Like most teens, Shoshanna Goldin of South Whitehall Township, Pa., is aware of the trends that come and go.

When she saw her classmates and friends at Moravian Academy, Bethlehem, Pa., starting to scarf down popular energy drinks in massive quantities, however, she decided to look into the trend instead of following it.

What Shoshanna learned alarmed her.

Her study – which she titled Energy Epidemic: Teen Perception and Consumption of Energy Drinks – found that teenagers were unaware of the amount of stimulant in, and the risks associated with the popular energy drinks. It earned Shoshanna the $50,000 top prize nationally in the 2010 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Young Epidemiology Scholars (YES) Competition.

Shoshanna hopes to inspire educators to include this information in their health curriculum and hopes to convince lawmakers to ban the sale of energy drinks to people under the age of 18.

While Shoshanna’s work is inspiring, her story of dedicating her life to neuroscience is equally inspiring. At the age of 13, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. As she was treated at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), she was inspired by the world-class physicians who helped her regain her health. Shoshanna now serves as a CHOP spokesperson.

“A brain tumor at 13 left me committed to becoming an amazing neurosurgeon,” Shoshanna says of her experience. “Passionate about neurology, public health, and children’s issues, I’m fully recovered with an extra dose of compassion for others.”

Video and Photo Credit: Young Epidemiology Scholars (YES) Competition