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 Colleges Application Service (AMCAS) and the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).
Committee Charge
The Committee discusses issues of national interest that are brought to its attention by GSA constituents or AAMC staff. The Committee 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 approval of the Steering Committee for special projects.
Message from the Chair
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 6 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 pre-health 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 pre-health 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 pre-health advisors. We want to better understand challenges and ideas you have. We look forward to continuing to serve you!
Sincerely,
Leila Harrison (née Diaz), PhD, MA, MEd
National Chair, GSA Committee on Admissions
Vice Dean for Admissions, Student Affairs, and Alumni Engagement
Assistant Professor
Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine
Member Resources
Handbook for Admissions Officer
The Handbook for Admissions Officers updated by the Committee on Admissions in 2015 compiles key information, examples of best office practices, and general wisdom based on decades of experience. This handbook is included within the GSA Member Handbook in order to reflect the important relationship between admissions and student affairs. In an effort to go green, this handbook is not available in print. However, you may download the entire handbook (PDF).
Resources
(Sign In Required for Some Resources)
The AAMC offers members access to a wide range of resources. Please select the sign in link located at the top of this page to access member-only resources and all their features:
- Social Justice and Advocacy in Admissions Sample Secondary and Interview Questions (PDF)
- AAMC Covid-19 Response Dashboard: Admissions (PDF) (Sign-in Required)
- AAMC Ongoing Impacts of Covid-19 Medical School Admissions survey (Winter 2022) (Sign-in Required)
- COA Statement for 2022 Medical School Applicants (PDF)
- Best Practices in Admissions Processes for LCME Accredited Medical Schools (PDF) (Sign-in Required)
- Admissions Resources
- Application and Acceptance Protocols - Admission Officers
- Application and Acceptance Protocols - Applicants
- Best Practices for Recruitment and Retention of a Diverse Student Body Webinar
- Clinical Experiences Survey Executive Summary (PDF)
- Effective Practices for Using Socioeconomic Status Indicators in Medical School Admissions (PDF)
- Guidelines for Clinical Shadowing Experiences for Pre-Medical Students (PDF)
- Guidelines for Pre-Medical and Medical Students Providing Patient Care (PDF)
- Postbaccalaureate Premedical Programs
- Using your Secondary Application to Assess the Impact of COVID on 2021 Applicants (PDF) (Sign-in Required)
Associations
- American Medical Association (AMA)
- National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP)
COA Committee Roster
Chair
Leila E Harrison, PhD, MEd, MA (November 2023- November 2026)
Vice Dean for Admissions, Student Affairs, and Alumni Engagement
Clinical Assistant Professor
Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine
GSA National Vice-Chair
Tara K Cunningham, EdD, MS (November 2023 – November 2024)
Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Committee on Student Diversity Affairs (COSDA) Representative
Dimple Patel, MS (November 2021 – November 2024)
Associate Dean for Admissions
University of Minnesota Medical School/Twin Cities Campus
Central Region (CGSA) Representative
Brian Steele, EdD (December 2022 – November 2026)
Associate Dean for Admissions; Assistant Professor, Family Medicine
University of Kansas School of Medicine
Northeast Region (NEGSA) Representative
Leila Amiri, PhD (November 2023- November 2026)
Assistant Professor; Department of Psychiatry
Associate Dean for Admissions
Larner College of Medicine
University of Vermont
Southern Region (SGSA) Representative
Wendy Jackson, MD (November 2023- November 2026)
Associate Dean for Admissions
Associate Professor of Obstetrics/Gynecology
University of Kentucky College of Medicine
Western Region (WGSA) Representative
Tejal Parikh, MD (April 2023 – November 2026)
Associate Dean, Admissions
Associate Professor, Family and Community Medicine
Director, Life Cycle Block
University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson
National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP) Liaison
Michael Deibel, PhD (June 2020 – June 2023)
Interim Dean of the Faculty
Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs
Professor of Chemistry
Earlham College
AAMC Staff Liaison
Irena Tartakovsky, MD, MS
Director, Constituent Engagement
Association of American Medical Colleges