Medical Science Students from Freehold Regional HS District Excel During Prestigious Summer Programs

Ask some of the students in the Medical Sciences Specialized Learning Center at Freehold High School how they spent their summer vacation and the answers will impress you. Three students spent the summer before their senior year working in labs doing various types of research.

Ruchita Kothari spent two months during the summer working in a Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program Summer Student Internship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Six hundred students applied to take part in this exciting internship, while only 19 were accepted. Not only was Ruchita assisting senior researchers, she also had time to do some independent research involving the project her team was working on titled “Investigating the Mechanistic Basis of Hematopoietic Transformation by MPL(W515L).” In addition to seeing the ins and outs of laboratory research, the internship program provided students a glimpse into the clinical side of medicine. Ruchita was able to tour Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s campus
including the operating room.

Ellen Wu and Michael Gao both spent time over the summer at the New Jersey Governor’s School in the Sciences, a three week residential program at Drew University, Madison. Hundreds of students from across the state applied, but only 85 were selected
to participate. Michael compared the program to an accelerated science camp, providing high school students with college levels courses in subjects like molecular biology, neurobiology and anthropology. Participants were broken out into teams to work on research projects. Michael’s group produced a paper, “In Pursuit of a Trans-Chelating Diphosphine Ligand,” while Ellen worked on a project titled “The Relationships between Eye Movements and Cognitive Functions.” At the end, each team presented their findings at a symposium.

Michael spent the remainder of his summer in Maryland working in an internship program at the National Institutes of Health, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. There Michael assisted on a research project, “Multi-targeting peripheral CB1 receptors (CB1R) and iNOS by novel hybrid compound improves anti-fibrotic efficacy and safety in liver fibrosis.” This experience was more about discovery than shadowing, Michael described. At the end of the program, Michael presented his work with the other participants.

All three of the talented students credit the Freehold Regional High School District’s (FRHSD) Medical Sciences Specialized Learning Center as the stepping stone that allowed them to pursue these challenging and rewarding programs. Michael noted that had it not been for the Medical Science Learning Center, he would not have met the class level entrance requirements the two internship programs expected to see on his resume. Ruchita said research experience was a high priority to be accepted into the program at Memorial Sloan Kettering and she was successful based on the research experience she gained at her high school. Starting their junior year, students in the Medical Science Learning Center begin independent research projects. For Ellen, it’s the passion of her teachers that has inspired her, increasing her love of the sciences.

The Medical Sciences Specialized Learning Center offers a comprehensive and rigorous schedule of mathematics and science as well as a thorough preparation for postsecondary work to high-achieving, self-motivated students interested in medical and natural science. Students work and study in a creative environment enhanced by contact with specialists in the mathematics, science, and health-care fields. Opportunities exist for articulation with medical and research facilities. Personal and career counseling with field experiences prepares each student for college and career selection. The program affiliates with colleges, universities, research centers, CentraState Medical Center, and private practitioners. Seniors will take part in an externship at CentraState Medical Center where they will observe different aspects of the field including family practice, pharmacology, and surgery.

“The wonder of guiding and teaching these students (in the Medical Sciences Specialized Learning Center) is their drive. They have the desire and the will to succeed,” said Marybeth Ruddy, supervisor of the Medical Sciences Specialized Learning Center.

All three seniors plan to pursue medical majors when they graduate from FRHSD in June.