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The fifteenth cohort of Summer Scholars is comprised of eight juniors and 11 seniors who are planning for careers in biomedical research or the health professions. 

“This unique research partnership between a liberal arts college and a nationally renowned health sciences university has continued to provide our students with the opportunity to participate in research training early in their academic careers while working closely with a variety of academic scientists. The mentorship they receive here is especially valuable as many of the scholars go on to pursue PhD or MD programs after graduating from Lake Forest College,” shared Shubhik DebBurman, PhD, Lake Forest College Disque D. and Carol Gram Deane Professor of Biological Sciences, Chair of Neuroscience, Professor of Biology, and Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (RFUMS) is home to groundbreaking research that embraces innovative practices in order to help shape the future of health care.

This past summer, Jorge Garcia ’24 conducted research relating to HIV/AIDS Drug Development and Testing with Human Kidney (HK-2) Cells with Professor John Buolamwini, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at RFUMS.

“This research experience is very important to me because this has helped me better determine that I want to pursue an MD/PhD program in the near future. I keep discovering that I love scientific research and I get excited about it. I am a first-generation Latino student who had doubts about my future, but this experience helped me feel capable of pursuing my goals,” said the biochemistry and molecular biology major.

The  RFUMS Summer Scholars Program is a 10-week paid fellowship in which students work directly under medical school faculty, aiding in innovative lab research. 

“I have been impressed with how highly motivated and engaged the students from Lake Forest have been. They bring great energy and enthusiasm to our lab,” said RFUMS Professor Jeremy Amiel Rosenkranz, PhD, MS, Director, Brain Science Institute.

The program offers students desirable undergraduate research experience that can help refine career options, hone lab practice skills, and polish applications for medical schools and other career prospects.

“I am thankful to Lake Forest College for the opportunity to participate in this experience. I would not have gotten this experience elsewhere as an undergraduate,” said Garcia.

Throughout the fellowship, students work in medical school professors’ labs alongside graduate research fellows. Scholars are immersed in a practical learning environment, assisting with lab research in the areas of cell and molecular pharmacology, neuroscience, cell biology and anatomy, biochemistry and molecular biology, pathology, microbiology and immunology, and physiology and biophysics.

This summer Lira Zajmi ’25, a native of Kosovo who attended UWC Adriatic for high school, worked alongside Professor Robert Marr, Department of Neuroscience at RFUMS.

“One aspect that has been the highlight of my research experience has been the collaborative nature of the scientific community at RFUMS. This group effort fosters a climate in which ideas are openly exchanged and it has been more efficient in the lab. I am working to tackle complex problems and make great advancement,” the neuroscience major said. 

Zajmi is conducting cutting-edge research on the development of gene therapeutic approaches to Alzheimer’s disease aimed at engineering secreted cell-penetrating, brain-targeting, inhibitors of the NLRP3-inflammasome for use in rodent models of amyloidosis.

“In my opinion, science has the power to transform lives and advance society. I want to make a difference in people’s lives by working on worthwhile research projects that help solve problems in the real world such as Alzheimer’s disease,” she said.