Health Professions

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 units
• 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 programs
• 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 outcomes
• Establish clear frameworks, timelines, and milestones aligned with diverse health professions requirements and communicate these expectations to students, faculty, advisors, and campus partners

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 fields
• Develop and implement structured advising processes, tools, and resources to streamline pathways and applications to programs in healthcare careers
• 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 processes
• Support students and alumni to make decisions around feasible healthcare career options based on academic preparation, professional goals, experiential readiness, and program requirements
• 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 preparation
• Help current students and alumni develop a competitive portfolio to support their applications, including research, experiential opportunities, professional development, and conference abstracts
• Support students in understanding prerequisite sequencing, experiential expectations, competitive benchmarks, and professional norms across health disciplines
• Develop student acumen in cover letter writing, scientific resume development, personal and scientific research statements, and professional communication related to health professions applications
• Provide a customized university cover letter, as appropriate, to support student applications

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 needs
• 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 referrals
• Serve as a liaison to student organizations related to health careers, supporting leadership development and coordinated programming that advances student engagement, preparation, and community‑building
• Represent UMass Boston in cross‑institutional, regional, and professional health pathway networks and cultivate partnerships that expand student access to information, mentorship, and experiential opportunities

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 development
• 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 pathways
• Support development of research, clinical, service‑learning, and internship pipelines aligned with health careers in collaboration with faculty, campus partners, alumni, and external organizations

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‑making
• Use data to identify equity gaps, inform program refinement, and support institutional planning related to health professions pathways and student success outcomes
• Maintain documentation, tracking systems, and reporting structures to ensure accountability and transparency and continuity of pathway operations

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 partners
• 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 careers
• Communicate clearly with students, faculty, and partners regarding expectations, timelines, and opportunities to support coordinated engagement and informed participation

Supervision and Program Operations

• Supervise student employees, peer mentors, or graduate assistants as assigned and provide training, guidance, and oversight to support program delivery
• Oversee day‑to‑day operational aspects of health professions pathway initiatives, including scheduling, logistics, and coordination of programs, events, communications, and student‑facing services
• Manage special initiatives, pilots, or externally funded projects aligned with health professions preparation from planning through implementation and assessment
• Perform other related duties as assigned

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 focus
• Nine years of relevant experience in higher education, student advising, academic program development, health professions preparation, or a closely related area
• Teaching experience in a classroom setting including demonstrated ability to communicate complex scientific, academic, or professional preparation concepts to undergraduate students
• Ability to work with faculty and advising units across colleges to coordinate student support, align pathway expectations, and advance shared student success goals

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior mentoring experience and/or teaching experience in a college or university setting is strongly preferred
• Previous mentoring interactions and working with individuals from diverse backgrounds and interests strongly preferred prior experience with evaluation methods and data management is preferred

• Positive, can‑do, supportive, encouraging mindset
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and prioritize work
• Demonstrated organizational ability and strong attention to detail
• High degree of initiative, self‑direction and resourcefulness
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Strong commitment to student support and success
• Strong commitment to university and student service

Salary Ranges for the appropriate Pay Grade can be found at the following link:

Grade: 34

Salary Ranges

This is an exempt union position.

All official salary offers must be approved by Human Resources.

UMass Boston is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, we will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations for the hiring process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact HR@umb.edu or 617-287-5150.

Applications close: