UCalgary students place third globally in Map the System social innovation competition

A team of five University of Calgary students and recent graduates have claimed 3^rd place at the 2025 Map the System Global Finals. This marks UCalgary's first-ever podium finish in the International competition hosted by the University of Oxford.

From over 1,500 teams worldwide, just 50 advanced to the finals in Oxford. UCalgary’s team earned its place — and a podium finish — with a rigorous systems-level analysis of hip and knee surgical wait times in Alberta.

Mapping systems at UCalgary and beyond

Map the System is a global competition run by the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship in partnership with universities worldwide. Participants tackle complex societal issues using a systems-thinking approach. This method takes a holistic approach to problem-solving, seeing problems and solutions as interconnected elements, rather than isolated parts. At UCalgary, the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking offers the program as a co-curricular opportunity for students and recent alumni.

Each year, top teams from the Hunter Hub's campus competition move on to the national level. A select few then compete globally.

This year, the UCalgary team, which placed third at the global competition consisted of: 

• Dr. Amy Chen, MD, BHSc’19, a third-year neurosurgery resident;
• Sunand Kannappan, BHSc ‘21, a third-year MD student;
• Dr. Kapilan Panchendrabose, MD, MSc’20, a second-year rural family medicine resident with a biomedical engineering background;
• Taro Lakra, a finance undergraduate;
• Howard Leong, BA ‘25, a graduate student in economics and data science, now pursuing an MSc in Social Data Science at the University of Oxford, 

Complex systems require deep understandings

Using systems thinking, the team chose to explore surgical wait times for hip and knee procedures in Alberta, and its impacts on our healthcare system.

In early 2025, as part of the Hunter Hub program, they investigated the topic by interviewing patients, surgeons, family doctors, and surgical clinics, while conducting data analysis, literature reviews and systems modelling. They examined how policy, capacity and public sentiment shape outcomes.

After advancing to the national level at the Banff Systems Summit, they went on to the global finals in Oxford, with each stage deepening their understanding and refining their analysis.

“Every new round made us rethink what we understood. Feedback and questions from judges at every stage challenged us to revisit the data and ask deeper questions," says Chen.

The experience taught them that real change in complex systems such as public health requires a full understanding of all factors. “To propose anything useful, you need to first grasp all the moving parts and lived experiences involved,” added Panchendrabose.

Collaboration across disciplines made the difference

The team’s success stemmed from their diverse experiences. Each member shaped the questions they asked and the connections they made.

“Each of us brought something unique, different tools and ways of seeing the issue. This mix made us slow down and really think about how everything fits together,” says Kannappan.

Such diversity is vital for creating effective system maps that enhance healthcare and other systems.

“When dealing with complex systems, you need to treat them as such,” says Kurt White, the social innovation specialist at the Hunter Hub. “They involve many pieces and people, all of which must be understood for meaningful change. A diverse team helps to see the problem more fully.”

“Collaborating with brilliant people who think differently challenged me in the best way. It took more time to reach common ground, but that process made me listen more closely, explain myself better and ultimately think more broadly. Solving wicked problems needs collaboration.” - Sunand Kannappan

Working across disciplines means facing unfamiliar ideas and styles. Team members had to clarify their thinking and adapt their communication. This process improved their systems map and enhanced their skills as problem-solvers.

“Sometimes we didn’t fully understand each other’s approach,” says Chen. “But those moments made us explain more and reconsider our views. It made me a better thinker.”

Innovation community and impact continue to grow at UCalgary

The team’s achievement reflects a growing trend at UCalgary: a culture focused on social innovation, systems thinking and entrepreneurial problem-solving. Just a few years ago, only about a dozen students participated in Map the System at UCalgary. Now, over 200 are involved each year, marking UCalgary as a national leader in co-curricular learning.

“A few years ago, we had a dozen students in Map the System. Now, we have over 200 — and we’re competing globally. That growth shows the commitment of our students and the culture we’re building at UCalgary." - Kurt White

Programs like Map the System, Launchpad and the Innovation Sandbox from the Hunter Hub provide UCalgary community members with opportunities to become more effective change-makers.

“The Hunter Hub supported us every step of the way,” says Lakra. “Kurt taught us how to present with clarity, structure our storytelling, and bring our ideas to life in a compelling way. And their sending us to competitions in Banff and Oxford was transformative. It exposed us to many new ideas and people. It helped us see how far we could go if we worked hard and sought out the right help.”

For the team members, the experience left a lasting impact. “We learned that you don’t have to redesign the whole system again, and it’s not feasible anyway,” says Leong. “So why not find the biggest lever, the most feasible and most impactful lever, to nudge the system just a little bit?”