The GSA National Committee on Student Diversity Affairs, formerly the Committee on Diversity Affairs (CODA), provides guidance on medical student diversity on a local, regional, and national basis, with respect to student recruitment, admissions, enrollment, retention, and graduation.
- Committee Charge
- Message from the Chair
- Member Resources
- AAMC Resources
- Related Organizations
- COSDA Committee Roster
Committee Charge
The strategic priorities of COSDA are defined under two overarching themes – increasing diversity in the physician workforce and professional development of its constituency. In order to meet the strategic priorities, COSDA advances the full cycle of student engagement and educational support spanning the K-12 through medical school educational continuum in order to increase diversity in the physician workforce. COSDA constituents provide programming and services to engage and support diverse learners in the K-12 pipeline, pre-medical and post- baccalaureate programs, and medical school. They are involved in outreach, recruitment, admissions, retention, support and graduation of diverse students in medicine. The committee is advisory to the GSA Steering Committee, it makes regular reports to the GSA Steering Committee and seeks approval of the GSA Steering Committee for special projects.
Message from the Chair
On behalf of the committee, it is my pleasure to take this opportunity to welcome all to the Group on Student Affairs - Committee on Student Diversity Affairs (GSA-COSDA). I look forward to working with all of our Student Diversity Affairs representatives, and others, as we come together on a local, regional and national level, to advance a holistic approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion so that all of our medical students successfully thrive across the undergraduate medical education continuum.
COSDA is one of the five national committees of the GSA. COSDA regularly comes together to discuss issues, contribute to, and provide guidance on medical student diversity on a local, regional, and national basis, with respect to student recruitment, admissions, enrollment, retention, and graduation.
COSDA serves as the representative body of the larger constituency of Student Diversity Affairs representatives at the AAMC member medical schools. In that regard, COSDA represents the institutional, individual and affiliate representatives, and/or other faculty and staff, who have responsibility for medical student diversity efforts.
We wish to take this opportunity to thank the several members who have recently completed their terms on the COSDA National Committee with a special thanks to Dr. Gerald Yutrzenka, PhD who has provided important leadership, perspective and insight during the past three years as National Chair of GSA-COSDA.
We also acknowledge the outstanding leadership and continued support provided to the committee by Dr. Geoffrey Young PhD, AAMC Senior Director for Student Affairs and Programs and his entire team.
GSA-COSDA continues to move forward in expanding our collaborative efforts with the various GSA Committees, the Group on Diversity and Inclusion (GDI) and other AAMC constituent groups to ensure that the diversity affairs expertise and voice is strongly represented in advancing and advocating for diversity in medical education.
In closing, we welcome your interest in the efforts of COSDA and the Student Diversity Affairs community in working towards advancing a holistic medical education experience for our increasingly diverse medical student body. Please feel free to contact COSDA if you have ideas, proposals or comments that might be of interest to the GSA-COSDA leadership and membership.
Best,
Ann-Gel S. Palermo, DrPH, MPH [she/her/hers]
Senior Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Associate Professor, Medical Education & Pediatrics
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer in Education and Research
Office for Diversity and Inclusion
Mount Sinai Health System
Member Resources
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AAMC Resources
Related Organizations
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National Institutes of Health Undergraduate Scholarship Program (NIH-UGSP)
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The Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)
COSDA Committee Roster
Chair
Donna H. Jackson, EdD (November 2022 - November 2025)
Assistant Dean for Admissions
Director, Student Outreach Programs
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Committee on Admissions (COA) Representative
Dimple Patel, MS (November 2021- November 2024)
Associate Dean for Admissions
University of Minnesota Medical School/Twin Cities Campus
Committee on Student Affairs (COSA) Representative
Kristin Powell Reavis, MD, MBS (November 2022 - November 2025)
Assistant Professor of Family Medicine
Assistant Dean for Student Diversity and Inclusion
Residency Program Director
Director of Maternal Child Health
Department of Family and Community Medicine
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Representative to Committee on Student Financial Assistance (COSFA)
Ranna Nash, PhD (November 2022 - November 2025)
Assistant Professor of Clinical Medical Education
Director, Academic Support Program
Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California
Representative to Committee on Student Records (COSR)
William Turner, MD, FACP (November 2021- November 2024)
Associate Professor of Medicine
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Central Region (CGSA) Representative
Robin Clay, MEd (May 2022- May 2025)
Manager, Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives
University of Missouri Columbia School of Medicine
Northeastern Region (NEGSA) Representative
Maria Garcia, MD, MPH (November 2021- November 2024)
Professor in Medicine
Assistant Vice Provost for Student Success & Diversity
University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Southern Region (SGSA) Representative
Shelvy L. Campbell, PhD (November 2020 – November 2023)
Associate Dean and Director for Diversity & Inclusion
Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Western Region (WGSA) Representative
David Garcia, MEd (November 2021- November 2024)
Assistant Dean for Diversity, Health Justice, and Belonging
Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine Washington State University
Association of American Indian Physicians (AAIP) Liaison
Hispanic-Serving Health Professions Schools (HSHPS) Liaison
Maureen Lichtveld, MD, MPH (August 2022 - August 2024)
Dean, Graduate School of Public Health
Jonas Salk Professor of Population Health
Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health
University of Pittsburgh
National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP) Liaison
Zuri Obado, MA (September 2021- November 2023)
Interim Program Director
Johns Hopkins University
Representative on the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Advisory Committee for Medical School Programs
Organization of Student Representatives (OSR) Liaison
Megan Sharpe (January 2022- December 2022)
MD Candidate
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine