Dr. Sat Bhattacharya is among the
“50 Unsung N.Y. Heroes”

Satyajit (Dr. Sat) Bhattacharya, who moved here from India in 1993, started HCS (www.harlemchildrensociety.org) with three high school interns in his lab in 2000. Today, 185 minority students (75% are black or Hispanic) from 50 high schools in New York, Detroit and on an Arizona Indian reservation take part in scientific internships at institutions nationwide, all funded by HCS. When not working on cancer cures as a molecular pathology research scientist, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Dr. Sat interviews all candidates (over 1,000 last year); in addition to grants, he spent $16,000 of his own money on HCS this year. All HCS interns have gone to college, and over 20% are Ivy Leaguers — and two of the 2000 students are in M.D./Ph.D. programs. "Once they're in the program, we tell them we're not going to leave them," says Dr. Sat. "We take on the responsibility of an extended family."

source (article): Nov. 19th, 2006. Daily News
http://www.nydailynews.com/11-19-2006/news/local/story/472830p-397869c.html

source (image): Nov. 16th, 2006. Daily News