Newtown Native A Winner

In National Epidemiology Competition

Newtown native Jennifer Staple, a first-year teacher at Green Farms Academy in Westport, was recently named a regional winner in the Young Epidemiology Scholars (YES) Teacher Competition for developing a high school curriculum that combines service learning with the study of efforts to control diseases worldwide.

Ms Staple, who teaches honors chemistry and environmental science at Green Farms, will receive a $5,000 award for her entry, entitled “Towards Sustainable Solutions: Applying Epidemiology to Develop Nonprofit Organizations.”

In addition to teaching full time, she is the founder, president and CEO of Unite For Sight (www.uniteforsight.org), a nonprofit public health organization. Ms Staple founded the organization as an undergraduate student at Yale University in New Haven. Ms Staple graduated cum laude from Yale with a bachelor’s degree in biology and anthropology in 2003.

Her curriculum combines her teaching experiences with that of leading a nonprofit organization. After studying global health issues through an epidemiological perspective, students develop nonprofit organizations to address the prevention and control of diseases.

The YES Teacher Competition is sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and administered by the College Board.

“In a world facing threats that include the spread of SARS, HIV/AIDS, rising obesity rates, and heart disease, we are looking for the next generation of epidemiologists to tackle these and other pressing public health problems,” said J. Michael McGinnis, MD, of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

While the competition focuses on epidemiology, YES seeks to develop skills that go beyond just the area of study. “The problem-solving involved in epidemiological research helps to develop critical skills — framing the right questions, collecting relevant data and analyzing findings that can be applied in a number of disciplines,” noted Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board. “We are proud to be part of this important initiative.”

Ms Staple graduated from Newtown High School in 1999.