PRE-MED FACULTY & STAFF
Pre-Med Advisory Team
Pre-Med Faculty Advisory Team
Sarah Clark, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer, Neuroscience Institute
Dr. Sarah Clark completed her undergraduate studies in community psychology with honors at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. She attended George Mason University in pursuit of a Ph.D. in molecular neuroscience but transferred to Georgia State University in 2014 to complete her Ph.D. and her research using Drosophila sensory neurons with fellow mentor Dr. Daniel Cox.
Dr. Clark teaches medical neuroanatomy, cellular and molecular neuroscience, and two Undergraduate Research Experience courses. She also works with the Center for the Advancement of Students and Alumni to support Georgia State students in their progress to and through graduate and professional degree programs. Dr. Clark has been a member of the Georgia State Premedical Faculty Advisory Committee since 2020.
Rachelle Cohen, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychology
Dr. Rachelle Cohen has been teaching at Georgia State University since 2004 and currently serves as a senior lecturer in the Department of Psychology. She earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Georgia and did her pre-doctoral internship at the University of Alabama - Birmingham.
Dr. Cohen has been a member of the Georgia State Premedical Faculty Advisory Committee since summer 2020.
Mukesh Dhamala, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Physics & Astronomy
Dr. Mukesh Dhamala received his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of Kansas in 2000. He is currently a tenured associate professor of physics, neuroscience, and mathematics at Georgia State University. He directs the neurophysics and neuroscience research program in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Georgia State. His research aims to bring physics and brain science discoveries into clinical applications to improve human health. He received an NSF CAREER award for his research program in 2010.
Prior to joining Georgia State, Dr. Dhamala held a research assistant scientist position in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida from 2004 to 2007. Before that, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at several institutions including the Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University and Florida Atlantic University.
Dr. Dhamala has served as a member of the Georgia State Premedical Faculty Advisory Committee since 2017.
Nilmi Fernando, Ph.D., Principal Senior Lecturer, Department of Chemistry
Dr. Nilmi Fernando is a senior lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at Georgia State University. She earned her Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Georgia State University in 2011. Dr. Fernando also holds a master’s degree in organic chemistry from the University of Arizona and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Dr. Fernando teaches organic and general chemistry lectures and labs, Honors 1000 seminar, and conducts undergraduate research at Georgia State. She is the associate advisor of the GSU Chemistry Club and has been a member of the Georgia State Premedical Faculty Advisory Committee since the summer of 2022.
Victoria Mariani, Ph.D., Principal Senior Lecturer, Department of Chemistry
Dr. Victoria Mariani has been a faculty member at Georgia State University since 2012. She currently serves as a principal senior lecturer in the Department of Chemistry. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and her Ph.D. in chemistry from Georgia Institute of Technology. Following that achievement, she conducted her post-doctoral fellowship in pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of California San Francisco.
Dr. Mariani enjoys aiding students in the path to attending postgraduate schools, whether it’s geared toward health institutions or other graduate programs. She has been a member of the Georgia State Premedical Faculty Advisory Committee since the summer of 2021.
Jonathan Sylvester, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer, Department of Biology
Dr. Jonathan Sylvester completed his undergraduate degree at Duke University in 2005 and earned his Ph.D. at Georgia Institute of Technology in 2011. He began teaching at Georgia State University in 2014 and currently serves as a senior lecturer as well as the Undergraduate Assistantship Program Coordinator in the Biology Department. Dr. Sylvester is also an Honor’s College Faculty Associate in undergraduate research.
Dr. Sylvester is a Georgia native and is deeply invested in mentoring underrepresented minorities in STEM research. He currently runs two undergraduate labs, one in developmental biology and another in biotechnology, both with the goal of providing first-time experiences in developing scientific research and experimentation. He has served as a member of the Georgia State Premedical Faculty Advisory Committee since 2021.
Contact Us
CAS Office of Academic Assistance
Our office provides pre-medical advisement for third-year, senior and post-baccalaureate students.
First-year and second-year students seeking pre-medical advisement receive support from the University Advisement Center.
Pre-Medical Advisement
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday
8:30 a.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Pre-Medical Advisors
- Last Names A-M: Lisa Shepard - [email protected]
- Last Names N-Z: Anitrea Cager - [email protected]
- Post-Bacc Students: Linda King - [email protected]
Our Office Address
25 Park Place, Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30303
University Advisement Center
First-year through second-year students seeking pre-medical advisement receive support from the University Advisement Center.
25 Park Place, Suite 400
Atlanta, GA 30303