Upstate Student to Student Advising Program
Upstate Student to Student Advising Program (USSA) connects current Upstate students to undergraduate and high school students to advise them on their path to health careers, graduate or medical school, and potentially recruit them to the different programs at Upstate.
The USSA program strives to:
- Offer mentorship to prospective, future healthcare professionals through genuine connections to current Upstate students
- Inform high school or undergraduate students’ decision-making with the experiences and advice of their graduate mentors
- Provide support, mentoring experience and guidance to Upstate students serving as advisors
- Connect current Upstate students with undergraduates from their alma maters
Existing Programs
Binghamton Upstate Mentoring Partnership
The mentoring program was created from the idea that the strong professional character of medical students here at Upstate directly translate to fostering a relationship between undergraduates and medical students. We are in our 3rd year of pairing up pre-med students at Binghamton University with the thoughtful students at Upstate who were once in their shoes. Mentors serve as a personal resource for the undergrads who face the stresses and challenges of applying to medical school. In addition, the mentoring program works closely with the Pre-Medical Association at Binghamton University. Together, we plan several interactive events held at Binghamton University each year.
Contact Information:
Andrea Price priceand@ngskmc-eis.net
Community College 'Pathway to Practice' Advising Program
Please request an advisor through the form below to learn more about potential mentoring matches for you!
High School 'Pathway to Practice' Advising Program
Please request an advisor through the form below to learn more about potential mentoring matches for you!
Orange to Upstate Mentoring Partnership
The proximity of the Syracuse University and SUNY Upstate Medical University campuses (on opposite sides of Irving Avenue) provides easy access to medical school mentorship opportunities. With students of both institutions studying within walking distance, mentors and mentees can establish strong, in-person connections. Upstate mentors will gain the rewarding experience of supporting students that follow in their footsteps, and Syracuse students gain one-on-one networking experience, practical knowledge, and valuable advice for preparing for medical school and a career in the medical field.
To request a mentor, please complete Syracuse University's pre-health mentoring registration form. To become a mentor, please complete the registration at the bottom of this page.
Contact Information:
Krystal Ripa, Upstate’s Director of Special Admissions Programs/Pre-Health Advisor, smithkry@ngskmc-eis.net
Lauren Hunter, Syracuse University’s Director of Pre-Health Advising, lloneil@syr.edu
Matt Wheeler, Syracuse University’s Associate Director of Alumni Relations, mrwheele@syr.edu
Rural Medical Scholars Mentoring
Peer-to-peer teaching and mentorship are key components to our rural training courses and culture. In rural medicine, third- and fourth-year medical students (MS3s and MS4s) develop and facilitate many of our teaching sessions across the four-year curriculum. For example, they lead clinical case discussions with first- and second-year medical students (MS1 and MS2) in our Introduction to Rural Health course. MS4s draw from their own rural training experiences to teach clinical case content relevant to the course's monthly topics. Whether the monthly topic is wilderness medicine, end of life care, or behavioral health, etc., MS4s develop and teach their cases in a small group setting. Oftentimes they relate their cases back to the MS1 and MS2 core curriculum, to provide context and connections between preclinical and clinical learning.
In rural medicine, students continually provide professional mentorship. In each of our elective courses, upper-class students facilitate discussions on such topics as: exam scheduling and test anxiety, navigating Step, selecting courses for the Elective Lottery, and other important topics related to both medical school life and specialty advising. Additionally, our rural medicine MS1 and MS2 students mentor groups of high school students using a clinical case model. This experiential service learning activity is utilized to foster teaching skills among our medical students and encourage, enlighten, and nourish enthusiasm for future health care practice among small town high school students.
Contact Information:
Carrie Roseamelia, PhD
Assistant Dean of Rural Medicine
Upstate Cornell Connection
The Upstate Cornell Connection program was established with the intent of strengthening the connection between SUNY Upstate and Cornell University, two institutions that are integral to the identity of Central New York. We hope to foster connections between undergraduate students from any background who are interested in a career in medicine and Cornell alumni who are now medical students at SUNY Upstate. We provide one-on-one mentoring connections and also work with our counterparts on the Cornell campus to plan several events each year involving student panels at Cornell and visits to the SUNY Upstate campus.
Please fill out form for prospective students at the bottom of this page to request an advisor.
Contact Information:
Abbie Bideaux, MS2
Marissa Rice, MS2