Supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and administered by the College Board, the Young Epidemiology Scholars (YES) Program hosts a scholarship competition for high school juniors and seniors and has also developed twenty-six, free, epidemiological teaching units for classroom usage.

The Young Epidemiology Scholars (YES) Competition seeks outstanding student research projects that apply epidemiological methods of analysis to health-related issues. Each year, 120 students share as much as $456,000 in college scholarships, ranging from $1,000 to $50,000.

Students named as finalists at the 2005-06 competition chose research projects focusing on an array of public health topics, including deliberate self-harm among adolescents, exercise and mood, post-traumatic stress disorder and exposure to Hurricane Katrina, underage alcohol consumption and parent perceptions, gum disease in youth, sports-related injuries in female athletes, and hearing loss in high school populations.

The YES Competition has had a significant impact on students’ academic and career plans and many students have inquired about pursuing internships in public health. Approaching its fourth competition year, YES is responding to student inquiries by working on strategies to retain students’ focus and interest in epidemiological studies well after the actual competition. The program seeks to provide information on specific internship opportunities with individuals and organizations across the country. If you are in the field of epidemiology and are interested in having a YES student work for your organization, please contact YES Program Manager Nisha Harinath via e-mail at  <nharinath@collegeboard.org>.

For more information on the YES Program, including the annual competition and the epidemiological teaching units, please visit <http://www.collegeboard.org/yes>.