Dr. Juan Robles is featured in a video narrated by the actor Al Pacino.

To view the video, click here.

PHRI has a special relationship with Juan. He was a participant in the PHRI Summer High School Research Trainee Program (PHRI-SHSRTP) and as an undergraduate at Cornell University, he spent several years as teaching assistant in this program. After completing his BA degree, he worked for several years as a research associate in the laboratory of Dr. David Perlin, the director of PHRI. Juan obtained his masters degree from NYU and then taught high school in the Bronx before being admitted as a medical student to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. He now practices medicine in the Bronx, New York City. Juan Robles' success story is a prime example of what a determined, capable student can do with the assistance of programs like the PHRI-SHSRTP, which help shaped his future. We are very proud of Juan and the other graduates of the program.

In 2004, PHRI distributed a newsletter with an article about Juan. A script of the article can be downloaded as PDF copy.

Issar Smith, Ph.D
Associate Director for Programs and Development

The Summer High School Research Internship Program serves minority students who attend Newark schools or live in the City of Newark, and their teachers. The Program nurtures through intense hands-on laboratory research experience an acute interest in science. Mr. Yaakov Saturen directs the program, working with Newark teachers, principals, and others to recruit highly motivated, talented, under-represented minority students into the program each year.



   class of 2012

The students begin with a two-week workshop that introduces them to the vocabulary of molecular biology and medicine, as well as to basic laboratory skills, tools and techniques. They meet PHRI-NJMS Principal Investigators, who give a series of lectures. They are then assigned to a Principal Investigator’s laboratory, paired with a mentor, and spend six weeks working in a state-of-the-art research laboratory on his or her own research project. Over the course of the summer, they meet weekly to discuss their projects and each student writes a short research paper on his or her project. They also attend field trips to sites where they can see how medical and other research is being applied for the benefit of society. Finally, they explore educational and career options in science, and develop analytical and critical thinking skills that can be used throughout their lives.

10th Annual PHRI Summer High School Intern Program

The following student interns participated in the 2012 PHRI Summer High School Research Intern Program: Deseree T. Anderson, Dominique Bynum-Cooper, Hannah L. Delos Reyes, Ysamerlyn Gonzalez, Victoria Hale, Mufasa Johnson, Shante M. Larry, D’aundra Lewis, Stephanie W. Njeru, Afia Obeng, Oluwadamilola T. Oke, Edward Paz, Daram Nicholas Ramdin, and Kabine Traore.

This year, five high schools were represented, namely: Marist High School, Mother Seton Regional High School, Science Park High School, Saint Vincent Academy, and West Side High School. The program is directed by Mr. Yaakov Saturen. The PHRI Summer 2012 High School Internship Program was generously supported by the Victoria Foundation, Prudential Foundation, and the PHRI - Center of the New Jersey Medical School, ACS-Project SEED and private individual donations.

On Thursday, September 20th, 2012, the PHRI Center organized its 10th Annual Summer High School Intern Program Symposium. Please download the Symposium Announcement for more details.





For more information call or write:

Mr. Yaakov Saturen
Director, High School Research Internship Program
Public Health Research Institute Center
UMDNJ - New Jersey Medical School
225 Warren Street
Newark NJ 07103
Email: satureya@umdnj.edu
Tel. (973) 854-3100
Fax. (973) 854-3101

Teaching Assistant, Omaru Washington, explains a project to the class members




Dominique Bynum-Cooper is dispensing solutions




Oluwadamilola Oke and other students working with the microscope




Students on a field trip at Rutgers University Animal Research Institute




Afia Obeng, Deseree Anderson and Mufasa Johnson together with Mr. Saturen at the PHRI student symposium




Shante Larry presenting her poster at the PHRI student symposium in October 2012




Saleena Ghanny from the Center of Applied Genomics discussing her work to the students




Tongbao Liu discussing an experiment with Stephanie Njeru (student)




Afia Obeng is explaining her poster at the PHRI student symposium




Ysamerlyn Gonzalez is preparing a gel




Stephanie Njeru is explaining her results to the other students




Starting from the left, Mufasa Johnson, Deseree Anderson and
Oluwadamilola Oke are showing their awards at the Project Seed
poster session held at the Seton Hall University