About
THE PREMED
You're premed. You have doubts about if medicine is right for you.
You are STRESSED OUT about the MCAT.
You have no idea where to start.
You're worried about your grades, whether they are good enough.
You don't know how to get shadowing experience.
You are tired of visiting that other site that has millions of forum posts, most of which are anonymous users “yelling” at other posters for “dumb” questions.
NO TIME
As a premed student, your time is precious. You don´t have time to search the internet for every last drop of medical school knowledge.
There is a TON of information online. Unfortunately it's not well organized. One of the most viewed resources is studentdoctor.net. It has over 5 million (YES – MILLION) posts in the pre-medical forums only. More than 250,000 individual topics! That´s an average of almost 20 posts per topic! Do you have the time to search that? Are the answers even relevant or accurate, or are they some jab for posting without searching first?
WHAT IS MEDICAL SCHOOL HEADQUARTERS?
MedicalSchoolHQ.net takes the RELEVANT premed topics and creates a one-stop shop for you to quickly get the information you need. Follow our current, constantly updating “Premed 101” page for an easy step-by-step guide to your premed years. We are constantly looking for new ideas that will help YOU. Please let us know what you need to succeed and we will provide it.
MedicalSchoolHQ.net is the work of physicians. This site is here to help guide medical school applicants through the admissions process. We remember how the MCAT and the AMCAS were (and still are) very intimidating and overwhelming for anybody wanting to apply to medical school. Let MedicalSchoolHQ.net be your hub of information to simplify the process.
OUR PODCASTS
ABOUT DR. GRAY
Ryan Gray, MD
Dr. Ryan Gray is the co-founder and CEO of Mappd. Mappd is a free pre-health tracking software that supports premed and pre-PA students on their journey to becoming healthcare professionals by demystifying and democratizing the pre-health process. He is also the publisher of Medical School Headquarters and the Meded Media network and the author of The Premed Playbook series of guidebooks. You can hear him weekly on several podcasts, including The Premed Years, OldPreMeds Podcast, and The MCAT Podcast.
Prior to his current mission, Ryan was a Flight Surgeon in the United States Air Force. Ryan graduated from the University of Florida (GO GATORS!) with a BS in Exercise and Sports Sciences and received his MD from New York Medical College. After graduating from medical school, Ryan completed his internship through a Tufts Medical Center transitional medicine program at Lemuel Shattuck Hospital.
ABOUT DR. CHRISTINE CRIPEN
Christine Crispen, EdD
Dr. Christine Crispen has worked in medical education for over 12 years. She has worked in both admissions and curriculum and has a solid understanding of the admissions process as well as an overview of what medical education looks like.
As the former Director of Admissions at UC Irvine and Admissions Committee member at Keck Medicine of USC, she has reviewed thousands of applications for interview selection, interviewed candidates, and voted for admission.
Christine has also worked extensively with post-baccalaureate students who need more academic support and remediation before they are ready to apply (or reapply) to medical school and has successfully helped many students gain acceptance after a well-structured plan.
Christine has helped create a pre-med support program for first-generation, low-income students who also need support on their plans for medical school and is a pre-health advisor. Currently, Christine is building a new pre-health professions program at Chapman University, where she is also an alumnus. She thinks students who engage in early advising are most successful if they follow the advising and planning. Christine has her doctorate in education, where her research focused on underrepresented medical students and the barriers faced gaining admission and throughout medical school. On a personal note, Christine is married, has a son who loves airplanes, Pokemon, Mickey Mouse, and drawing.
You can catch Christine on an early episode of The Premed Years podcast talking about reapplying to medical school here: premedyears.com/171
ABOUT DEANA GOLINI
Deana Golini
Meet Deana, (pronounced Dee-na), one of our medical school admission advisors. Deana brings extensive insight into medical school admissions from her time at Stanford University School of Medicine as a Senior MD Admissions Officer. She actively evaluated applications, facilitated interview days, and played a key role in the MD Admissions Committee. Prior to Stanford, at Brown University's Warren Alpert Medical School, she guided non-traditional and underrepresented MD and DO applicants within a Special Master's Program integrated with the medical school.
As an alumna of Boston University and Providence College, her academic career began as a high school teacher and college counselor. Deana actively contributed to Brown University's Inaugural Undergraduate Admissions Counselor Advisory Board and held dual roles at Northeastern University, contributing as a seasonal reader within the undergraduate admissions department and as a committee letter writer for the pre-health advising programs.
In 2022, Deana co-authored a publication focusing on the paths of pre-health high school students showing her dedication to student advocacy and mentorship across both medical school and undergraduate admissions.
Education:
- B.S Communication, Boston University
- M.Ed, Counseling and Education Administration, Providence College
- Master of Art Education, University of Massachusetts
Positions Held:
Hobbies:
- Spending time at the beach
- Baking
- Art
- Reading
- Is a huge dog lover!
ABOUT COURTNEY LEWIS
Courtney Lewis
Courtney Lewis has worked in medical school admissions for more than 5 years, with the last 3 years serving as the Director of Admissions at the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine (BCOM). During her time at BCOM, Courtney was selected to be a member of the national AACOMAS Advisory Committee to help promote admissions best practices for all osteopathic medical schools. She also served in two elected positions for the AACOM Admissions Officer Council, one as the Vice Chair-Elect. Listen to her share a behind-the-scenes look into an osteopathic medical school admissions office in The Premed Years Podcast Episode 494!
As an advisor, Courtney advocates for transparency and accessibility for students in medical school admissions requirements. During her time at BCOM, minority matriculation grew to over 20% of each cohort. She leans on her own experience growing up in underrepresented, underserved, low-income areas, the oldest of 8 children, some of whom identify as special needs. Because Courtney had to navigate her own educational journey without guidance and advice, she recognizes the complex and sometimes complicated nature of educational systems and is passionate about providing students with information on how to navigate the system in a way that works for them.
Courtney enjoys working with students who come prepared to sessions excited to learn. She finds it especially rewarding when students take what they learn from their appointments and implement these lessons into their own path. While Courtney enjoys advising any student, her background and experiences lend well to supporting students that identify as nontraditional career changers, to students who express interest in highly competitive programs.
When not advising, Courtney spends time taking motorcycle trips, fishing, attending small venue indie rock shows, gaming, and hiking with her sweet Chihuahua, Lola.
ABOUT DR. JAMES SCOTT WRIGHT
James Scott Wright, EdD
Dr. Scott Wright has worked in medical education for almost 30 years. He served as Director of Admissions at UT Southwestern Medical School, as Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education, and as Director of the Health Professions Advising Center for the University of Texas at Dallas. He also served as executive director of the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service and editor-in-chief of APPLY Magazine. Listen to his Q&A session surrounding his work as a director of admissions and director of TMDSAS on The Premed Years Podcast Episode 431.
As an advisor, Dr. Wright enjoys working with students who are engaged, motivated, and excited about their path toward medical school. He believes that education has the ability to ignite a passion within students that can be carried across their lifetime to support others. Students appreciate Dr. Wright’s thoughtful approach to listening and hearing their stories in a way that they can translate into their application. While Dr. Wright has much to offer any student, he particularly enjoys working with students that identify as nontraditional, LGBTQ+, and those interested in thinking about larger global contexts of health and medicine.
Dr. Wright has a very broad educational background that weaves across disciplinary boundaries. He has an undergraduate and master's degree in history and a doctorate in Education (Ed.D.). Dr. Wright is very interested in using his educational training to think deeply about how the humanities can support science and medicine. Because he is passionate about education and identifies as a life-long learner, Dr. Wright has returned to school and is currently pursuing additional education to become a hospital chaplain. His interest in chaplaincy comes from a place of wanting to address the needs of marginalized communities within modern society.
Outside of advising students, Dr. Wright enjoys learning music, spending time with family (especially his twin granddaughters) and friends, and his adorable 12-year-old Pomeranian, Wilkie.
Listen to Dr. Wright on The Premed Years Podcast:
ABOUT CARLOS TAPIA
Carlos Tapia
Carlos is a dynamic leader with a passion for enhancing the student experience. With a diverse background in medical school admissions, recruitment, advising, and student engagement that spans 12 years, he has demonstrated a commitment to fostering inclusive environments where all students can thrive.
As the former Director of Student Affairs and Engagement at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, he spearheaded initiatives to enhance student well-being, career advising, and the professional development of students. Prior to Icahn Mount Sinai, he was the inaugural Director for Admissions and enrollment services at the Anne Burnett School of Medicine at TCU where he built a robust and innovative admissions program that led to successful recruitment of its inaugural class. His leadership was pivotal in aligning the admissions process to support the school’s culture of inclusivity and its commitment to a comprehensive and holistic admissions approach that went beyond focusing on academic metrics.
With a master's degree in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University, Carlos brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his work. He is driven by a personal philosophy of creating opportunities for the personal and professional growth of every student.
