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Contact Information: Phone: 305-348-0644 Fax: 305-348-0650 Email: med.admissions@fiu.edu Director of Financial Aid Pemra Cetin, MBA Director, Student Counseling & Wellness Center Heidi von Harscher, PhD, FICPP Panther Communities: Coordinator, Panther Communities A and C: Scarlett Aldana Coordinator, Panther Communities B and D: Laura Boudon, Ph.D. Adm Assistant, Panther Communities A and C: Dominic Duran Adm Assistant, Panther Communities B and D: Robert Benjamin

Deans of the Office of Student Affairs Sanford Markham, MD Robert Dollinger, MD Barbra A. Roller, PhD Directors of Admissions and Records Betty Monfort, MPH Charlotte Rhine, M.Ed

The Office of Student Affairs is dedicated to all activities relating to the admission of medical students; counseling of students regarding professional, personal, and financial issues; maintaining official documents and records on each student; providing medical student requested information to organizations for application and licensing purposes; preparation of the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) (Dean's Letter); completion of designated entries into the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) program; and to serve as a medical student advocate in all actions and activities within the College of Medicine.   The Office of Student Affairs is directed by the Executive Associate Dean for Student Affairs who is supported by two Assistant Deans, one for Admissions and Records, and one for Counseling and Communities.

Mission

The Office of Student Affairs (OSA) at the Florida International University College of Medicine strives to recruit, admit, educate, counsel, advise, and professionally transform a diverse group of students into culturally competent, empathic, and ethical physicians. The OSA works in concert with the academic mission of the College of Medicine by fostering medical students' intellectual, physical, emotional, spiritual, and social growth. We promote student-centered educational and leadership opportunities to enhance communication, critical thinking, ethical judgment, problem-solving, and professional skills. The OSA facilitates altruism, mentoring, volunteerism, and community service outreach while providing developmental programs and counseling services designed to promote optimal learning. In addition to academic support, the OSA will strive to enhance students' personal awareness and wellness while preparing them to become outstanding medical professionals who provide patient-centered health care that is responsive to the medical, social, and cultural needs of the community we serve.

Vision

The Office of Student Affairs at the College of Medicine will become the leader in promoting quality and professional support services and fostering innovative, state-of-the art, and culturally competent medical student learning from admission to graduation.

Values

• Integrity and honesty
• Human dignity, compassion, and respect for all without discrimination or harassment based on race, color, religion, age, disability, sex, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation and/or veteran status.
• Provision of culturally-competent and multidisciplinary services that complement the academic mission of the University
• Professionalism that respects the rights, abilities, beliefs, and confidentiality of students and patients
• Scholarship, wisdom, creativity, and innovation that foster best practices and "outside of the box" thinking
• Quality and continual improvement based on student feedback
• Responsible, responsive, fair, honorable, and ethical decisions by students and faculty/staff
• Student-focused education
• Advocacy for disease prevention
• Lifelong learning and the scholarly advancement of the honorable profession of medicine

Organization & Activities

The Office of Student Affairs (OSA) provides programs and services for all medical students at FIU from the time of recruitment to the time of commencement, and beyond. Activities of the OSA which include: recruitment of students; the admissions process; mentorship of students; personal, academic, and financial counseling; medical student communities providing educational and extracurricular activities, organizations, and student leadership opportunities. The Office of Student Affairs features experienced faculty and staff who are dedicated to the overall well-being of medical students. The OSA provides learning opportunities outside of the formal classroom and clinical settings that are designed to complement and enhance the overall educational experience.

Hours: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday except on university holidays.

On-call: The three Deans in the OSA are also available on a rotational basis for urgent student issues or situations at times when the Office is normally closed. Most activities in the Office of Student Affairs function in an "open-door" manner so the students may visit the office for help and support by the faculty and staff without making appointments. Because the OSA is committed to medical student support and exercises confidentiality, it is strongly recommended that students make appointments in advance to ensure the availability of the specific professional and to generate availability of time to discuss the issue to the student's satisfaction.

Professional Staff

Executive Associate Dean for Student Affairs:
Responsible for student enrollment, including recruitment, admissions, and records, as well as the areas of student support encompassing orientation, personal counseling, financial counseling, academic counseling, student code of conduct, the Honor Code, as well as the student learning communities.

Assistant Dean for Student Affairs: Admissions and Records
Responsible for the direction and oversight of medical student enrollment including recruitment, the application process, interviews, admissions, and the student records system. Participates in student activities, support services, counseling and mentoring of medical students.

• Director of Admissions and Records
  Responsible for the direction and management of the College of Medicine's recruitment, interview and admissions process and of the medical student record system. Serves as the Registrar for the College of Medicine, responsible for maintenance of grades, transcripts as well as records and statistics related to applicants and matriculants.
• Associate Director of Admissions and Records
  Responsible for collaborating with the Director of Admissions and Records to coordinate the medical student recruitment, interview, and admissions process and the medical student record system. Assists in the maintenance of all records and statistics related to applicants and matriculants.

Assistant Dean for Student Affairs: Counseling and Communities
Responsible for various student support services, including personal and psychological counseling, tutoring, financial aid, career counseling, preparation for residency, as well as opportunities for medical student fellowship programs sponsored by different medical institutions. The Assistant Dean also provides oversight of the student learning communities and medical student organizations, which offer students a variety of extracurricular opportunities to enhance educational, leadership, professional, altruistic, spiritual, and social experiences both at the university and in the community.

• Director of Counseling and Wellness
  Responsible for providing confidential psychological evaluations and consultations for students in individual and group sessions; provides psycho-educational and wellness programs on a variety of mental health topics, including stress management, time management, depression, personality profiles, identifying cognitive strengths, anger management, relationships, maintaining academic and social balance; study skills, test-taking skills, enhancing self-esteem, leadership, and seminars alerting the COM community to the early-warning signs, recognition and follow-up of disruptive or troubled students; provides neuropsychological evaluations designed to enhance academic performance and retention.
• Director of Financial Aid
  Responsible for the administration and coordination of all financial aid programs, including financial aid and debt management counseling and student assistance in obtaining various financial aid resources.
• Faculty Director of a Panther Community
  Responsible for the supervision of the service learning, educational, social, and cultural activities for one of the four learning communities; serves as the liaison between students and the various academic and support services available at the COM, the University, and outside organizations.

For further information e-mail: med.admissions@fiu.edu

Upcoming Informational Sessions: FIU College of Medicine

September 24, 2009 - FIU Informational Forum (University Park - GC Ballrooms) 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.