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Contact

Office for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs

PhD and Master's program directors and administrative contacts can be found on our Program Representatives page.

Other University of Rochester faculty, staff, and students can be found via the Faculty/Staff Directory.

Contact Information

Office for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs
University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry
601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 316
Rochester, NY, 14642-8316

Phone: (585) 275-4522
Room: G-9556
Email: SMDGEPA@urmc.rochester.edu

Office Hours: Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m., 12:30 p.m.–4 p.m., and by appointment

Faculty and Staff

Colleen BaileyColleen Bailey, Secretary and Assistant to the Dean

Colleen serves as Secretary for the Office for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA), acting as a secondary receptionist, serving as assistant to the Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (SAD-GEPA), and helping to monitor department budgets. She also provides support to the UR Postdoctoral Association.

Trainees typically contact Colleen with general inquiries, to discuss spending and reimbursement for events sponsored by GEPA and myHub, and to discuss Postdoctoral Association events.

To contact Colleen, call her directly at (585) 275-5022 or email Colleen Bailey.

Gillian Coykendall

Gillian Coykendall, Senior Reporting and Systems Analyst

Gillian serves as the Senior Reporting and Systems Analyst for the Office for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA), assisting other GEPA faculty/staff with reporting, data requests, and data management needs.
 

Odyssey Harrington, SecretaryOdyssey Harrington

Odyssey serves as Secretary for the office of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA), providing administrative support for the staff within GEPA, acting as the primary front desk liaison between students, faculty, staff, and visitors, and the GEPA Dean and staff. Odyssey supports recruitment and admissions, the PREP and Summer Scholars programs, myHub, and Graduate Student Society (GSS) initiatives. Trainees typically contact Odyssey with general inquiries or to discuss myHub or GSS event management.

To contact Odyssey, please call (585) 275-4522 or email Odyssey_Harrington.

Kandice KingKandice King, Director of Graduate Enrollment

Kandice King, Director of Graduate Enrollment Kandice King serves as the Director of Graduate Enrollment for PhD, Master’s, and Certificate programs for the School of Medicine and Dentistry (SMD) in the office for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs. Students are welcome to meet with Kandice to discuss the admissions process for SMD graduate programs, including how to apply, application requirements, recruitment events, and general application questions.

To contact Kandice, please contact her directly at (585) 275-0102 or email Kandice King.
 

Rick LibbyRick Libby, Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs

In addition to being Dean, Rick is a Professor of Ophthalmology and Biomedical Genetics, and a member of the Center for Visual Science.

While students and postdocs are welcome to meet with Rick to discuss any topic, trainees typically meet with Rick to discuss concerns related to coursework, research or related academic progress, and program/committee/advisor dynamics.

To request a meeting with Rick, please call Colleen Bailey at (585) 275-5022 or email Colleen Bailey.
 

Ben LovellBenjamin Lovell, Admissions Coordinator 

Ben serves as the Admissions Coordinator, managing the day-to-day admissions operations. He also serves as Course Administrator for the “Ethics and Professional Integrity in Research” course, taught in the Fall semester.

Trainees typically contact Ben to discuss the graduate or preparatory program application process, and for assistance with issues relating to the Ethics course.

To request a meeting with Ben, please contact him directly at (585) 275-2933 or email Benjamin Lovell.
 

Sharon McCulloughSharon McCullough, Director, Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs

Sharon serves as deputy to Dean Libby and oversees the operations and staff in the office for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA).

While students, postdocs, faculty, or staff are welcome to meet with Sharon to discuss any topic, trainees typically meet with Sharon to discuss general concerns related to learners, learner organization matters (including the GSS and PDA), and postdoctoral policies/appointments/related concerns.

To request a meeting with Sharon, please contact Colleen Bailey at colleen_bailey@urmc.rochester.edu.

Tori D'Agostino, Senior Business Administrator, Graduate Education and Postdoctoral AffairsVictoria DAgostino

Tori serves as the Senior Business Administrator for the Office for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA), managing all financial and HR-related matters for the office and its’ programs. 

Trainees typically meet with Tori to discuss graduate student payroll matters and postdoctoral appointment policies.

To request a meeting with Tori, please contact her directly at (585) 273-4650 or emailvictoria_dagostino@urmc.rochester.edu.

Amber Rivera, MSW, Director of Learner Life and Wellness Amber Rivera

Amber is the Director of Learner Life and Wellness for SMD’s graduate student and postdoc community, ensuring trainees’ awareness of and access to the academic and non-academic resources required for a positive and productive educational experience.

While students, postdocs, faculty, or staff are welcome to meet with Amber to discuss any topic, trainees typically meet with Amber to discuss concerns related to learners, learner wellness initiatives, and learner organization matters.

To request a meeting with Amber, please contact her directly at (585) 275-7288 or email Amber Rivera.
 

Elaine SmolockElaine Smolock, PhD, Director of Writing Services and Training Grant Development

Elaine serves as the Director of Writing Services and Training Grant Development and assists graduate students, postdoctoral trainees, and alumni with writing assistance in the Office for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA). In addition, Elaine also serves as PREP Education Director for GEPA.

While trainees are welcome to meet with Elaine to discuss any topic, trainees typically contact Elaine to discuss any writing project, including, but certainly not limited to, manuscripts, qualifying exams, grants, and dissertations. Each trainee who meets with Elaine will receive individualized assistance based on the trainee’s needs and writing project.

To schedule a meeting with Elaine, please visit the Handshake schedule an appointment webpage.
 

Eric VaughnEric Vaughn, Director of Career Services

Eric serves as the Director of Career Services and assists graduate students, postdoctoral trainees, and alumni with career service and employment search needs in the office for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA).

While trainees are welcome to meet with Eric to discuss any topic, trainees typically contact Eric to discuss career related topics, including career exploration, CV/resume and cover letter writing, job search strategies, and employment application assistance. interviewing techniques, mock interviews, LinkedIn profile development, networking strategy, and Individual Development Plans (IDP).

To schedule a meeting with Eric, please visit the Handshake schedule an appointment webpage.

Affiliated Faculty and Staff

Name Phone Email

Katherine A. Bognanno
Sr. Web Content Manager


 
Katherine Bognanno

Afiya Farrell
Administrative Assistant, Equity and Inclusion, Research and Research Education

585-273-1620 Afiya Farrell

Jeff KoslofskyJeff Koslofsky
Senior Marketing
Communications Manager

  Jeff Koslofsky

nathan smithNathan A. Smith, M.S., Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Equity and Inclusion,
Research and Research Education

(585) 276-3989 Nathan Smith