Office of Student Affairs

Lauren Cobbs-Tarantola, M.D., M.Ed., Associate Dean for Student Affairs
Elizabeth Conser, M.D., Assistant Dean for Student Wellness and Advancement
David Trotter, Ph.D., Assistant Dean for Student Affairs

Allison Perrin, Ph.D., M.S, L.P.C., Director for Student Affairs and Student Wellness Programs

Kimberly Johnson, Associate Director for Student Affairs

Jennifer Acevedo, Program Manager for Years 1, 2, and 3

Raquel Smith, Section Supervisor

Dominique Massey, Career Development Specialist
Asheley Galloway, Career Development Specialist

Ja’Net Shedd, Executive Associate to the Dean for Student Affairs
Emily Gifford, Senior Administrative Assistant

Location: 2B440 – (Main suite)

Mail Stop: 6222

Phone: 806-743-3005/806-743-6784

Fax: 806-743-4165

Web: http://www.ttuhsc.edu/som/StudentAffairs

Location: 2B420 – (Advising and Wellness)

Mail Stop: 6222

Phone: 806-743-3005/806-743-6784

Fax: 806-743-4165

Web: http://www.ttuhsc.edu/som/StudentAffairs

Medical Student Affairs

Mission Statement

The mission of the Office of Student Affairs on all campuses is to provide academic support and career guidance for medical students, and to do so in a supportive environment that enables students to have a positive experience at TTUHSC School of Medicine. The goal of this office is to assist all medical students with being successful and developing professional skills and personal relationships that will last a lifetime. As student advocates, the Student Affairs staff work to ensure that the rights of students are protected and that all students are treated fairly.

Code of Professional Conduct/Honor System

Upon matriculation into the School of Medicine, each student subscribes to the Medical Student Honor Code and the TTUHSC Code of Professional Conduct. The purpose of the University Code of Professional Conduct is to emphasize in the medical school environment those qualities of integrity, self-discipline, and professional behavior that are essential to successful, competent physicians. The TTUHSC Code protects the rights of the student who may be reported for academic dishonesty or for non-professional conduct. The TTUHSC Code of Professional Conduct can be accessed from the Student

Affairs website or directly from here: https://www.ttuhsc.edu/nursing/student-affairs/student-code.aspx.

Abilities and Skills Requisite for Medical School Completion

In the selection of students and in their progress through the curriculum, medical school faculty is guided by standards set by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). 

The School of Medicine faculty cognizant of their responsibilities to the patients who will be a part of our students' educational process and to future patients who will entrust their welfare and lives to our medical school graduates. They therefore consider carefully the personal and emotional characteristics, motivation, industry, maturity,

resourcefulness, and personal health appropriate to the effective physician.

Because the M.D. degree signifies that the holder is a physician prepared for entry into the practice of medicine within postgraduate training programs, it follows that graduates must acquire a foundation of knowledge in the basic and in the clinical sciences that will permit the pursuit of any of the several careers that medicine offers.

Candidates for the M.D. degree must therefore affirm to having the ability to meet the technical standards for Admission, Retention and Graduation from the SOM upon matriculation and transitioning from Phase 1 to Phase 3 of the curriculum. Technical standards for Admission, Retention and Graduationcan be found here: https://www.ttuhsc.edu/medicine/admissions/documents/SOMOP_40.11_Technical_Standards_Policy_2024_02_15.pdf.

Requesting Accommodations

Without compromising the integrity or standards required by the School of Medicine for successful completion of its curriculum, the School recognizes that persons with disabilities, as that term is defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act, may fulfill the expected standards with reasonable accommodation. The School of Medicine is committed to developing innovative and creative ways of opening its curriculum to competitive and qualified candidates with disabilities. Requests for accommodation under the Standards for Curricular Completion are reviewed and approved through the TTUHSC Office of Student Disability Services which can be accessed here:

Health Insurance & Immunizations

The Office of Institutional Health expects that all university students be immunized against a number of infectious diseases for their own safety as well as the safety of others. All matriculating TTUHSC School of Medicine students must be compliant with the school’s immunization requirements in order to remain eligible to participate in the curriculum.

Health Insurance Requirements

All TTUHSC students are required to carry personal health insurance at all times while enrolled in the curriculum. 

TTUHSC Office of Student Life has information about the university's requirements for health insurance that is available to students, and the type of insurance coverage available through the university affiliated health insurance plan. However, many other insurance companies also offer health plans. Students should compare their health insurance options in order to select the plan that is best suited to their personal situation.

Immunization Requirements

In order to protect the health of our medical students and the health of the patients with whom they come in contact, the Office of Institutional Health and the School of Medicine require all entering students to provide documentation of several immunizations and/or the results of serological titers to determine whether or not they are actually immune to certain diseases. 

Students are not allowed to participate in any educational experiences involving patient contact until all required immunization documentation has been received by the TTUHSC Office of Institutional Health. All students entering Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine must provide proof of immunity documentation and/or the results of required titers, the list of which can be found here: https://www.ttuhsc.edu/institutional-health/documents/SOMImm2021wCovid4.17.24.pdf.