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PRIME partners are valued members of the healthcare community who are committed to further our goal of connecting PRIME student members to resources on and off campus that provide support and opportunity.
Healthcare Professionals & Administrators
Healthcare Professionals & Administrators
Below you'll find all of the wonderful healthcare professionals and administrators who value the mission of P.R.I.M.E. and partner with us on events and workshops.
Are you a health care professional or administrator interested in supporting underrepresented pre-health students at VCU?
Timmerie Cohen
Timmerie Cohen
VCU Radiation Sciences
Timmerie, certified in radiography, radiation therapy and medical dosimetry, serves as the Clinical Coordinator for the Radiation Therapy Program at Virginia Commonwealth University. Additionally, she serves as Director of Clinical Education for the Department of Radiation Sciences. She has served on a number of University committees. She received her doctorate in Public Policy and Administration with a concentration in Health Policy in 2013.
Dr. Eric Freeman
Dr. Eric Freeman
Old Dominion Pediatrics
Dr. Eric Freeman was born and raised here in Richmond, VA. He has always desired to one day give back to the hometown who invested so much in him. Dr. Freeman received an Advanced Studies High School Diploma from Henrico High School in 1994. He then graduated Summa Cum Laude from The College of William and Mary in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology and minor concentration in Sociology. He was also honored to be elected in the spring 1998 class of the Alpha of Virginia Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa at William and Mary.
Dr. Sheryl Finucane
Dr. Sheryl Finucane
VCU Physical Therapy
Chair of the DPT Admissions Committee, Graduate Program Director, and co-director of the Rehabilitation and Movement Science PhD program. Primary interests in the effects of injury, disease, aging, and therapy on musculoskeletal tissues. Teaches courses on applied microscopic anatomy and geriatric physical therapy.
Member of the team leading a HRSA-funded Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program. Leading initiatives on reduction of fall risk and maintaining and improving mobility of older adults.
Taryn Hayes
Taryn Hayes
VCU Pharmacy
Taryn Hayes is a former VCU Ram and has spent most of her professional life working on the VCU Health Campus, diversifying applicants to the health sciences schools by increasing underrepresented minority student's access to academic and professional resources. Currently, Taryn serves as the Assistant Director of Recruitment and Pipeline Programs for VCU School of Pharmacy. In this role, she considers the impact of diversity and inclusion on student success and develops partnerships with other academic institutions to create a pipeline of competitive and diverse students into the Pharm.D. program. In her free time, she enjoys being a plant mom, spending time with her sassy grandmother, and exploring new trails with her pup, Autumn.
Dr. Donna Jackson
Dr. Donna Jackson
VCU School of Medicine
Assistant Dean & Director of Student Outreach Programs at VCU School of Medicine
Dr. Audrey Kane
Dr. Audrey Kane
VCU Occupational Therapy
Dr. Kane joined the faculty in the Department of Occupational Therapy in 2018, after teaching at Duquesne University and adjunct for a number of years at VCU. Dr. Kane's clinical background is pediatrics, working in most every setting, but more specialization in birth to the age of 3 years. Dr. Kane serves as Chair of Graduate Admissions for the department and has been working to refine the admissions process to be more holistic.
Michelle McGregor
Michelle McGregor
VCU Dental Hygiene
Michelle McGregor’s experience in the dental field includes dental assisting, dental hygiene, dental sales and dental education for the past thirty years. She has directed several didactic courses, received several teaching awards and in 2012 as she was appointed the Dental Hygiene Program Director at VCU. Michelle has participated in multiple leadership development programs and has been a member of ADEA since 2006. She has presented at the local, state and national level on behalf of dental hygiene, served as the Virginia Dental Hygiene Association President and in 2014 appointed as a Site Visitor with the Commission on Dental Accreditation.
Kaitlin Pierce
Kaitlin Pierce
VCU Medical Laboratory Science
Mrs. Pierce is a graduate of both the B.S. and M.S. in Medical Laboratory Sciences from VCU. As with many laboratory professionals, her path to the profession was winding, beginning with a degree in Biology from Alfred University. Currently, she is a PhD student in the MLS track of the PhD in Health Related Sciences in the College of Health Professions. Prior to accepting her current position in the MLS department, she spent time as a generalist at Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News, VA. She coordinates all student clinical experiences and teaches Principles of Education and Management.
Michael Smart
Michael Smart
VCU School of Nursing
My name is Michael Smart and I am the Academic Advisors/Student Program coordinator in the School of Nursing. As an academic advisor, I pride myself on helping students recognize and achieve their educational goals while also developing a plan for after they graduate from our program. I work closely with our Program Coordinator and Clinical Coordinators to ensure our students are prepared for clinicals and can learn to engage and serve the Richmond community.
Dr. Michelle Whitehurst-Cook
Dr. Michelle Whitehurst-Cook
VCU School of Medicine
Dr. Whitehurst-Cook is a family physician in active practice at VCU Health for 27 years. She graduated from the college of William and Mary and VCU SOM for both medical school and residency and practiced rural medicine before returning to her medical school alma mata to teach. Her major interest is in caring for under served rural and inner city populations in Virginia and enjoys serving as a preceptor for premeds and medical students at Caritas Richmond Clinics, RAM rural clinics, and collaborating with the MOM dental clinics around the state. She is very vested in increasing the diversity of the medical school class. Advising is available to all of those with interest in attending medical school in the future.
Roy Roach III
Assistant Director of Office of Student Experience
The mission of the Office of Student Experience is to focus specifically on the qualitative experience of being a health sciences student and to develop strategies to enhance that experience. Specifically, this office has developed a comprehensive system of assistance by attending to student success, student satisfaction, and student support. The OSE is supported by The Office of the Vice President for Health Sciences and its commitment to programs directed toward providing graduates capable of meeting the commonwealth’s health care needs.
Roy F. Roach III was born in Washington D.C. and grew up in Hampton, Virginia. As a military dependent, he spent time in Japan before moving to North Dakota. In North Dakota, he completed his bachelor’s in communication and a minor in Chinese studies. After discovering his passion for higher education, he was selected for the Ronald E. McNair Scholarship and completed his graduate degree in higher education. He is passionate about education and entrepreneurship as vehicles for social and global change.
Jenna Clancy
Pre-Health Academic Advisor
Jenna Clancy has been with VCU since September 2018 serving as a pre-health academic advisor in University Academic Advising. She earned her M.Ed. in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In her role at VCU, Jenna supports students as they navigate the curriculum, and acts as a guide for students during the pre-health application process.
Student Organizations
VCU has over 500 student organizations. Finding the right organization for you can be a daunting task! To help our members connect with health-related student organizations, we've reached out to and built connections with the following pre-health student leaders on campus.
Are you part of a health-related student organization at VCU not listed here?
The Black Men in Medicine, serving the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), is committed to the academic success and advancement of underrepresented minority students interested in healthcare professions. In 2013, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) released an alarming report that the number of black men applying to medical school was decreasing. This absence of an increase threatens efforts to effectively address health disparities and excellence in clinical care. As a result, this prompted the organization’s creation. The organization accomplishes its mission by equipping black male students with a peer-support network to navigate their undergraduate years (mentoring, shadowing, research, social events, workshops, school visits, and academic assistance) and an associate network of clinicians and researchers to provide invaluable advice and career development direction.
The mission of CHHR at VCU is to provide free healthcare and education to local communities in Richmond of all populations in addition to providing the students at VCU with an opportunity to give back to the Richmond community in multiple categories including healthcare, food availability, the environment, and instances of injustice
Delta Epsilon Mu (DEM) is the only professional, co-ed pre-health fraternity in our nation. DEM exists to provide an informative, educational, and social setting for all students either pursuing or interested in the health fields. As a unique asset to universities across the United States, we strive to engage our principles of dedication, loyalty, friendship, and support in all of our coexisting efforts.
HOSA is an organization that aims to be a resource for all pre-health students at VCU to find peer assistance to navigating their undergraduate career. We help students network, find shadowing, research, and community service opportunities while meeting other students in their field.
The IHPA is one of the only interdisciplinary outreach groups on the Medical College of Virginia Campus of Virginia Commonwealth University. We have representatives from the Schools of Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work, Biomedical Engineering and participants of the VCU Dietetics Internship program.
The goal of our group is to provide health education and public outreach projects in underserved Richmond communities through a collaborative effort with professional students from Virginia Commonwealth University. We strive to foster lasting relationships to cultivate a network of healthcare professionals that are rooted in teamwork and collaboration. This will not only encourage such professional relationships during our time at MCV, but will encourage an interdisciplinary focus when working with our patients long into the future, to provide high quality, well-rounded care.
Help international pre-health students explore opportunities in preparation for careers in health and medical fields.
MSTC is an organization designed to help undergrads interested in MD-PhD dual degree programs foster necessary skills such as: research experience, clinical experience, scientific writing and more! Also open to undergrads interested in MDs or PhDs with strong focuses on basic/translational sciences.
MAPS is a student run organization designed to provide opportunities for underrepresented students who want to pursue a career in the healthcare field. We share and create volunteer opportunities, research, seminars, panels and many more opportunities.
We at Sisters & Stethoscopes aim to empower one another in our pursuit of becoming healthcare professionals.We promote service, awareness, and most of all, sisterhood.
Provides opportunities for undergraduate students to attend accessible virtual clinical shadowing sessions led by healthcare students and professionals, both free and paid.
Chanel Vuong
Campus Ambassador for HEAL at VCU
Chanel Vuong is a Biology and Chemistry double major at the Virginia Commonwealth University Honors College, and currently serves as a Campus Ambassador for the HEAL Clinical Education Network at VCU among other positions she holds with the Honors Student Executive Board and the VCU Ram Pantry.
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