Since its establishment in 1955, Einstein has attracted students from across the nation and around the globe, all traveling hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of miles to realize their dream of becoming doctors. For Sabrina Volpi, Chinedu Nwabuobi and Juan Robles, the trip was just a hop, skip and a jump away – literally.

Sabrina VolpiSabrina Volpi was born in the Bronx, growing up just blocks away from the Morris Park Avenue campus where Einstein is located. Ms. Volpi always recognized the medical college, but never realized it would play such an important role in her life as she got older.

“When I was at Our Lady of Solace, I remember hearing about Einstein,” she recalled. “I remember it as a research center and that very smart people went there. It was very intimidating.”

While at Preston High School, her fascination with math and science led to a more intimate connection with Einstein, a place she recalls visiting for important research papers. Then, as a student at Fordham University, a partnership between the two schools' libraries allowed Ms. Volpi almost unlimited access to the scientific research she now craved.

Even after going to Georgetown for one year to study biophysics and physiology, Ms. Volpi found herself back in the Bronx, getting her master’s at Fordham and working as a technician at Einstein over a two-year period. Ms. Volpi then decided to take her role at Einstein to a new level, and now hopes to complete her Ph.D. by December of 2010.

Chinedu Nwabuobi“I like the constant discovery,” she said, noting her work in molecular immunology and how the body is capable of generating so many different antibodies. “I enjoy understanding how genes are regulated and value greatly being able to troubleshoot with my lab mates both in and outside my lab when certain experiments don’t work.”

Ms. Volpi is interested in gene regulation and the study of infectious diseases and hopes to continue her research by pursuing a postdoctorate position. “The Bronx has been my home for a long time and provided me with great opportunities and resources,” she explained. “The environment of cooperative learning and research at Einstein provides great collaborative opportunities right here in the Bronx”.

Mr. Nwabuobi has found plentiful opportunities in the Bronx since 2002, when his mother won a visa lottery and moved her five children from Nigeria to Boston Road and 165th Street. Then 16, Mr. Nwabuobi had little trouble adapting to English, having learned the language as a youth.

He quickly made a name for himself through academics at Morris High School before attending SUNY Purchase as a pre-med major.

“Healthcare is the most important thing people lack in Nigeria,” he said. “In 2001, I started a health club there and I found so much joy in helping people, in helping the sick.”

Juan RoblesMr. Nwabuobi would realize his true course in 2005, when he took part in Mentoring in Medicine, a program run by Einstein’s Dr. Lynne Holden that afforded him opportunities to shadow health care professionals and gain access to research laboratories.

“It would always be in my mind that I would go back to Einstein,” he said.

For the Bronx transplant, remaining in the Bronx and attending Einstein was a top priority after earning a master’s degree at SUNY Upstate Medical College.

“The patient population in the Bronx is priceless,” he said. “We are exposed to different health issues that mirror the outside world.”

Upon graduation, the second-year medical student looks forward to the “high chaotic conditions” of emergency medicine and opportunities to make medical missions to his native homeland. “A lot of people look up to me to help them,” he said.

Also a role model in his own right, Mr. Robles made his way from Honduras to the Grand Concourse, where his mother had already established a new home for her family. Without a grasp of the English language, the transition to the Bronx was rough for the 13-year-old.

“We were put into an ESL program and I was in it until the 11th grade,” he recalled. In spite of the ESL barrier, Mr. Robles defied the odds, graduating South Bronx High School as class valedictorian. Even so, many were shocked at his decision to apply to Cornell University. “They didn’t think I had a chance,” he said. “My principal said, ‘Don’t worry if you fail there.’”

And although he struggled, Mr. Robles earned a B.S. degree in biology from the Ivy League school. His dream of becoming a doctor was initially sidelined when low grades and MCAT scores led his application to Einstein to be denied. Not one to give up, he got a job as a research associate and worked on improving his grades while earning a master’s degree in biology at NYU. Later, he was a teacher and volunteered at Einstein’s ECHO Clinic as a translator for its many Spanish-speaking clients. He then took the MCATs again and reapplied to Einstein. And while his improved grades helped him, it was his compelling story that gained him a spot in the Class of 2011.

Now in his third year, Mr. Robles is leaning toward becoming a family generalist. But first, he hopes to complete his residency in the Bronx.

“There is a great need to be more involved here,” he said. “I want to fulfill that need and give back to the community. This is my home – my mom still lives in the same house. I love it here. The Bronx is beautiful.”