PostbacCAS Advisory Board

As is the case with all Liaison-powered Centralized Application Services (CAS), an advisory board comprised of CAS users will determine ALL policies, procedures and working standards for PostbacCAS. Our dedicated and veteran PostbacCAS advisory board consists of these eight postbac program directors who facilitate these decisions. Liaison does not establish policy, but rather implements the decisions made by this group to best advance the service.

Brooke Birdsong Associate Director of Admissions Kansas City University

Brooke started her admissions career at Lambuth University (now University of Memphis-Lambuth campus) in 2002 after graduating from there. She has been in admissions ever since and really enjoys working with prospective students to help them achieve their professional goals. Brooke started with Kansas City University since 2007 and helped to grow their Biomedical Sciences program over the last 7 years. Brooke grew up in Memphis, Tennessee and moved to Kansas City in 2007. She has two adorable Maltese puppies who are very spoiled!

Cassidy Chambers Assistant Director of Admissions Rocky Vista University Co-Chair of PostbacCAS

Cassidy has been with Rocky Vista University since 2011. She began as an Admissions Counselor recruiting and advising prospective medical students to the College of Osteopathic Medicine. She became Assistant Director of Admissions in 2017, and now oversees admission for the MS Biomedical Sciences program and manages the reporting and database needs for all admissions processes and incoming classes. She enjoys working with students to help them reach their professional goals, and working with faculty to select the best students for the program. Cassidy is a native of Colorado and has a BA and an MPA from the University of Wyoming.

J. Barton Gillum, D.Sc., MHS, PA-C Program Director, Post-Baccalaureate Pre-medicine Certificate Program Assistant Professor, Department of Physician Assistant Studies School of Medicine and Health Sciences The George Washington University Co-Chair of PostbacCAS

Dr. J. Barton Gillum is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physician Assistant (PA) Studies. In addition, Dr. Gillum serves as the Program Director for the Post-Baccalaureate Pre-medicine Program at the Virginia Science and Technology campus of George Washington University. Dr. Gillum has 18 years of clinical and educational experience as a physician assistant. He is a decorated Army veteran, who deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom and served as a PA in primary care and emergency medicine. While serving in this role, he earned a clinical doctorate (D.Sc.) degree from Baylor University in PA studies with an emphasis in emergency medicine. Dr. Gillum’s research interest includes point of care ultrasound and pre-PA and pre-medical education. He serves as a peer review for the Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants and Clinician Reviews. Dr. Gillum serves as the course director for Current Topics in Health Care at the Post-Baccalaureate Pre-medicine program and lectures in the Emergency Medicine course for the PA program.

Courtney Klipp Health Professions Advisor, Center for Student Success Loyola Marymount University

Since 2017, Courtney has worked at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in Los Angeles, serving as the Post-Baccalaureate Program Director and as the Health Professions Advisor for the undergraduate student population. Prior to LMU, she spent over 15 years at UCLA, most recently at the David Geffen School of Medicine where she oversaw operations for intensive training programs that prepared fourth year medical students for sub-internships and residency. She also worked in the Fielding School of Public Health, managing two MPH internship programs in the departments of Environmental Health Sciences and Epidemiology. Courtney has a master’s degree in Counseling with a specialization in Career Counseling from California State University, Northridge, and a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Joni Krapec Senior Program Director, UChicago Careers in Health Professions University of Chicago

Since 2012, Joni has directed the pre-health advising program at the University of Chicago, assisting undergraduate students and alumni with achieving their goal of admission into schools of the health professions. Prior to this role, Joni has served as the Director of Admissions and Outreach for the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and Assistant Director of Health Professions Advising at Yale University. Joni holds a Bachelor of Arts in secondary teaching from the University of Northern Iowa and a Master of Arts in Higher Education from the University of Michigan.

Bob Rarig, Ph.D. Senior Associate Director Post Baccalaureate Pre-Health Programs Associate Professor of Instruction, Chemistry College of Science and Technology Temple University

Bob Rarig has been at Temple University since 2014. He earned his doctorate from the University of Michigan, having focused his research efforts on synthetic organic chemistry. He moved on to the University of Pennsylvania, where he worked on postdoctoral research in pursuit of selective intracellular stains for cellular microscopy and began his lecturing career teaching organic chemistry. Since coming to Temple University, Dr. Rarig has enjoyed teaching honors general chemistry, the chemistry of wine (a general education course), organic chemistry, a graduate seminar course “teaching in higher education,” and a seminar course of spatial assessment. His efforts were recognized recently by the college (CST Dean’s teaching award) and the University Provost (Award for Excellence in GenEd Instruction). He has been with Temple’s CST Post Bacc Pre-Health program since its inception in 2015 and now serves as its Sr. Associate Director, with a ‘specialty’ in linkage/matriculation arrangements. Having presented at several LAN and NAAHP regional meetings, he is committed to making sure that ‘non-traditional students’ are as informed as possible on what options they have to maximize their potential for being competitive applicants for professional schools.

Joanne Snapp Director of Health Professions Advising University of California, Davis

Joanne Snapp has served as the Director of Health Professions Advising and the new Director of the Health Professions Post-bac Program at University of California-Davis for the past six years. Prior to moving to the West Coast, Joanne served as the Director of Admissions at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra University for four years. She grew up in the Midwest, but has now lived on both coasts. She earned a BSEd in Secondary English Education, MA in English, MSEd in Leadership and Policy in Higher Education and is completing her doctorate in Leadership and Learning in Organizations. Joanne is married with three children and loves to exercise and travel.