Contacts
Contacts in the Office of Graduate Education
The BBSP program is part of the larger Office of Graduate Education (OGE) which is home to a number of graduate education related programs. Here you will find contact information and roles for OGE staff. We are here to help, so please reach out any time. Not sure who to contact? Click here.

Ashalla Freeman, PhD
Director of Diversity Affairs; Director of IMSD
ashalla@unc.edu | 919-843-9597Dr. Freeman directs the diversity recruitment and admissions efforts for UNC’s Biological & Biomedical Sciences Program (BBSP). Dr. Freeman also serves as director of the NIH funded IMSD program. … Read more

Beka Layton, PhD
Director, Professional Development Programs
rlayton@med.unc.edu | 919-843-8439Dr. Layton is the Director of Professional Development Programs. In this role she is responsible for career awareness and career development programming for biomedical PhD students. Dr. Layton also me … Read more

Christiann Gaines, PhD
Assistant Director for Doctoral Diversity and Success in Graduate Education
christiann_gaines@med.unc.edu | 919-843-7129The Assistant Director for Doctoral Diversity and Success in the UNC Office of Graduate Education has a shared leadership role in the NIH-funded UNC Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD … Read more

Dave McDonald, PhD
Director of BBSP
david.mcdonald@unc.edu | 919-843-3387Dave directs the BBSP first year training program. In this role Dave oversees the First Year Group course, the BBSP rotation schedule, the BBSP academic calendar, and other aspects relevant to first y … Read more

Dena Perry
OGE Program Administrator
dena_perry@med.unc.edu | 919-843-9910Dena is responsible for administrative support for all OGE sponsored programs. In this role she handles reimbursements, pays vouchers, processes travel, and provides other support as needed. Dena also … Read more

Donita Robinson, PhD
Associate Dean for Graduate Education
donita_robinson@med.unc.edu | 919-966-5679As Associate Dean, Dr. Robinson oversees the operations and mission of the OGE, which supports the development of future biomedical science leaders, promotes innovative recruitment and training, stimu … Read more

Jeff Steinbach
Director of BBSP Admissions
jsteinba@email.unc.edu | 919-843-7129Jeff is the Director of Admissions for the Biological & Biomedical Sciences Program. Jeff is responsible for the BBSP application, communicating with prospective applicants, supporting admissions … Read more

Kaitlin Blakemore, M.A.
Student Services Manager, BBSP; Program Coordinator, UNC PREP
blakek@email.unc.edu | 919-843-9617Kaitlin supports the BBSP first year training program and BBSP admissions and recruitment. Kaitlin is responsible for enrollment, tuition and fee payments, course management, and providing additional … Read more

LaKeya Hardy, PhD
Director of UNC PREP; Co-Director of SOLAR & Scientific Outreach
lchardy@email.unc.edu | 919-843-7882Dr. Hardy serves as the director of UNC PREP, an NIH funded one-year post-baccalaureate research program for students in groups historically underrepresented in the sciences. She also serves as the co … Read more

Lisa Tarantino, PhD
Faculty Director of BBSP
lisat@med.unc.edu | 919-843-7292As Faculty Director of BBSP, Dr. Tarantino oversees the curriculum of the First Year Group, the advising and professional development course of all BBSP students. She works closely with Dr. Dave McDon … Read more

Louisa Steffen
Business Officer, Office of Graduate Education
lsteffen@email.unc.edu | 919-843-5035The Business Officer for the Office of Graduate Education (OGE) manages NIH, NSF, and other grants that support OGE programming, and also handles all day to day business operations for the OGE includi … Read more

Melissa Graves
OGE Program Coordinator
megraves@email.unc.edu | 919-843-4142Melissa supports TIBBS, IMSD, PREP, SOLAR, and other programs housed in the OGE. She manages program events, meeting logistics, travel, and other needs. Melissa also coordinates events and faculty di … Read more

Morgan Church
Administrative Assistant
morgan_church@med.unc.edu | 919-962-4982Morgan Church is the primary point of contact for visitors to the OGE. Additionally, Morgan supports the day to day operations of our office, maintains department websites, and assists with OGE event … Read more

Patrick Brandt, PhD
Director of Career Development and Training; Director of Science Outreach
pdb@unc.edu | 919-843-9342Dr. Brandt leads Career Development initiatives for biomedical PhD students, including the ImPACT internship program for senior trainees, career advising, and alumni career placement tracking. Patrick … Read more

Rob Nicholas, PhD
Faculty Director of BBSP Admissions
robert_nicholas@med.unc.edu | 919-843-9342Dr. Nicholas works closely with the Associate Dean for Graduate Education to lead special projects pertaining to graduate training including Biostatistics, Ethics, and Rigor & Reproducibility cour … Read more

Scott Williams, PhD
Assistant Dean for Graduate Education
scott_williams@med.unc.edu |Dr. Williams works closely with the Associate Dean for Graduate Education to collaborate with the PhD programs affiliated with BBSP.

Stephanie Gupton, PhD
Faculty Director of Graduate and Training Programs
sgupton@email.unc.edu |Dr. Gupton works closely with the Associate Dean for Graduate Education to lead special projects pertaining to graduate training including Biostatistics, Ethics, and Rigor & Reproducibility course … Read more

Zoe Silverman, LCSW
Embedded Counselor
zoesilv@email.unc.edu |Zoe Silverman is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and a therapist within the embedded counseling program at UNC’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). In this role, she works exclusiv … Read more