Rami Abdelghafar

Presently: Brandeis University

Manhattan Center for Science and Math

Recipient of $150,000 Posse Scholarship

Topic: 2006Breast and Thyroid Cancer Detection Using Immunomagetic Beads

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Topic 2005: Isolation, Detection + Cellular and Molecular Charcterization of Circulating Tumor Cells in Prostate and Thyroid Cancer Patients

Research Paper 2 (pdf)
Research Paper 1 (pdf)
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About:

One day, coming back from lab, I decided to head to Barnes & Noble and just read a few books. As I walked passed by the aisles, I saw a book the grabbed my eye named The Princeton’s Review Best 351 Internships. I pulled the book down and headed to the section called Best research laboratory internship. The first one on the list surprised me. It was an internship at an animal hospital that bragged on how students could work with animal blood and perform many procedures similar to what doctors perform on human patients. All I saw was animal blood, drizzling all over the page. I said to myself, I work at the top cancer hospital characterizing human blood cells from cancer cells. I felt proud and confident of myself that I decided to continue my work at one of the best hospitals out there. The Harlem Children Society internship at Memorial Sloan Kettering should have been Princeton Review’s top internship in America.

The HCS internship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital has been the most meaningful activity to me in my years at high school. I was working at the top cancer hospital in the world next to Cornell medical graduate students. My goal in the lab was to isolate cancer cells from blood samples that were extracted from cancer patients. I felt as if I was a doctor, performing procedures in characterizing, isolating, and detecting cancer cells in the human blood. My laboratory work has taught and provided me with the skills and responsibility to excel in life. It built my self esteem, self confidence, and leadership skills because I was a high school student working next to researchers and graduate students in a world renowned laboratory. My service at the hospital made me a better person to succeed in life.

Everyday in lab, I never forget the moment I entered the lab room. As I walked right past the door with my lab coat on, the wind would blow against my lab coat making me look like a character in The Matrix or the show ER. Believe it or not, it was always my dream to wear a lab coat walking in everyday saying good morning to my colleagues. I have never regretted a moment in my life in completing an internship with Dr. Bhattacharya. I have enjoyed every single moment in lab and will never forget the memories that have once shined in my path in becoming a doctor one day.