National Finalist Winners
$15,000 Scholarship
Utsav Bhat
Westmont Hilltop High School
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Baseline Physical Health is an Independent Predictor of Long-Term Mortality After Myocardial Infarction: A Ten-Year Study
"While working with a research team at Johns Hopkins University I was given the opportunity to perform statistical analysis on a very interesting and important question using a real-life dataset. I have a very strong interest in math, especially statistics, so I accepted the opportunity."
Utsav's project investigated the utility of the widely used 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) to provide information that could predict survival rates. SF-36 health surveys were given to myocardial infarction patients.
Utsav found, using survival analyses, that physical function as measured by the SF-36 was a powerful predictor of long-term survival after a heart attack. This means that the SF-36 physical health score could provide useful information to doctors when designing treatment for heart attack patients.
"The most memorable thing about the YES Competition," says Utsav, "was meeting people from around the country with such a strong interest in epidemiology. I got to see a variety of interesting projects on questions important to people my age, most of which I had never even thought about." Utsav was a semifinalist in the Intel Science Talent Search and is on the speech and tennis teams at school. He plans to major in economics when he attends Harvard University in the fall.
William Chang
Olathe North High School
Olathe, Kansas
Geographic Distribution of Malaria Cases in a Rice-Growing Region in Rural Haiti
"The YES Competition helps bring ideas together so that they can be presented, discussed, and improved."
From his mentor, William heard about a maternity center in Haiti called Maison de Naissance. The opportunity to do research that would help this center was important to him, so he decided to study the presence of malaria in a region of 30 square kilometers surrounding the center. William's project utilized geospatial analysis to determine possible connections between malaria prevalence and living distance from rice fields, which are potential breeding sites for mosquitoes.
He found that the rate of malaria was associated with a household's proximity to a rice field. William's research provides information to health workers in the region on how to best distribute mosquito netting to area residents.
A highlight of the YES Competition for William was realizing the sophistication and thoughtfulness of all the studies that were presented. He is in the National Honor Society, the Math Club, participates in after-school tutoring, and plays the piano in his spare time. Although he plans to study medicine and has been accepted to Northwestern University and the University of Kansas, William has not made a final decision regarding which institution to attend.
Qiushuang (Michelle) Jin
West High School
Iowa City, Iowa
The Association Between Heavy Academic Workload and Sleep Deprivation Among High School Students
"Being 15 and enrolled in three academically demanding classes, I had to sacrifice a lot of sleep in order to finish the homework and do well in the classes. The stress I experienced was physical and mental. I wanted to know if Advanced Placement courses had an effect on other students as well."
Michelle decided to explore the relationship between enrollment in AP®, college courses, or both and sleep deprivation among high school students. She developed questionnaires and distributed them to 15 area high schools.
After analyzing the data she concluded that the enrollment in and number of AP or college courses is found to reduce the sleep time significantly among surveyed students—especially ninth and tenth graders. She hopes these findings will raise public awareness of the severity of sleep deprivation among teens and help students make better decisions in balancing schoolwork and health.
Michelle felt that the most memorable part of her YES experience was meeting people with interests similar to her own. She is a member of many school clubs, volunteers in her community, and plays several musical instruments. Michelle, currently a junior in high school, is interested in studying epidemiology with the ultimate goal of attending medical school. She is spending the summer interning at the National Institutes of Health.
Scott Kobner
Hunterdon Central Regional High School
Flemington, New Jersey
CA-MRSA: Efficacy of Prevention Education Among Athletes
"The YES Competition engenders new perspectives about public health in the minds of those looking to pursue it as a career and opens your eyes to a whole new understanding of the world around you. It is an experience unlike any other."
Scott always had a particular interest in the evolution of bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Therefore, researching community-associated methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) combined his interest with providing a possible benefit to high school and local athletic communities.
His study was aimed at determining the best way to educate high school athletes about CA-MRSA and its prevention so that they could take a more active role in securing their own health. He evaluated athletes' knowledge regarding CA-MRSA, assessed their hygiene habits, and performed cultures to determine the prevalence of colonizations. The study shows how athletes gain an understanding of CA-MRSA through standard education, but seldom act on that knowledge to form healthy habits. This data could be used in creating ways to teach athletes to develop more hygienic habits on their own.
Scott is a semifinalist in the USA Biology Olympiad for 2008, as well as an active scuba diver and snowboarder. Currently a high school junior, he wants to have a career in public health and become an epidemiologist. His ultimate goal is to one day work for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Epidemic Intelligence Service, while pursuing his own research in parts of the world that need the most help.
Danielle LeePow
Benjamin Elijah Mays High School
Atlanta, Georgia
An Examination of the Relationship Between Self Esteem and Sexual Activity Among African American Girls
"The YES Competition is not just about competing for a scholarship; it is also an opportunity to interact with students from across the nation who are passionate about public health. And it allows you to meet pioneers in the field of public health."
Danielle served as a peer counselor for ASK US Teens (Adolescents Seeking Knowledge to Understand Safer Sex and Sexually Transmitted Infections) where she talked to youth in her community to encourage safer-sex practices and prevent the proliferation of sexually transmitted diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). She became interested in understanding why some girls who were sexually active and contracting sexually transmitted diseases or experiencing unwanted pregnancies continued to put themselves at risk.
She decided to investigate their levels of self-esteem and study how low levels might influence girls' participation in sexual activity. Danielle's research showed that African American girls with lower self-esteem were more likely to participate in risky sexual behavior. The study further indicated that girls with lower socioeconomic status were more likely to have lower self-esteem. She also identified methods to develop culturally appropriate scales to measure self-esteem in young African American women and educate them on the effects of high-risk sexual behavior
Her most memorable and empowering experience at the competition was meeting like-minded peers who were interested in making a difference in the field of public health. Danielle is captain of her school's golf and swim teams and acts as chief justice on the student court. She will attend Howard University in the fall and plans to major in biology and African American studies. After receiving her bachelor's degree, Danielle plans to attend medical school while pursuing her master's degree in public health. Her education culminates with a career as a cardiothoracic surgeon and epidemiologist.
Jonathan Yeh
Troy High School
Fullerton, California
Case-Control Study of Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug Use and Risk of Pancreatic Cancer
"I've been in academic and scientific competitions of all forms, but I feel that I really learned the most from YES. I was in an environment where everyone encouraged each other and I got the feeling that my friends (and rivals) were genuinely interested in listening and helping me improve my work."
Over the course of his studies and participation in science competitions, Jonathan became interested in the intricate development and epidemiology of cancer. His project compares the lifestyle habits of pancreatic cancer patients and control subjects, and focuses on the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin.
His study found that greater aspirin use was associated with a higher incidence of pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to successfully treat, and early detection and prevention may be the best way to decrease mortality due to this disease. His findings may help to inform members of the public of the health choices that are available to them. They may also create a focus for further molecular research regarding NSAIDs and pancreatic cancer development.
Jonathan says that, "Before the YES Competition weekend, I didn't realize that so many people were so enthusiastic about epidemiology, but getting a chance to see such motivated peers and professionals definitely changed my mind." Jonathan has won numerous awards in regional and national science competitions and enjoys playing the piano, guitar, and Chinese zither. He is deciding between Princeton and Yale University for the fall and plans to major in biomedical engineering or molecular biology. In the long run, he hopes to enter the field of medical research—perhaps as an epidemiologist.