General Summary:
The Health Professions Coordinator provides strategic leadership and university wide direct support for undergraduate students across five colleges, as well as UMass Boston alumni, who are exploring or preparing for careers in health-related professions. The position is based in the College of Science and Mathematics and serves as the central institutional lead for inclusive, interdisciplinary health professions pathways, and reports to the Dean of the College.
The Coordinator designs, leads, and evaluates high impact programming and mentoring frameworks that support student access, preparation, and successful progression into health professions, including but not limited to medicine (MD/DO), nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, public health, physical and occupational therapy, optometry, podiatry, veterinary medicine, and physician assistant careers.
This role collaborates closely with faculty, university wide student success and career units, student organizations, and internal and external partners to ensure coordinated, equitable, and data informed pathways. The Coordinator exercises a high degree of independent judgment, programmatic leadership, and cross college coordination in advancing institutional goals related to student success, access, and post graduate outcomes in healthcare fields. The position is pivotal for strengthening student recruitment and success at UMass Boston and entry into competitive health profession careers.
Examples of Duties:
Strategic Leadership & Program Development
Serve as the university‑wide lead for undergraduate and alumni health professions pathways, providing strategic direction, coordination, and continuous improvement across colleges, academic departments and student support unit
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Design, implement, and assess comprehensive pathway models that integrate academic preparation, experiential learning, mentoring, and professional development to support student progression toward competitive health professions program- s
Develop scalable programming that supports students at varying stages of readiness, including early exploration, competitive preparation, and application phases, with attention to equity, access, and measurable student outcome- s
Establish clear frameworks, timelines, and milestones aligned with diverse health professions requirements and communicate these expectations to students, faculty, advisors, and campus partner- s
Student & Alumni Support (Direct and Programmatic)
Provide direct and programmatic support for undergraduate students across five colleges as well as UMB alumni interested in exploring careers in healthcare-related field
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Develop and implement structured advising processes, tools, and resources to streamline pathways and applications to programs in healthcare career- s
Mentor students from historically underrepresented, first‑generation, and non‑traditional backgrounds to reduce barriers to health professions access and promote equitable preparation for competitive application processe- s
Support students and alumni to make decisions around feasible healthcare career options based on academic preparation, professional goals, experiential readiness, and program requirement- s
Promote student understanding of application timeline and processes, including exploration of suitable schools, entrance test preparation, personal statement guidance, application submission, identification of appropriate references, and interview preparatio- n
Help current students and alumni develop a competitive portfolio to support their applications, including research, experiential opportunities, professional development, and conference abstract- s
Support students in understanding prerequisite sequencing, experiential expectations, competitive benchmarks, and professional norms across health discipline- s
Develop student acumen in cover letter writing, scientific resume development, personal and scientific research statements, and professional communication related to health professions application- s
Provide a customized university cover letter, as appropriate, to support student application- s
Faculty, College, and Unit Collaboration
Partner with faculty across CSM and other colleges to align course offerings, experiential learning, and pathway preparation with health professions requirements and student progression need
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Collaborate with university‑wide advising, career services, enrollment management, student success, and graduate/professional school pipeline units to promote coordinated services, consistent messaging, and effective student referral- s
Serve as a liaison to student organizations related to health careers, supporting leadership development and coordinated programming that advances student engagement, preparation, and community-buildin- g
Represent UMass Boston in cross‑institutional, regional, and professional health pathway networks and cultivate partnerships that expand student access to information, mentorship, and experiential opportunitie- s
Programming, Workshops, and Experiential Opportunities
Develop and lead workshops, seminars, and cohort‑based programs on health professions preparation, application readiness, and professional competencies that address student needs across multiple stages of pathway developmen
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Coordinate exposure opportunities including panels, site visits, alumni engagement, shadowing, and external partnerships to expand student awareness of health careers and strengthen readiness for professional pathway- s
Support development of research, clinical, service‑learning, and internship pipelines aligned with health careers in collaboration with faculty, campus partners, alumni, and external organization- s
Data, Assessment, and Continuous Improvement
Collect, analyze, and report data related to participation, outcomes, persistence, and post‑graduate placement to evaluate program effectiveness and inform decision-makin
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Use data to identify equity gaps, inform program refinement, and support institutional planning related to health professions pathways and student success outcome- s
Maintain documentation, tracking systems, and reporting structures to ensure accountability and transparency and continuity of pathway operation- s
Outreach, Communication, and Institutional Visibility
Develop and maintain pathway resources, digital content, and communication materials that provide clear, accurate, and accessible information for students, alumni, faculty, and partner
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Lead outreach and recruitment efforts to ensure broad awareness and access across colleges and strengthen UMass Boston’s visibility as a pathway for students pursuing health professions career- s
Communicate clearly with students, faculty, and partners regarding expectations, timelines, and opportunities to support coordinated engagement and informed participatio- n
Supervision and Program Operations
Supervise student employees, peer mentors, or graduate assistants as assigned and provide training, guidance, and oversight to support program deliver
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Oversee day‑to‑day operational aspects of health professions pathway initiatives, including scheduling, logistics, and coordination of programs, events, communications, and student-facing service- s
Manage special initiatives, pilots, or externally funded projects aligned with health professions preparation from planning through implementation and assessmen- t
Perform other related duties as assigne- d
Qualifications:
Strong emphasis on holistic advising, student success and data-informed programming in support of health professions pathways
PhD. in a Life Sciences discipline, preferably with some pre-health focu
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Nine years of relevant experience in higher education, student advising, academic program development, health professions preparation, or a closely related are- a
Teaching experience in a classroom setting including demonstrated ability to communicate complex scientific, academic, or professional preparation concepts to undergraduate student- s
Ability to work with faculty and advising units across colleges to coordinate student support, align pathway expectations, and advance shared student success goal- s
Preferred Qualifications:
Prior mentoring experience and/or teaching experience in a college or university setting is strongly preferre
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Previous mentoring interactions and working with individuals from diverse backgrounds and interests strongly preferred prior experience with evaluation methods and data management is preferre- d
Positive, can-do, supportive, encouraging mindse
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Ability to manage multiple tasks and prioritize wor- k
Demonstrated organizational ability and strong attention to detai- l
High degree of initiative, self-direction and resourcefulnes- s
Strong oral and written communication skill- s
Strong interpersonal skill- s
Strong commitment to student support and succes- s
Strong commitment to university and student servic- e
Application Instructions:
Please apply online with your resume, cover letter and list of three professional references.
Review of candidates will begin following the application closing date.
Only Internal candidates in the Professional Staff Bargaining Unit will be considered during the first 10 business days of the posting. All other candidates will be considered after that period.
