A newsletter from the Young Epidemiology Scholars (YES) program

Spring 2006 Volume:2 Edition:1

Supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Alert: and the College Board Young Epidemiology Scholars Compete in Nation’s Capital

Sixty high school students from around the school students identified surprisingly high rates country traveled to Washington, D.C., in late of self-inflicted harm, and one to Aman Prasad April to compete in the finals of the Young from Idaho who found that students who exer- Epidemiology Scholars (YES) Competition. cised vigorously three or more days a week had They arrived in the capital ready to showcase better moods than those who did not exercise. the results of their research on a wide range The national winners were chosen by a panel of of topics, including the impact of autistic judges that included some of the nation’s top children on a family, the connection between epidemiologists and educators. In total, nearly marching band participation and student $460,000 in scholarships are awarded each year. sickness, the correlation between asthma and “The YES “I gained a real understanding of what epi- Competition , and yogurt as a secret weapon against demiologists do and how much they contribute encourages students childhood illnesses. Timely topics new to the to public ,” says Emily Lefkowitz, of to use the skills competition this year included the Avian Flu Suffern, New York, who received a $35,000 employed by Pandemic and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder epidemiologists to scholarship. “I was amazed by the quality as a result of Hurricane Katrina. tackle important of the research projects and most impressed health challenges.” Two scholarships of $50,000 each were awarded by the judges—their incredible passion Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, to the first-place winners—one to Natalia and commitment.” M.D., M.B.A. President and CEO, Nazarewicz from whose survey of high (continued on page 3) Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Visit www.collegeboard.com/yes Alert: 2005-06 YES Competition Winners

First Place Second Place Erica Berck $50,000 Scholarship $35,000 Scholarship Roslyn Heights, NY Factors Predicting Adolescent Natalia Nazarewicz Elizabeth Baker Sexual Permissiveness Oak Ridge, TN Tucson, AZ Katrina Diaz Deliberate Self-Harm Among The Bi-Orbital Rotational Kalamazoo, MI Adolescents: Prevalence, Risk Therapy Swing: A New Hope for Factors and Treatment Options Children With ADHD Factors Associated with the “I talked with some high Parental Decision to Vaccinate school guidance counselors Emily Lefkowitz Infants, Toddlers, and Early and student advisors after Suffern, NY School-Age Children Against Natalia Nazarewicz Influenza completing my study, and they Living with Impairment: were shocked by the scope Behavioral, Emotional and Social Amy Gillio Adjustment of Neurotypical of the problem. A few teachers Lancaster, PA and administrators didn’t Siblings of Children with Autism even know that the self-harm The Relative Risk of Post- phenomenon existed, and Traumatic Stress Disorder Third Place Symptoms as a Function of were shocked to hear that Exposure to Hurricane Katrina students would deliberately $20,000 Scholarship Aman Prasad injure themselves.” Soumya Irivinti Ashley Richardson Derry, NH Frederick, MD Aman Prasad The Impact of a Scheduled Hand Pocatello, ID An Epidemiological Study of Psychosocial Discomfort Washing Policy in Elementary Physical Activity and Mood and Exercise Frequency in Schools on Student Health in Adolescents High School Students “I’ve become quite interested Erin Vickery in depression, specifically Nozlee Samadzadeh Decatur, GA in adolescents. Finding novel Oklahoma City, OK Underage Alcohol Consumption: means of mitigating the nega- SIORSS: Simulation of an Parent Perception vs. tive effects of mood disorders Influenza Outbreak in a Student Reality is essential, and I wanted Residential School Setting my research to involve that Regional Finalists aspect. After jogging or exercis- 48 students received $2,000 ing, I would notice a sudden National Finalists scholarships uplift in my mood and my $15,000 Scholarship outlook on the rest of the day. I confirmed this with other Christina Badal Regional Semifinalists Boca Raton, FL friends who agreed that they 63 students received $1,000 felt better if they exercised and Weight Goals in a High scholarships felt ‘down’ if they didn’t.” School–Age Population

Read more about the students online at www.collegeboard. com/yes William H. Foege, M.D., M.P.H. Leading epidemiologist and keynote speaker at the 2005-’06 YES Competition awards dinner

In 1979, the World Health Organization declared that smallpox had been conquered— the first and only disease ever eliminated by public health action. This was a virus so deadly it had killed between 300 million and 500 million

The 60 high school finalists in the people in the 20th century. 2005-06 YES competition traveled The man driving the effort to wipe out small- to Washington, D.C., in April to present the results of their epi- pox was epidemiologist Dr. Bill Foege. As a demiological studies. A panel of medical missionary in Nigeria in the 1960s, judges presented awards to winners he had seen the devastation caused by a rag- and finalists. ing smallpox epidemic. He and his colleagues fought back by developing a targeted strate- gy—identifying the virus’s causes, discerning likely routes of transmission, and setting out with vaccines to the “hot zones.” The epi- demic was stopped in its tracks.

In 1977, Dr. Foege became director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), where he served until 1983. In 1984, Dr. Foege helped form the Task Force on Child Survival and Development, which spearheaded a worldwide immunization effort that reached 80 percent of all children. Dr. Foege also has taken an active role in the effort to eradicate Guinea worm, polio, measles, and river blindness.

“You now have a glimpse of epidemiology,” Foege told the YES participants at their award dinner, “and it’s going to change the way you think. Many of you will apply that knowledge in the future by trying to reduce Young Epidemiology Scholars Compete health risks, enhance education and agricul- in Nation’s Capital (continued from page 1) ture, and improve the lives of people.” In 1986, Dr. Foege became director of the Supported by the Robert Wood Johnson “The YES Competition encourages students Carter Center, and in 1997, he joined the Foundation and administered by the to use the skills employed by epidemiolo- faculty at Emory University. In 1999, he College Board, the YES Competition is gists to tackle important health challenges,” began working on immunization efforts with designed to inspire students to investigate says Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Now the many behavioral, biological, environ- president and chief executive officer of the retired, he remains active as a Gates Fellow mental and social factors that affect Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “We and as Emeritus Presidential Distinguished public health. This year’s competition couldn’t be prouder of the initiative, talent Professor of International Health at Emory. attracted nearly 700 entries from high and hard work these students have displayed school juniors and seniors in all 50 states, during this competition. We know they’re plus American Samoa, Puerto Rico and going to be difference-makers, dedicated to the District of Columbia. improving the lives of others.”

Visit www.collegeboard.com/yes Alert: Viewpoint

2006-07 Competition A YES judge reflects on the competition Guidelines available and the future of the field. July 1, 2006

Online submission Shiriki Kumanyika, Ph.D., M.P.H. Q: What impressed you about the YES students? deadline February 1, Professor of Epidemiology A: I was amazed at the sophistication of 2007 by 5:00 pm ET Director of the Graduate Program in Public Health Studies the projects. Often during the judging, I kept YES national event University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine saying, these are high school students! I could April 2007 Dr. Kumanyika has a unique interdisciplinary easily imagine that they were college students. background that integrates epidemiology, nutrition, The level of thinking and the way they prevention, minority health, aging and women’s approached it were excellent. health issues. Her main research themes concern the role of nutritional factors in the prevention Q: Why is the YES Competition important? of chronic diseases, with a particular focus on obe- sity, sodium reduction and related health problems A: There’s a tremendous need for epidemiolo- such as hypertension and diabetes. She has served gists, especially those who learned the basic on numerous national advisory committees and skills while they were young and creative. international task forces and has lectured and Through this competition, we can attract some published widely. Dr. Kumanyika holds a B.A. from of the smartest students and draw a new audi- , a Master of Science in Social Work from , a Ph.D. in Human ence into public health. Plus, if we could get Nutrition from and a Master epidemiology into the high schools, we could of Public Health from . have a much more informed public. It’s a way of teaching critical thinking, of looking for Q: How did you get involved in epidemiology? meaning in the data. That’s good for education A: I was pursuing a Ph.D. in nutrition, and and good for the country in general. while I had read a lot of epidemiological stud- Q: What kinds of traits do you think will lead ies, I didn’t really know what the field was. I to success in epidemiology? had a mentor who was a senior person in nutri- tion. He had a way of thinking that was incred- A: Epidemiologists come from many back- ibly clear. He seemed to know exactly how to grounds, but they all love to think. They’re not figure things out. At first I thought this was satisfied with the first version of an answer, or just the way he thought, and then I realized the second, or the third. They have ideas and that you could learn to think this way, that you rip them apart, turn them inside out, and see if some explanation has gone unnoticed. Some Shiriki Kumanyika, Ph.D., could use these tools for many fields. It was M.P.H., judging the 2005-06 like a Eureka! moment for me. That’s when I people thrive on that and the challenge of it— competition decided to study public health. those are the people we need. Young people are ideal because they are freewheeling and Q: Why should high school students get they understand the new trends in society. involved in the field? They can have tremendous impact, contributing A: People tend to think of public health as to society by answering important questions. something for mature, advanced professionals. Q: Any advice for students? But epidemiology is about clear thinking and finding patterns, so why not the sooner the A: If you’re interested in health, explore epi- The College Board better? I was invited to be a YES judge, and demiology, because it’s a fundamental science 11911 Freedom Drive I was intrigued by the idea that it involved for understanding health problems. But no Suite 300 high school students. I love epidemiology and matter what you’re interested in, learn some- Reston, VA 20190 always love the chance to think about these thing about epidemiological thinking. It will www.collegeboard.com/yes issues, so how nice to be a judge! benefit almost anything you do in life.