Healthcare Students Capture Top State Ranking at 2026 State Conference
The Future Health Professionals (HOSA) chapters from both Broward and Palm Beach campuses established their position as the premier clinical competitive grounds in Florida during the 2026 Future Health Professionals (HOSA) State Leadership Conference in Orlando. Demonstrating exceptional analytical skill and medical knowledge, students from the Broward and Palm Beach campuses outpaced competitors statewide, securing a combined 61 top-five placements and advancing 39 qualifiers directly to the international tournament.
State-Level Dominance and Healthcare Metrics
The Florida HOSA State Leadership Conference serves as the definitive evaluation arena for aspiring healthcare professionals, testing thousands of students across highly technical domains including pathology, epidemiology, emergency medicine, and healthcare informatics.
The students achieved dominance through rigorous preparation. The Broward campus secured 49 top-five finishes, with 28 scholars earning spots on the international competitive stage. Concurrently, the Palm Beach campus captured 12 top-five placements, advancing 11 students to the global finals.
Beyond clinical examinations, the institution received extensive recognition for philanthropic community health work, earning 32 Barbara James Service Awards, which honor students who dedicate significant time to health-related volunteer service in their communities.
2026 Florida HOSA Competitive Standings
The individual placements and category winners from both campuses include:
Broward Campus Placements
1st Place Winners (International Qualifiers)
- Andrew Kim & Patricia Duffy – CERT Skills
- Deana VanDelft – Epidemiology
- Armaan Fatteh-Patil – Health Career Photography
- Kenan Hadeh – Job Seeking Skills
- Ayah Murtada – Researched Persuasive Writing and Speaking
- Lucas Gavrilescu, Tsz Lam, Starry Chen & Roshni Nair – HOSA Bowl
- Shriya Narasimhan & Ananya Zaverchand – Medical Innovation
2nd Place Winners (International Qualifiers)
- Addison Esler – Medical Spelling
- Isabel Duffy – World Health and Disparities
- Shania Srivastav – Healthy Living
3rd Place Winners (International Qualifiers)
- Alba Li – Math of Health Careers (Middle School)
- Lucas Calderon – Dental Science
- Ayan Anand – Medical Assisting
- Hudson Akins, Rishan Borthakur, Morocco Mullings, Aayan Kherada, Sohail Hai & Tidyan Baazi – Public Health
- Adiya Mukhitdinov & Yael Rom – Health Career Display
4th Place Finalists
- Adam Hadeh – Math of Health Careers (Middle School)
- Ivanshi Gadani – Biomedical Equipment Technician
- Claire Zhang – Medical Law and Ethics
- Abhinav Krishnan – Occupational Therapy
- Noah-Duro Andre & Elizabeth Cook – CERT Skills
- Hamid Moghaddam, Samuel Danzig, Pranav Rai & Gabriel Gavrilescu – Creative Problem Solving
5th Place Finalists
- Alice Kanchik – Health Career Exploration (Middle School)
- Mia Sturgill – Health Informatics
- Karthik Maddineni – Dental Terminology
- Yevanhelina Porokhniava-Hetman – Pathophysiology
- Chloe Sacher – Patient Care Technician
- Angelina Lin, Piya Sarkarati, Alice Wu & Ishika Gadani – Public Health
- Rahee Patel – Researched Persuasive Writing and Speaking
State Finalists
- Ruby Cohen – Healthcare Issues Exam
- Ian Chen – HOSA History
Palm Beach Campus Placements
1st Place Winners (International Qualifiers)
- Lilia Shalaurov – Clinical Specialty
- Kennedy Deitsch & Reid Deitsch – EMT
2nd Place Winners (International Qualifiers)
- Arnav Parikh – Dental Terminology
- Wania Saif – Phlebotomy
- Taylor Tuttle & Daniel Oliscat – Health Education
3rd Place Winners (International Qualifiers)
- Amelia Forchette – Health Career Preparation (Middle School)
- Om Dave, Rory Boswell & Arvind Chintala – Creative Problem Solving
5th Place Finalists
- Kasey Moore – Family Medicine Physician
Barbara James Service Award Recipients
This award recognizes students dedicating significant volunteer hours to healthcare-focused community service.
Broward Campus
- Gold Level: Starry Chen, Noor Dalal, Vera Danzig, Ramon Diaz, Ishika Gadani, Lucas Gavrilescu, Isabel Gurvitch, Jose-Miguel Keith Munguia, Prisha Patel, Piya Sarkarati, Shania Srivastav
- Silver Level: Patricia Duffy, Hillary Kowitt, Doreen Li
- Bronze Level: Lucas Calderon, Hamda Fawas, Ivansh Gadani, Anneliese Hsiao, Yufei Huang, Priya Johri, Tsz Lam, Suhani Patnaik
Palm Beach Campus
- Gold Level: Lahari Challa, Arvind Chintala, Kasey Moore, Daniel Oliscat, Johnny Rodriguez
- Silver Level: Isabella Vasquez
- Bronze Level: Joy Daniel, Aishwarya Deshpande, Ria Iyer, Wania Saif
Foundational Track for Global Healthcare Leaders
By mastering clinical skill sets, medical terminology, and diagnostic logic, these student competitors have established a firm advantage. The programs now shift their focus toward the upcoming International Leadership Conference, ensuring our advanced qualifiers are structurally prepared to compete against the top student healthcare minds in the world.