learned that it was important that solutions to health disparities needed to be grounded and responsive to the communities that they serve.
Amy, on the other hand, embarked on her path of understanding and advocacy at an early age. Joining the North Carolina Youth Health Advisors in ninth grade, she delved into the intricate web of social determinants of health (SDOH) and their profound impact on healthcare. Through various projects and a mental health observational study, she uncovered the many barriers that existed right within her own school. This deepened her commitment to addressing SDOH. It was during a summer volunteering stint at Atrium Health Cabarrus Hospital that she gained a profound understanding of how SDOH affects patients and permeates every aspect of their lives.
These shared experiences and insights fueled our passion to create MEDNAVI. We’re not just developing an app; we’re building a bridge to better healthcare, a path to a more informed and connected community, and a platform that tackles health disparities head-on. It’s our collective commitment to make a positive impact on the lives of individuals and communities facing healthcare challenges and SDOH. We believe that everyone deserves equitable access to healthcare and the opportunity to live their healthiest lives, and MEDNAVI is our way of turning that belief into reality. Together, we’re inspired, determined, and dedicated to creating a brighter, healthier future for all.”
This year’s Challenge saw an unprecedented level of participation, with 374 Members of the House of Representatives hosting competitions, surpassing the previous record of 340. A remarkable 11,334 students from across the United States competed in this year’s Challenge, marking an impressive increase of nearly 1,000 participants compared to the previous record set in 2019. The enthusiasm and creativity these students display is a testament to the growing interest in technology and signal a bright future for American innovation. The surge of ingenuity continued with a whopping 3,645 original applications flooding in, nearly a thousand more than the previous year’s high. This remarkable growth showcases the exceptional talent and innovation within our nation’s youth.
The Congressional App Challenge is an official initiative of the U.S. House of Representatives, where Members of Congress host contests in their districts for middle school and high school students, encouraging them to learn to code and inspiring them to pursue careers in computer science. This resounding show of bipartisan support emphasizes the critical importance of STEM education in today’s rapidly evolving world. Each participating Member of Congress selects a winning app from their district, and each winning team is invited to showcase their winning app to Congress during our annual #HouseOfCode festival. The program is a public-private partnership made possible through funding from Omidyar Network, AWS, Rise, theCoderSchool, Apple, and others.
The 2024 Congressional App Challenge will launch in May of 2024, and eligible students can pre-register for the competition now.