Aileen Panitz, MEd, admissions director at Geisel School of Medicine, has been appointed to the American Medical College Application Service® (AMCAS) Advisory Committee for a three-year term effective this month. The 12-member national committee includes admission officers and health professions advisors from a variety of geographic locations, class sizes, types of institutions and programs, and admission processes.
Aligned with the American Association of Medical College’s (AAMC) mission, AMCAS responds to the needs of the admissions community—reviewing trends and the impact of admissions practice changes—and is dedicated to representing the diverse perspectives and expertise of AAMC member medical schools, health professions advisors, and medical school applicants.
“Given that the Supreme Court is currently considering affirmative action cases featuring Harvard and the University of North Carolina, I think it is important to be able to participate in conversations about the effect of any changes that may be made to the AMCAS application and to contribute to how those changes affect both the admissions process and the applicants,” Panitz says.
“Over the years, I’ve seen many tweaks to the application; it will be interesting to be part of that conversation, and to connect with colleagues at other schools to learn about their challenges and how they may be resolved. It is a wonderful opportunity to represent Geisel in this process,” she says. “I also appreciate how thoughtful the AAMC has been in including health professions advisors on this committee. Advisors are such a vital part of the process. Understanding their perspective and giving voice to and being responsive to applicants’ perspectives is an important consideration. I hope good things will result.”
Committee members also collaborate with the AAMC Group on Student Affairs National Committee on Admissions, the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions, and other peer groups, to support the admissions community in policies, processes, and technology.
“I am delighted, and Geisel should be very proud to have Aileen Panitz on the AMCAS Advisory Committee,” says Roshini C. Pinto-Powell, MD, FACP, professor of medicine and medical education, and associate dean of admissions at Geisel. “She is not only incredibly knowledgeable regarding medical school admission processes, but she has the right heart, the commitment, and the ability to contribute thoughtfully at a systems level to making medical school admissions a fair and equitable process for all.”
