Dr. Rubin's Mini Medical School
Edward Hospital (primary site); Naperville Campus of Northern Illinois University (also used for classes), 801 South Washington Street, Naperville, IL 60540
About
Dr. Rubin's Mini Medical School offers education, lectures, small group work, mentoring, counseling, and hands-on experiences related to healthcare careers. Depending on the specific program, students rotate through multiple stations or tables, such as 12 stations for middle school students, 18 experiences in the summer experience program, and 10 stations in the elementary school program, spending about 10–12 minutes at each. Sample activities include looking into an eye to represent an optometrist and taking a blood pressure to represent what a nurse does routinely.
• Ages: 8–18 years old
• Schedule: Mini Medical School for High School Students is a 21-hour winter program with two concurrent classes meeting Saturdays and Sundays from 2 to 5:30 PM; the Mini Medical School Summer Experience is a one-day 8–9 hour program offered on a Saturday and repeated the following Sunday; Mini Medical School for Elementary School Students is a 2-hour program.
• Price: Mini Medical School Experience for Middle School Students program fee is $250 for the 2024 school year; Mini Medical School Summer Experience program fee for the 2024 school year was $300.
Dr. Rubin’s Mini Medical School was conceived and designed in 2004 by Ira S. Rubin, M.D., Ph.D., of Naperville Pediatric Associates, with the help of his son, Zachary Rubin. It was created in 2004 to help high school students learn if they want to pursue a healthcare career by providing education, hands-on experiences, mentoring, and counseling, with the goal of helping increase the healthcare workforce by helping students decide on a career in healthcare. In December 2019, Dr. Rubin decided to incorporate as Dr. Rubin's Mini Medical School NFP, and in 2025 he created an elementary school introduction to health professions careers program and a Mini Dental School for High School Students program; the last Mini Medical School for Elementary School Students program was run on April 19th, 2026.
Mini Medical School for High School Students is a 21-hour competitive program for junior, senior, and advanced sophomore students and is selective, requiring an application, teacher recommendation, counselor form, parent consent, and interview for finalists, with acceptance on a rolling basis. The Mini Medical School Experience for Middle School Students introduces healthcare to middle school students and concentrates on the fields of medicine and surgery with 12 hands-on experiences, and is non-competitive and accepts students on a first-come, first-served basis. The Mini Medical School Summer Experience allows students in grades 9 through college junior to experience the fields of medicine and surgery, is a one-day 8–9 hour program, and is not competitive, with students accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Mini Medical School for Elementary School Students is provided free of charge as a community service project, and students in various programs receive a certificate upon exiting the building or program.
To register for a program, families submit an online form, a parent consent, and the appropriate program fee. For the middle school program, a student’s application, signed parent consent, and the program fee of $250 are all required, and for the summer experience program, students register and are accepted as long as the application, consent, program fee, and space are available.
Dr. Rubin runs his programs with his wife, Susan, as a community service project, and he is supported by many Mini Med School graduates who volunteer their time as teaching assistants. Teaching assistants for the elementary program are graduates of the winter Mini Med for High School Students who have also served as teaching assistants for at least one year. This program for elementary school students is provided free of charge as a community service project.
Dr. Rubin is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and has been in practice for over 30 years. Zachary Rubin, M.D., graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Pre-Professional Scholars Program in Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, completed a pediatric residency at University of Illinois Children's Hospital in Chicago, studied pediatric allergy and clinical immunology at Washington University in St. Louis, and is certified in both Pediatrics and Allergy/Immunology. Jason Rubin, D.P.M., graduated from The College of The University of Chicago, graduated from Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery, completed a surgical residency at Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago, and is certified by the American Board of Podiatric Medicine and is an associate member of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgery. Dr. Rubin’s Mini Medical School NFP is recognized by the IRS as a 501C3 Private Foundation.
Last updated May 27, 2026.
• Ages: 8–18 years old
• Schedule: Mini Medical School for High School Students is a 21-hour winter program with two concurrent classes meeting Saturdays and Sundays from 2 to 5:30 PM; the Mini Medical School Summer Experience is a one-day 8–9 hour program offered on a Saturday and repeated the following Sunday; Mini Medical School for Elementary School Students is a 2-hour program.
• Price: Mini Medical School Experience for Middle School Students program fee is $250 for the 2024 school year; Mini Medical School Summer Experience program fee for the 2024 school year was $300.
Dr. Rubin’s Mini Medical School was conceived and designed in 2004 by Ira S. Rubin, M.D., Ph.D., of Naperville Pediatric Associates, with the help of his son, Zachary Rubin. It was created in 2004 to help high school students learn if they want to pursue a healthcare career by providing education, hands-on experiences, mentoring, and counseling, with the goal of helping increase the healthcare workforce by helping students decide on a career in healthcare. In December 2019, Dr. Rubin decided to incorporate as Dr. Rubin's Mini Medical School NFP, and in 2025 he created an elementary school introduction to health professions careers program and a Mini Dental School for High School Students program; the last Mini Medical School for Elementary School Students program was run on April 19th, 2026.
Mini Medical School for High School Students is a 21-hour competitive program for junior, senior, and advanced sophomore students and is selective, requiring an application, teacher recommendation, counselor form, parent consent, and interview for finalists, with acceptance on a rolling basis. The Mini Medical School Experience for Middle School Students introduces healthcare to middle school students and concentrates on the fields of medicine and surgery with 12 hands-on experiences, and is non-competitive and accepts students on a first-come, first-served basis. The Mini Medical School Summer Experience allows students in grades 9 through college junior to experience the fields of medicine and surgery, is a one-day 8–9 hour program, and is not competitive, with students accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Mini Medical School for Elementary School Students is provided free of charge as a community service project, and students in various programs receive a certificate upon exiting the building or program.
To register for a program, families submit an online form, a parent consent, and the appropriate program fee. For the middle school program, a student’s application, signed parent consent, and the program fee of $250 are all required, and for the summer experience program, students register and are accepted as long as the application, consent, program fee, and space are available.
Dr. Rubin runs his programs with his wife, Susan, as a community service project, and he is supported by many Mini Med School graduates who volunteer their time as teaching assistants. Teaching assistants for the elementary program are graduates of the winter Mini Med for High School Students who have also served as teaching assistants for at least one year. This program for elementary school students is provided free of charge as a community service project.
Dr. Rubin is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and has been in practice for over 30 years. Zachary Rubin, M.D., graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Pre-Professional Scholars Program in Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, completed a pediatric residency at University of Illinois Children's Hospital in Chicago, studied pediatric allergy and clinical immunology at Washington University in St. Louis, and is certified in both Pediatrics and Allergy/Immunology. Jason Rubin, D.P.M., graduated from The College of The University of Chicago, graduated from Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery, completed a surgical residency at Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago, and is certified by the American Board of Podiatric Medicine and is an associate member of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgery. Dr. Rubin’s Mini Medical School NFP is recognized by the IRS as a 501C3 Private Foundation.
Last updated May 27, 2026.
Is this your business? There is no cost, but you will be asked to sign up or log in.