Robinson honored for helping disadvantaged high-school students
, professor of cell biology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, won the for developing the Summer Academic Research Experience program. The SARE program helps disadvantaged teenagers in inner-city Baltimore get experience in biomedical research as well as academic tutoring. The 偷拍偷窥 and 偷拍偷窥 Biology’s Minority Affairs Committee selects the winners of this award.

– Douglas N. Robinson
Named after Ruth L. Kirschstein of the National Institutes of Health, the award honors outstanding scientists who are committed to helping underrepresented minorities enter the scientific enterprise and thrive within it. Kirschstein was renowned for science and public service. After working on the polio vaccine, Kirschstein became the first woman to direct an NIH institute, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. Later, she served as deputy director and acting director of the NIH. Kirschstein was an advocate for training, particularly for underrepresented minorities.
Robinson studies how different cells take on their distinctive shapes. By understanding the fundamental principles that underlie cell morphology, Robinson’s team aims to parse out how cell shape influences diseases such as pancreatic cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and degenerative motor neuron diseases.
But Robinson and his team also work to bring people into the laboratory who otherwise wouldn’t have the privilege of doing research. About 34 percent of children in Baltimore grow up in poverty, which is almost three times higher than the national average. Robinson developed SARE nine years ago as a way for promising but disadvantaged students to get trained in academic and professional skills as well as to build a network of mentors.
Robinson got the inspiration for SARE when he and his wife, Lisa Naeger, began taking Sunday dinners to the Boys Hope house. The house, and the subsequent Girls Hope house, are supported by the Boys Hope Girls Hope organization, which provides at-risk children with homes, education, and financial and emotional support. At the dinners, Robinson and Naeger heard the teenagers express interest in research. After bringing two teenagers into his laboratory, Robinson’s group decided to formalize the opportunity in the form of SARE.
Of the 37 scholars who have come through SARE to date, 23 have reached college age and matriculated into four-year colleges with partial or full scholarships. Half of the students have chosen science, engineering, math or health-related majors.
, the director of the department of cell biology at Hopkins, explained in his nomination letter that Robinson won a Health Career Opportunity Program grant through the Health Resources and Services Administration to expand the scope of SARE to the greater Baltimore area as well as the rest of the country. In the expanded format, the program also now serves disadvantaged undergraduates and postbaccalaureate students.
In his letter supporting Robinson’s nomination, at the University of Wisconsin–Madison wrote, “Doug Robinson is one of an incredibly rare group: full-time researchers who nevertheless make major education contributions well beyond the expectations that come with a faculty position.” Bement closed his letter by saying that Robinson was “an ideal candidate” for the award.
Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?
Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.
Learn moreGet the latest from ASBMB Today
Enter your email address, and we鈥檒l send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.
Latest in People
People highlights or most popular articles

From dust to discovery
From makeshift classrooms in Uganda to postdoctoral research in Chicago, MOSAIC scholar Elizabeth Kaweesa builds a legacy in women鈥檚 health.

Fliesler wins scientific and ethical awards
He is being honored by the University at Buffalo and the American Oil Chemists' Society for his scientific achievements and ethical integrity.

Hope for a cure hangs on research
Amid drastic proposed cuts to biomedical research, rare disease families like Hailey Adkisson鈥檚 fight for survival and hope. Without funding, science can鈥檛 鈥渃atch up鈥� to help the patients who need it most.

Before we鈥檝e lost what we can鈥檛 rebuild: Hope for prion disease
Sonia Vallabh and Eric Minikel, a husband-and-wife team racing to cure prion disease, helped develop ION717, an antisense oligonucleotide treatment now in clinical trials. Their mission is personal 鈥� and just getting started.

ASBMB members recognized as Allen investigators
Ileana Cristea, Sarah Cohen, Itay Budin and Christopher Obara are among 14 researchers selected as Allen Distinguished Investigators by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.

AI can be an asset, ASBMB educators say
Pedagogy experts share how they use artificial intelligence to save time, increase accessibility and prepare students for a changing world.