High School Science Enrichment Program

The Hepatitis B Foundation conducts a two-week High School Science Enrichment Program for talented high school students interested in learning about research, biotechnology and public health in the context of hepatitis B and liver cancer.

Students gain a unique “hands-on” experience at the Foundation's Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center in state-of-the-art research labs under the guidance of senior scientists. In addition to lab research, students learn public health issues in research, enjoy guest lectures, and attend professional seminars. They hear about the outreach and advocacy initiatives of the Foundation from our dedicated public health professionals to gain an awareness of the global problem of hepatitis B and an appreciation of the importance of research in advancing our mission.

The goals of the High School Science Enrichment Program are:

  • Provide “hands-on” lab experience that is supervised by professional scientists.
  • Learn about the global problem of hepatitis B, which has infected 2 billion people worldwide.
  • Understand the role of research and public health in addressing the problem of diseases within the context of hepatitis B.
  • Learn how science can be applied in different career paths, including research and medicine, and
  • Review the mission and work of the Hepatitis B Foundation.

At the conclusion of the program, students submit a summary of their experience and provide a presentation of their accomplishments at a forum attended by their peers, mentors, HBF faculty and invited guests. 

Students from select area schools are chosen by their teachers. The program is partially funded by the Pennsylvania Education Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Program.

This year's program will run from July 8 to July 19.

For information about the program, contact interns@hepb.org

For information about supporting the program, contact Joe Erckert at joe.erckert@hepb.org