First-year DDS student receives third place, Health Equity Innovation Award in CLARION competition

Adhi Suresh Kumar, DDS ’29, received third place in the 2026 University of Minnesota CLARION Competition, along with his teammates. Kumar also earned a Health Equity Innovation Award. 

The Clinician Administrator Relationship Improvement Organization, housed within the Center for Health Interprofessional Programs, creates interprofessional experiences for health professional students with experiential learning focused on systems-level changes and health care for all.

The annual CLARION competition invites teams to come together across disciplines and create a strategic plan to tackle a complex issue. Winners of the local competition go on to compete in a national competition.

This year’s event, held in February, hosted 24 students across seven teams, representing ten health care professions to explore initiatives aimed at addressing common challenges faced by patients with colorectal cancer. Students were invited to respond to a case entitled “Life Interrupted: Interprofessional Collaboration in the Colorectal Cancer Patient Journey.”

Kumar’s love for excellence in care began at a young age. After experiencing dental issues, he met a dentist that made a major difference in his confidence and his career path. “She not only treated my teeth but also made me feel comfortable and confident again,” he recalled. “After my treatment, I had a huge boost in self esteem, and that experience stuck with me.” 

Later experiences volunteering at a community health clinic and witnessing the importance of oral health care sealed Kumar’s future.  

After joining the School of Dentistry, Kumar decided to gain experience with case competitions—and the CLARION competition was the perfect opportunity. 

“Our case focused on improving colorectal cancer outcomes through earlier detection, better care coordination and stronger patient support systems,” he explained. “We proposed solutions like integrating clinical decision support into MyChart for early screening, creating a more streamlined care model with oncology nurse navigators and expanding support services to address financial and social barriers that patients face during treatment.” 

Kumar and his teammates, Andrew Le (Healthcare Administration) and Anita Tamang (Public Health), worked together quite well. “We were able to collaborate effectively, build off of each other’s ideas and put together a strong presentation,” he said. 

It felt “amazing, and honestly a little surreal,” to Kumar to receive third place for their presentation. “I’m really grateful for the experience, and proud of the work our team put in.” 

He’s particularly proud to have received the Health Equity Innovation Award, which “made it even more meaningful, because that was a big focus of our project.” 

Overall, the experience was meaningful and lasting for Kumar. 

“It made me realize how important interprofessional communication is,” he said. “Health care is a team effort, and good communication between providers is key to improving patient outcomes.”