The Office of Student Affairs supports individual students across all educational programs at the Wake Forest School of Medicine by taking primary responsibility for all large-scale events, the learning environment, oversight of all student groups and educational support programs for academic and career advising, as well as educator development.

In conjunction with the Learning Communities (Houses) and offices of Student Inclusion and Diversity and Student Wellness, we provide academic, career and personal counseling and advising. The office can also arrange for special tutorial assistance or referral for formal learning evaluations. Together, we strive to achieve the following vision, mission and goals:

Vision

Engaged, empowered and cared-for students become engaging, empowering and caring health care professionals and scientists.

Mission Statement

We support a challenging yet nurturing learning environment that produces innovative and ethical health care professionals and scientists equipped to achieve exemplary patient care and research findings, to lead medicine and translational science into the 21st century.

Goals

Foster student development as a health care professional by:

Helping students achieve academic success.
Guiding students through their career pursuits.
Promoting wellness of the whole student (intellectual, physical, emotional and spiritual).

Support a School of Medicine learning environment that is free of mistreatment and embodies principles of integrity and mutual respect.
Cultivate diversity and a culture of inclusion for the School of Medicine student body through recruitment and retention of exceptional diverse students.
Maintain pathways to careers in medicine and science for diverse students.

Meet the Office of Student Affairs Team:


Marcia M. Wofford, MD Associate Dean, Student Affairs Professor, Pediatrics	Brenda Latham-Sadler, MD Associate Dean, Student Inclusion and Diversity Assistant Professor, Family Medicine	Stacy Jo Schmauss, EdD Assistant Dean, Student Affairs Teaching, Learning & Engagement Assistant Professor, Medical Education	Marquita N. Hicks, MD, MBA Assistant Dean, Student Inclusion and Diversity Associate Professor, Emergency Medicine


Nichole L. Taylor, DO Assistant Dean of Student Affairs	Nicole Allen, MHS, CHES Associate Director, Student Affairs

Office of Student Affairs Staff:


Betty B. Smith Project Manager, Student Affairs	Julie M. Johnson Project Manager, Student Affairs	Delia Rhodes Project Manager, Student Affairs

LaMonica Ames, BS Project Manager, Student Inclusion and Diversity	Timmery Cook, MPH Project Manager, Student Affairs	Amy K. Price Project Manager, Student Affairs

Office of Counseling and Well-Being Services:


Paige Greason Bentley, PhD, M.A.Ed., LPC-S Director, Counseling & Well-Being Services	Ryan MacLeod, LMFTA Senior Mental Health Counselor, Counseling & Well-Being Services	Orita Ramseur, MA/MDiv, LCMHC Student Mental Health Counselor, Counseling & Well-Being Services	Michelle Nicolle, PhD Chaplain for Wake Forest Innovation Quarter

What Student Affairs Does

Providing academic and career advising and individualized support to all students in the School of Medicine.

Support Student Groups & Events

Student groups are student-led opportunities to get involved on campus. They comprise Wake Forest School of Medicine students of any program (MD, PA, graduate, academic nursing) who have formally organized themselves for the purpose of pursuing a common interest. Student groups range from performing arts, clubs, and sports to service-oriented groups. Please see the Student Groups page for details.

Julie Johnson(Jujohns@Wakehealth.edu ) is the main point of contact for student organization needs through the Office of Student Affairs.

Interest Groups are student-run organizations that are supported by SGA (Student Government Association) and centered around career-specific interests within each academic program. These may be formed as chapters of national associations for these professions, or as an ongoing support network within the program. Please see the Student Organizations page for details.

Advising

The Office of Student Affairs serves as a resource for academic assistance and career advising for students of all educational programs. We have designated staff that will assist students with curriculum vitae/resume review, personal statement review, and mock interviews.

For more advising details, view the Advising Guide

MD Career Advising

Clinical Skills Coaches are assigned to each student during their foundations phase. Each Clinical Skills Coach begins the initial career advising and career planning discussions with the students. Once the foundations phase concludes, the Advanced Career Advisors will step in to take on the role of the student’s primary advisor during residency selection and application season.

Advanced Career Advisors (ACA)

As students approach the clinical years of medical school, they are provided with an advisor whose expertise is residency selection and application. Advanced career advisors are Wake Forest School of Medicine faculty members. Once established, this advisory relationship exists for the duration of the residency application and the National Residency Match processes. The primary goal of this relationship is to provide students with resources to most effectively obtain a successful residency match.

ACAs provide support via:

Strategic schedule planning
Interviewing advice—specific to the specialty of choice.
Curriculum vitae and personal statement review, and assistance identifying the noteworthy characteristics that will be listed in the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) letter
Offering support through the ranking process by reviewing the student’s specialty choices
Matching into residency programs

Advanced Career Advisors:

Dr. Marcia Wofford, Pediatrics/Associate Dean for Student Affairs

Dr. Nichole L. Taylor, Anesthesiology/Assistant Dean, Student Affairs

Dr. Gregory Waters, Colorectal Surgery

Dr. Kristen Hairston, Internal Medicine

Dr. Michael Mitchell, Emergency Medicine

Learn more about academic and career advising.

Learning Environment

In Student Affairs one of our goals is to support a School of Medicine learning environment that is free of mistreatment and embodies principles of integrity and mutual respect.

Ways to report learning environment concerns:

End of Course Evaluations
Program, Course, Clerkship Leaders & Directors
Student Advocate Online Reporting Form

Counseling & Wellness Services

Counseling & Well-Being Services (CAWS) mission is to support and promote the emotional, intellectual, physical, social, and spiritual wellness of students on our campus by providing wellness activities and counseling.

CAWS provides confidential and free counseling, coaching, and wellness consultation sessions for learners. Learners make appointments directly with a therapist, and all information with respect to who is attending, as well as the content of the process, is confidential.

Confidential counseling services:

Individual, couple, group counseling
Brief consultations
Psychiatric referrals

Well-being programming

Student Well-Being Advisory Board
Well-Being Grants
Peer Support Network
Suicide Prevention Training
Yoga/Meditation

Chaplaincy and Spiritual Support

Wake Forest School of Medicine, the Innovation Quarter, Wake Forest University Chaplain’s office, and chaplaincy department of WFBH FaithHealth are promoting innovation in Spiritual Care Services. Specializing in healthcare chaplaincy and crisis response, Chaplain Michelle Nicolle provides spiritual care and support for MD, PA, Academic Nursing, and Graduate students, faculty, and staff for WFSM, as well as undergraduates in the Quarter, and for the many businesses and scientists associated with the Innovation Quarter.

Get in touch with Chaplain Michelle for …

Meditation and anxiety-management tips
Twice a week meditation practice (email me for schedule and zoom link)
Exploration of how your ethics and/or religious views inform your life, decision-making, and professional path
Acute crisis care
Long-term accompaniment through a health crisis
General support
New in town? Need to get connected with a faith group in the community? Call me, I can help.
Just to touch base! How can I help?

To schedule a chat or to get information:

Michelle Jissan Nicolle, PhD, BCC

mnicolle@wakehealth.edu, 336-713-9766 (office)

Office: 3109 BGCME