Students Win Top Honors in YES Competition for Research on Health Threats Affecting Teenagers

May 2010

Programs and Services

Two Pennsylvania high school juniors each won a $50,000 college scholarship after taking top honors at the annual Young Epidemiology Scholars (YES) Competition, one of the nation’s most prestigious high school science competitions. Sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and administered by the College Board, YES inspires students to apply the principles of epidemiology (the study of factors affecting the health and illness of populations) to investigate health issues facing the public.

This year, 639 students entered the competition, which distributes nearly $500,000 annually to America’s most promising young public health scholars. Sixty students became regional finalists and were invited to present their projects to a panel of distinguished judges, comprising public health experts and educators, in Washington. Twelve students became national finalists, receiving scholarships of $15,000–$50,000, and 48 remained regional finalists, winning $2,000 each.

First-place winners Shoshanna Goldin, a student at Moravian Academy in Bethlehem, and Gazelle Zerafati of Baldwin High School in Bryn Mawr, used their research to shine a spotlight on health issues facing their teenage peers.

Goldin researched the rising consumption of energy drinks among adolescents, out of concern for the potential health risks associated with the popular beverages. She discovered that many of her peers were unaware of the ingredients, side effects and risks outlined on the labels of these drinks. She was most surprised by the young age at which students began consuming them — as early as middle school.

Goldin has said that she hopes her research inspires health teachers to discuss the risks of these stimulants with their students and implement regulations to prevent the sale of energy drinks to middle and high school students.

Zerafati explored the prevalence of migraines in teenage girls, a topic that’s relevant to her on a personal level: Both she and her family suffer from migraines. Her findings showed that many female students suffer from migraines but know very little about migraine symptoms or treatments. She determined that migraines are often underdiagnosed and undertreated in this population.

She hopes to expand her research to other high schools (seven high schools have already agreed to participate) in order to raise awareness of this common neurological disorder.

Both students plan on contributing to the field of public health after college. With the nation facing a potential shortage of health care workers by 2020, according to predictions by the Association of Schools of Public Health, the field could certainly benefit from the help of these students. Goldin has expressed an interest in becoming a pediatric neurosurgeon or epidemiologist, and Zerafati aspires to a career in medicine or genetics.