The Med School Years

Carlos Tapia and Deana Golini are the dynamic duo beyond The Med School Years podcast.

As the former Director of Student Affairs and Engagement at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Carlos Tapia 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.

Meet Deana, (pronounced Dee-na)! 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, helped facilitate MD interview days, and played a key role on the MD Admissions Committee. Deana also serves as a BioSci Career Coach within Stanford Medicine’s BioSci Careers office, guiding MDs, PhDs and Post-Doc students with resume and interview preparation, along with guiding residency and fellowship application preparation. Prior to Stanford Medicine, at Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School, she advised non-traditional and underrepresented MD and DO applicants as Assistant Director of Advising, Student Support and Outreach for the Master of Medical Sciences Special Master’s Program integrated with the medical school. She was responsible for writing medical school committee letters for the graduate cohort, conducted mock interviews and sat on the program’s graduate admissions committee.

As an alumna of Boston University, the University of Massachusetts 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 Office of Undergraduate Admissions and as a committee letter writer for Northeastern’s PreMed and PreHealth Advising program.

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. She is also one of the co-hosts for our Med School Years Podcast!