The YES Legacy
YES Closure Statement
The April 2011 Young Epidemiology Scholars (YES) Competition in Washington, D.C., was the eighth and final YES Competition. YES was launched in 2003 by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the College Board to encourage high school students nationwide to apply epidemiological methods to the investigation of public health issues and inspire the brightest young minds to enter the field of public health. Nearly 5,000 students from all 50 states have participated in the YES Competition, which has awarded $3.7 million in college scholarships to 976 students, including this year’s participants. YES has been successful in inspiring student interest in and understanding of public health and epidemiology: 75 percent of YES Regional Finalists who have declared an undergraduate major are pursuing a health and/or science related major.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the College Board thank the many teachers, schools and public health professionals — and especially the exceptional students who have participated over the years — for making the YES Competition a success. Their talent and commitment to improving public health have been an inspiration. We look forward to seeing their contributions as they continue to do exceptional work in public health and advance the YES legacy for years to come. Examples of the exciting work being done by YES alumni can be found in the YES newsletter archive.
All current YES scholarship awards will be honored. There will also be continued opportunities for YES alumni to stay informed and engaged via the YES website, Facebook page, and new editions of the YES newsletter to be published later this year. In addition, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the College Board plan to commemorate the YES legacy later this year.