Eastchester High School Junior Awarded Gold Medal At The Genius Olympiad
Ava Tsapatsaris’s Advanced Science Research study evolved into outreach to medically underserved women across New York. Now an international science competition recognized Ava for her excellence.
The Eastchester High School junior earned a Gold Medal at the Genius Olympiad in early June for her research Project ScanVan: Mobile mammography services to decrease socioeconomic barriers and racial disparities among medically underserved women in NYC. Ava was one of 13 students from Westchester County to participate in this contest, held virtually this year; only the top 10 percent of participants receive the Gold Medal.
“It felt great to be nominated for this prestigious competition,” said Ava. “When I learned there would be students from 85 countries, I became even more excited. I would not only be representing Eastchester High School but my country.”
Ava is enrolled in the Advanced Science Research Program at EHS. For the past two years, she has been studying and collecting data related to underserved women who must overcome barriers to obtain breast cancer screenings. These women often lack insurance or transportation to screening locations.
She also discovered a solution to this problem, mobile mammography vans. The vehicles exist as part of Project ScanVan in New York City. Ava found a way to share information about the vans through a foundation she created called Uniting Against Breast Cancer. Women can log onto her site and locate free or low-cost screening services in their neighborhoods. Ava included this information in her award-winning presentation.
Her original research has been published, and she is currently working on two other papers that review her work in light of COVID-19. Ava also looks to the future.
“After becoming a physician, I would love to return to EHS to mentor future ASR students. With every goal I achieve, I always strive to further solutions that help individuals overcome barriers to equitable healthcare”