GSA Committee on Student Financial Assistance (COSFA)

The GSA National Committee on Student Financial Assistance (COSFA) provides guidance on legislative and regulatory issues regarding the types, availability, and delivery of financial assistance, both loan and scholarship, to medical students.

• Committee Charge
• Message from the Chair
• Member Resources
• Financial Aid Officer Calendar
• COSFA Committee Roster

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. 

Message from the Chair

On behalf of my fellow COSFA members, we are looking forward to another productive and exciting year for our financial aid community.

First, some introductions:

Please join me in welcoming to our new committee members: Dr. Donna Jackson (COSDA Liaison), Casey Wiley (Southern Regional rep), Kris Slaney (COSFA/COSR Liaison) and Marissa Miles (COSFA/COSR Liaison). We are all looking forward to working with you.

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

• Reviewing reports from AAMC staff on the status of specific financial aid legislation and national AAMC data describing the distribution of financial aid to medical students.
• Assessing educational and support programs and activities in order to assist schools in counseling students about financing their medical education and the repayment of student loans.
• Collaborating with the AAMC’s FIRST (Financial Information, Resources, Services, and Tools) program.
• Identifying special projects related to issues of national importance and interest.
• Participating in Professional Development Conferences.

This year, we will focus on:

• Advocating around matters that affect medical schools and students, such as PSLF and GRAD Plus.
• Providing improved professional development opportunities for our members that will result in credits towards nationally recognized certifications.
• Collaborating with other student affairs committees to tackle recurring issues in our communities, such as SAP, Standard Term definitions, etc.
• Providing tools for our New and seasoned graduates to navigate the PSLF and TEPSLF process.

Our community is defined by its engaged, exciting, diverse, and thoughtful members, and I genuinely value input from each of you. I welcome your ideas and suggestions about how we can best achieve our goals and advance our efforts. I'd also be interested in hearing about your personal or professional endeavors, accomplishments, service efforts, or life events you would like to share with the COSFA community.

Thank you, and here's to another great year!

Damien Jackson MEd
Asst. Dean, Office of Student Finance
Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Member Resources

(Sign In Required for Access to Some Resources)

• GSA Listserv
• Financial Aid Resource for Student Diversity Officers (PPT)
• Matriculating Student Resources for Financial Aid Officers
• Graduating Student Resources for Financial Aid Officers
• Financial Aid Resources

Financial Aid Officer Calendar

The “Financial Aid Officer Calendar (Excel)" outlines key financial aid officer activities and responsibilities throughout the year. Developed by the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Committee on Student Financial Assistance (COSFA), the reference calendar is not intended to serve as an exhaustive list of financial aid officer duties, as priorities and tasks can vary. Please utilize this online format to add your own key dates and deadlines.

COSFA Committee Roster

AAMC Staff Liason
Irena Tartakovsky, MD, MS
Director, Constituent Engagement
Association of American Medical Colleges