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    GSA Committee on Admissions (COA)

    The GSA Admissions community is open to faculty and professional staff working in admissions at AAMC member medical schools. The work of the medical school admissions community is led by the Committee on Admissions (COA).

    Access Admissions Resources

    The GSA National Committee on Admissions (COA) provides guidance on national policy and procedural issues regarding the admission of students to medical school and the admission of transfer students or candidates with advanced standing. The committee receives regular reports regarding two services of the AAMC: the American Medical College Application Service® (AMCAS®) and the Medical College Admission Test® (MCAT®).

    COA Committee Charge

    The committee discusses issues of national interest that are brought to its attention by GSA constituents or AAMC staff. The COA may identify projects, such as a national survey or the development of a brochure, where an issue is of national importance and interest. The committee is advisory to the GSA Steering Committee, and, as such, makes regular reports to the steering committee and seeks its approval for special projects.

    Message from the Chair

    Leila Harrison (née Diaz), PhD, MA, MEd
    National Chair, GSA Committee on Admissions
    Vice Dean for Admissions, Student Affairs, and Alumni Engagement
    Clinical Assistant Professor
    Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine

    I am honored and humbled to serve our medical school admissions community as the AAMC chair of the Committee on Admissions (COA). I previously served as a regional representative on COA for the Western and Southern regions for six years total. I have been involved in medical school admissions my entire career, since 2002 across three public medical schools in two states and in an admissions leadership role of director and above since 2008. Finally, I am a first-generation Latina from Las Cruces, New Mexico. Throughout my career, advocacy for breaking down barriers for all aspiring doctors has been of great importance to me. 

    COA is one of five national committees of the AAMC Group on Student Affairs (GSA); together, we engage in an advisory capacity to the GSA Steering Committee and other applicable AAMC committees and working groups. COA is comprised of the COA chair, four regional representatives, the Committee on Student Diversity Affairs (COSDA) representative, an appointed representative from the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP), an Organization of Student Representative (OSR) liaison, and the GSA national vice chair.

    We are facing new challenges and find ourselves in unprecedented times within admissions. The June 2023 SCOTUS decision related to the consideration of race/ethnicity in admissions has required agility to shift processes, procedures, and policies in our institutions. It has also had an impact on applicants (current and prospective) and the prehealth advising community as they determine how to best share the rich lived experiences medicine needs. Our admissions community swiftly adjusted to the COVID-19 pandemic and remained resilient. We are a strong, highly collaborative, and supportive community. We hope to continue on this path, building stronger bridges with our prehealth community to best serve applicants now and in the future. 

    We welcome our constituents to reach out when there is something you want us to discuss that is impacting or will impact the admissions community, applicants, and prehealth advisors. We want to better understand challenges and ideas you have. We look forward to continuing to serve you!  

    COA Committee Roster

    Chair

    Leila E. Harrison, PhD, MEd, MA
    Vice Dean for Admissions, Student Affairs, and Alumni Engagement
    Clinical Assistant Professor
    Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine
    November 2023–November 2026

    GSA National Vice-Chair

    Alex Grieco, MD
    Associate Dean for Student Life, Special Assistant to the Vice Dean for Education, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Education and Anatomy, Assistant Professor of Radiology
    Ohio State University College of Medicine
    November 2024–November 2025

    Central Region (CGSA) Representative

    Christian Essman
    Senior Director of Admissions & Financial Aid
    Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
    November 2024–November 2027

    Northeast Region (NEGSA) Representative

    Leila Amiri, PhD
    Associate Dean for Admissions
    Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry
    Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont
    November 2023–November 2026

    Southern Region (SGSA) Representative

    Wendy Jackson, MD
    Associate Dean for Admissions
    Associate Professor of Obstetrics/Gynecology
    University of Kentucky College of Medicine
    November 2023–November 2026

    Western Region (WGSA) Representative

    Tejal Parikh, MD
    Associate Dean, Admissions
    Associate Professor, Family and Community Medicine
    University of Arizona College of Medicine–Tucson
    April 2023–November 2026

    Committee on Student Diversity Affairs (COSDA) Liaison

    Robin Clay, MEd
    Associate Directors of Admissions
    Charles R. Drew University Medicine and Science College of Medicine
    November 2024–November 2027

    National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP) Liaison

    Rhona Beaton
    Immediate Past President, NAAHP
    Assistant Director of Health Professions
    Union College
    August 2024–August 2026

    AAMC Staff Liaison

    Irena Tartakovsky, MD, MS
    Director, Constituent Engagement
    AAMC