GSA Student Financial Assistance

The GSA student financial assistance community is open to faculty and professional staff working in student financial assistance at AAMC member medical schools. The work of the medical school financial assistance community is led by the Committee on Student Financial Assistance (COSFA).

Access resources on student financial assistance

The GSA Committee on Student Financial Assistance (COSFA) consists of financial aid professionals at AAMC member medical schools and offers guidance on regulatory issues related to financial aid.

COSFA Committee Charge

The mission of COSFA is to provide guidance on legislative and regulatory issues regarding type, availability, and delivery of financial assistance to medical students. COSFA achieves its mission through:

Receipt of regular reports from the Association staff on the status of specific financial aid legislation and national Association data describing the distribution of financial aid to medical students.
Consideration of educational and support programs and activities to assist schools in counseling medical students regarding the financing of their medical education and the repayment of student loans.
Assist with the development of topics for AAMC/GSA conferences and learning opportunities, including webinars.
Identification of special projects related to issues of national importance and interest.
Participation in GSA Professional Development Conferences and other AAMC/GSA learning opportunities.

Casey Wiley, MEd
Manager of Financial Aid
University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville

I am humbled and honored to have be appointed to serve the dedicated and caring medical school financial aid community and the AAMC as Chair of the Committee on Student Financial Assistance (COSFA) for the 2024-2027 season. As one of five national committees of the Group on Student Affairs, COSFA serves in an advisory capacity to the GSA Steering Committee and the AAMC. Our committee has 9 members; the COSFA Chair, representatives from each of the four AAMC regions and the Student Opportunity, Access, and Retention (SOAR) Committee, Liaisons from the Committees on Student Records (COSR) and Organization of Student Representatives (OSR), as well as the GSA National Chair.

As a committee, COSFA has been charged to provide guidance to all of our members on legislative and regulatory issues regarding the type, availability, and delivery of financial assistance to medical students, and we endeavor to achieve this through:

Collaboration: Reviewing the regular and robust reports of the AAMC staff, particularly the FIRST team and other GSA committees as they strive to keep us abreast of relevant legislative and regulatory changes. Participating in and presenting at GSA and Professional Development Conferences and other learning opportunities.
Innovation: Developing new programming and topics for the AAMC/GSA Conferences, webinars, and other learning opportunities. Identifying issues of national importance and developing special projects to address them.

As we move into our next chapter, the COSFA committee would like to express our deepest thanks and appreciation to our outgoing members: Cynthia Gonzalez (COSFA Chair), Marcy Verduin, MD (GSA National Chair), John Stiles, MEd (Central Region Representative), Michael Sabara, MEd (Northeast Region Representative), and Jessica Le Duc, MS (Western Region Representative). Each of you has done a yeoman’s work to bring us to where we are today. We would also like to welcome our new members, Sam Bahena (Central Region Representative), Justin Sandoval (Western Region Representative), Michael Sabara (Northeast Region Representative), and Joel Mauer, MD (GSA National Chair).

Your COSFA Committee looks forward to continuing the work of the prior COSFA chairs and representatives. We encourage you to join us by participating in our community calls, attending your regional meetings, and engaging in the national professional development conference. Your feedback and involvement are crucial to our success. After all, our goal is to serve you, our colleagues in the medical school financial aid community.

COSFA Committee Roster

Chair

Casey Wiley, MEd
Manager of Financial Aid
University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville

GSA National Chair

Tara Cunningham, EdD, MS
Associate Dean for Student Life
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

Central Region (CGSA) Representative

Samuel Bahena
Director of Student Financial Aid and Debt Management
University of Illinois Chicago College of Medicine

Northeast Region (NEGSA) Representative

Lydia Cowher, MPS
Manager of Student Financial Aid
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine

Southern Region (SGSA) Representative

Doug Stupec, MPA, FAAC
Associate Director, Medical Student Financial Aid and Student Records
Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University

Western Region (WGSA) Representative

Anna Cosio, MBA
Executive Director of Financial Aid
California University of Science and Medicine

Student Opportunity, Access, and Retention (SOAR) Committee Liaison

Brianne Camacho, MS
Director of Financial Aid and Financial Wellness Advising
University of Wisconsin- Madison School of Medicine and Public Health

COSFA-Appointed Liaison to the Committee on Student Records (COSR)

Chasity Hawkins, MEd, MBA
Associate Director, Financial Planning & Registrar Services
University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine

COSR-Appointed Liaison to the Committee on Student Financial Assistance (COSFA)

Christina Grabowski, PhD
Associate Dean for Admissions and Enrollment Management
University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine

AAMC Staff Liaison

Irena Tartakovsky, MD, MS
Director, Constituent Engagement

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