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.

Jean Cook, PhD
Associate Dean for Graduate Education
jean_cook@med.unc.edu | 919-843-3687As Associate Dean for Graduate Education, Dr. Cook leads the Office of Graduate Education (OGE) and its constituent programs. She advocates for the interests of graduate researchers and their faculty … Continued

Donita Robinson, PhD
Assistant Dean for Graduate Education
donita_robinson@med.unc.edu | 919-966-5679As Assistant 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 … Continued

Rob Nicholas, PhD
Associate Director for Graduate Education
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 … Continued

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 … Continued

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 … Continued

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. … Continued

Porchia Gerald
Director of Finance, Office of Graduate Education
porchiag@email.unc.edu | 919-843-8291Porchia serves as the Director of Finance for the Office of Graduate Education (OGE). In this role Porchia manages NIH, NSF, and other grants that support OGE programming. She also handles all day to … Continued

Joshua Hall, PhD
Director of BBSP Admissions; Director of UNC PREP
jdhall@unc.edu | 919-843-7882Dr. Hall directs admissions for Biological & Biomedical Science Program (BBSP), the umbrella application and first year training program for 14 biomedical PhD programs. He is responsible for the a … Continued

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 … Continued

David 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 … Continued

Debra Ragland, PhD
Director of SOLAR; Assistant Director of Diversity Affairs & IMSD
debra_ragland@med.unc.edu | 919-843-1570Dr. Ragland is the Assistant Director of the NIH funded IMSD program. In this role, she works to promote the development and success of biomedical Ph.D. students from diverse backgrounds. Dr. Ragland … Continued

Allison (Alli) Schad, LCSWA, LCASA
Student Wellness Coach
allison_schad@med.unc.edu | 919-843-4171Allis is a licensed social worker and provides one-on-one counseling to PhD students at the School of Medicine. To schedule an appointment with Alli click here. Alli also monitors the wellness of bio … Continued

Amanda Hall, MSW, LCSW, LCASA
Student Wellness Coach
amahall@email.unc.edu |Amanda Hall is a Student Wellness Counselor for students in the biomedical sciences. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist-Associate, and received her … Continued

Jeff Steinbach
Assistant Director of BBSP Admissions; Program Coordinator, UNC PREP
jsteinba@email.unc.edu | 919-843-7129Jeff is the Assistant Director of Admissions for the Biological & Biomedical Sciences Program. Jeff is responsible for the BBSP application, communicating with prospective applicants, supporting a … Continued

Tina Craven
Student Services Manager
tjcraven@med.unc.edu | 919-843-9617Tina is responsible for enrollment, tuition and fee payments, course management, and providing additional assistance to first year BBSP students. Tina also supports BBSP admissions by serving as the a … Continued

Susan Chen
Administrative Assistant
chens@unc.edu | 919-962-4982Susan is the primary point of contact for visitors to the OGE Additionally she supports the day to day operations of our office, maintains department websites, and assists with OGE events.

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 … Continued

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 … Continued