Health Professions Advisory Program
Welcome to the Health Professions Advisory Program
The Sonoma State University Health Professions Advisory Program provides guidance to current undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students preparing for careers in the following health professions: dentistry, medicine (allopathic, osteopathic, podiatric and chiropractic), optometry, pharmacy, physician assistant, clinical laboratory science and veterinary medicine. To achieve its mission, the program provides the following services to our pre-health professions students irrespective of their academic majors (HPAP itself is not a degree program; HPAP supplements your existing major):
- Academic advising, including assistance with major/minor exploration and selection of course work that meet health professional school admission requirements.
- General information on various careers in the health professions and guidance for health career selection.
- Guest lectures by members of the local health professions community and health professions school admission offices to give students an overview of various health careers and entrance procedures.
- Assistance with the health professions school application and preparation for health professions school interviews by the HPAC.
- Evaluation of candidates' credentials by the HPAC and preparation and disbursement of Committee Evaluation Letters.
For More Information:
Contact HPAP
For general questions about the Health Professions Advisory Program, email hpap@sonoma.edu.
For Pre-Health academic advising, email Dr. Joseph Lin.
Dr. Joseph Lin
Professor of Biology & Health Professions Advisory Committee Chair
707-664-2931
linj@sonoma.edu
Darwin 211
Liz Kettmann, MPA
Operations Analyst & Health Professions Advisory Program Coordinator
707-664-2535
elisabeth.kettmann@sonoma.edu
The Health Professions Advisory Committee at Sonoma State provides advising for the following health professions:
- Optometry
- Chiropractic Medicine
- Podiatry
Please visit the Health Professions Advisory Committee office in Darwin 200 or contact a member of the HPAC for more information on Advisory Plans.
Students who are interested in the Clinical Laboratory Science Program should contact Dr. Lin - linj@sonoma.edu.
The Department of Nursing provides advising for Nursing, and the Department of Kinesiology provides advising for Physical Therapy.
To assist students in deciding what career they wish to pursue, SSU's Health Professions Advisory Program has a Committee whose members act as advisors. The Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC) is composed of faculty members, many of whom are involved in teaching courses that are taken by pre-health professions students. There is also a staff member in the HPAC office (Darwin 200) who oversees the administrative functions of the program.
In addition to advising, the Committee prepares the HPAC Letter of Evaluation which is a critical part of the application process for entrance into a health professions school. Most health professions schools place more value on the health professions advisory committee evaluation of a candidate than they do on separate letters from individual faculty members because of the broader perspective of the candidate by the committee, and because this one letter contains a summary of many recommendations.
Every spring, each student who is applying to health professions schools during the following summer and fall is given a practice interview with two to three of the Committee members present. Many larger universities do not offer either of these two services.
Members of HPAC
| Dr. Joseph Lin, Chair Department of Biology linj@sonoma.edu Office: Darwin Hall 211 | Dr. Daniel Crocker Department of Biology crocker@sonoma.edu Office: Darwin Hall 242 |
| Dr. Jennifer Lillig Department of Chemistry whilesli@sonoma.edu Office: Salazar Hall 2063C | Dr. Bala Ravikumar Department of Computer Science ravikuma@sonoma.edu Office: Darwin Hall 116I |
| Dr. Heather Smith Department of Psychology heather.smith@sonoma.edu Office: Stevenson Hall 3089 | Dr. Bülent Sökmen Department of Kinesiology sokmen@sonoma.edu Office: PE 17 |
| Dr. Teresa Nguyen Department of Psychology nguyenter@sonoma.edu Office: Stevenson Hall 3316c | Dr. Lisa Hua Department of Biology hual@sonoma.edu Office: Darwin Hall 216 |
Science 150 is a one unit course offered during the fall semester designed to present information on a variety of health professions careers for students to learn about early in their college education. Lectures will be given by members of the local health professions community or admissions directors of health professions schools representing professions such as allopathic medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, naturopathic medicine, chiropractic medicine, genetic counseling, hospital administration, nursing, optometry, osteopathic medicine, physical therapy, physician assistant, podiatry, public health, registered dietitian and veterinary medicine. The course is coordinated by Dr. Joseph Lin, Chair of the SSU Health Professions Advisory Committee.
Fall 2024 Schedule
Date | Topic |
| Nov 1 | Podiatry: Dr. David Tran |
| Nov 8 | Pharmacy: Dr. Michael Anderson, Dr. Valerie Wasem, and Dr. Mario Rosado |
| Nov 15 | Dentistry: Dr. Austin Hartford Veterinary Medicine: Dr. Nicole Jaggi |
| Nov 22 | Physician Assistant: Sean Nadalin Medicine: Dr. Edward Lin |
There is a student run Pre-Health Professions Club, which meets every other week and brings students of similar pre-health interests together. The club arranges for field trips and speakers related to different health professions. For more information, email Club President Nadia Gabel at gabeln@sonoma.edu
In the past several years SSU students have been accepted to the following health profession schools:
Allopathic Medicine:
| Osteopathic Medicine:
|
Dentistry:
| Pharmacy:
|
Optometry:
| Physician Assistant:
|
Veterinary Medicine:
|
Credential File Forms:
(download, complete, and email to hpap@sonoma.edu)
(download, complete, and email to hpap@sonoma.edu)
(for your reference only)
Committee Letter Request / Waiver Form (this form gets automatically submitted upon completion)
Useful Links:
The following professional association websites contain information on standardized exam requirements and programs of study, among other resources.
Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM)
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
American Academy of Physicians Assistants
American Chiropractic Association
American Podiatric Medical Association
American Optometric Association
American Physical Therapy Association