UCLA Global

Medical Brigades

SCIENCE & MEDICINE

COMPETITION 2025

For Middle and High School Students

Regular Registration Deadline
April 9, 2025
Register Now!
This competition is for you if
You’re interested in STEM and medicine
You’re excited about public health and improving lives
You want to address healthcare challenges faced by underserved communities

About UCLA Global Medical Brigades

The UCLA Chapter of Global Medical Brigades is a student-led group that supports the Global Brigades nonprofit. Our Global chapter participates in yearly recruitment, fundraising, and advocacy events that ultimately culminates to a 7-9 day brigade. During this trip, we dedicate our time to assisting Global Brigades’ established international clinics with patient care, learning about the specific global health challenges of the region, and so much more. By implementing the holistic model that Global Brigades encourages, the organization aims to meet the health and economic goals of rural communities in countries around the world. 

Learn More

Make an Impact with the UCLA Global Medical Brigades Science and Medicine Competition!

Calling all aspiring healthcare innovators! Step into the world of global health and tackle real-world challenges that test your problem-solving, critical thinking, and teamwork skills.

This isn’t just a competition—it’s a journey to develop innovative solutions for pressing global healthcare issues. Begin with the Preliminary Round, where each participant will individually tackle 35 multiple-choice questions and a short-answer question designed to evaluate their knowledge in science, medicine, general topics, and problem-solving.

Advance to the Final Round, and your team will present a solution to a critical global health problem live on Zoom to a panel of judges. Showcase your creativity, collaboration, and ability to drive meaningful change in global healthcare.

Whether you're passionate about medicine, public health, or improving lives worldwide, this competition is your chance to shine and make a lasting impact.

Register Now!

Why Join the UCLA Global Medical Brigades Competition?

Build Your Profile

Gain valuable experience that helps you stand out in your internship and university applications.

Gain real-world experience

Dive into global health challenges and learn how to apply your knowledge and creativity to develop impactful healthcare solutions.

Compete and Collaborate

Work alongside peers who are as driven and ambitious as you are.

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How does the competition work?

Competition Structure and Details

Team size

2-5 students per team
(all team members must be from the same school)

Categories

Middle School Category

Grade 6 - 8 (Year 7 - 9)

High School Category

Grade 9 - 12 (Year 10 - 13)

What do teams need to do?

Preliminary round: Test

Middle School Category: No deep knowledge of any particular subject required. The test will focus on general science and medical knowledge, real problems, and critical thinking.

High School Category: Requires basic biology, chemistry, physics, math and medical knowledge to solve problems. The test will focus on critical thinking and real world applications.

Final round: Live Zoom Presentation

Finalist teams will have two weeks to come up with solution(s) to a global health problem and present their solution to a judging panel composed of professors and industry experts

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Registration Deadlines and Fees

Priority Deadline
Deadline: March 9, 2025
Fees: US$30 per student
Regular Deadline
Deadline: April 9, 2025
Fees: US$40 per student
Late Deadline
Deadline: May 2, 2025
Fees: US$50 per student

Fee waiver is available for individual low-income students. Please ask your school counselor or principal to send an email titled 'Fee Waiver Request' to waivers@algoed.co from their official school email with your email address and confirm you need a waiver.

All fee waivers must be requested before the regular deadline.

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Competition Timeline

Competition format

Preliminary round

Description: The preliminary round is open to all registered teams worldwide

Format:
  • Test (multiple choice and short questions)
  • Each team member will individually attempt the same set of test questions
  • Only the top two scores will be used to calculate the team’s total score
Test scope:
  • The high school test covers a variety of STEM topics, including, but not limited to, physics (kinematics, Newton’s laws, energy, and orbital mechanics), chemistry (stoichiometry, acid-base reactions, equilibrium, and thermodynamics), biology (genetics, anatomy, physiology, and ecology), and mathematics (algebra, geometry, probability, and introductory calculus, including derivatives and integration).
  • The middle school test includes, but is not limited to, life sciences (basic human anatomy, ecology, and natural selection), physical sciences (forces and motion, states of matter, and basic energy transformations), earth sciences, and mathematics (fractions, percentages, probability, and basic algebra).

Preparation: Full-length practice test will be available in April.

Date: May 10, 2025

Time Allowed: 1 hour

Testing time:

To accommodate participants from various time zones, the test will be conducted in three different time slots. Your test time has been set according to the country you specified in the system.

Time:
- Asia Pacific: 12:00 noon Tokyo Time
- Europe, Middle East, Africa: 9:00 am London Time
North America , South America: 11:00 am New York Time

Final Round: Top 8 teams

Description: The top 8 performing teams from the preliminary round in each of the Middle School and High School Categories will be invited to compete in the global final round

Format: Live Zoom presentation to a panel of judges composed of professors and industry experts

Date: June 7, 2025

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Recognition

All participants will be awarded a certificate of participation.
Preliminary Round
Country + Regional Awards
Champion
1st Runner Up
2nd Runner Up
Honor
Merit
Final Round
Global Awards
Global Champion
Global 1st Runner Up
Global 2nd Runner Up
Global Finalist

Join the Challenge

This competition is more than a contest: It’s a gateway to the world of global health innovation.

Register now to embark on an exciting journey where you’ll apply your problem-solving skills and knowledge to tackle real-world healthcare challenges and make a meaningful impact.

Register Now!
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