OUR TEAM
Our expert team of MD, MD/PhD, and PhD consultants help applicants brainstorm ideas, polish personal statements, and highlight competitive research internships, conference participation, and publications to position them to gain acceptance and funding for a host of post-baccalaureate opportunities. We walk applicants through the medical school interview process and provide comprehensive support for both the primary and secondary applications.
To date, we have helped exceptional candidates, as well as students with complicating factors such as lower Grade Point Averages or MCAT scores, gain acceptance to MD and MD/PhD programs. More importantly, our service has helped several clients secure full funding for tuition, fees, and living expenses. Our collaborative approach ensures that you receive targeted support while also giving you the benefit of our team’s collective expertise and experiences gaining acceptance to some of the most competitive graduate and medical school programs in the nation.
To date, we have helped exceptional candidates, as well as students with complicating factors such as lower Grade Point Averages or MCAT scores, gain acceptance to MD and MD/PhD programs. More importantly, our service has helped several clients secure full funding for tuition, fees, and living expenses. Our collaborative approach ensures that you receive targeted support while also giving you the benefit of our team’s collective expertise and experiences gaining acceptance to some of the most competitive graduate and medical school programs in the nation.
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DR. LUISEL RICKS-SANTI has served as both the Assistant Vice President for Research and the Director of the Cancer Research Center at Hampton University, Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacotherapy and Translational Research and Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Florida's Health Cancer Center. Currently the Senior Associate Vice President of Community Health, Student Success, and Institutional Collaborations at the Macon and Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University, Dr. Ricks-Santi earned her PhD from Georgetown University in Tumor Biology and completed the post-doctoral fellowship at Howard University in Cancer Genomics and Cancer Disparities research. Her current research aims to identify the genetic drivers of cancer disparities with a focus on the breast and prostate cancer, two (2) cancers with high mortality rates in the African American community. Her research studies have led to the establishment of the Cancer Genetics Program at the Howard University Cancer Center, the only program in the United States that has expertise in the genetics of cancer in African Americans and Hispanics, as well as the Cancer Research Center at Hampton University.
In her spare time, “Dr. Lulu” volunteers with several community-based organizations to educate about cancer screening recommendations, in addition to how to perform breast self-exams. Interacting directly with the community has inspired her to become a greater advocate for cancer screening especially in communities where cancer incidence is higher and access to screening is lower. Dr. Ricks-Santi is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the Hampton Chapter of The Links, Inc., organizations dedicated to the implementation of programs that impact the global community. |
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MELODIA PYNE earned a Bachelor of Arts in Diplomacy and International Relations from Seton Hall University and dual master's degrees in special education and Elementary Education from Lehigh University. A certified educator, mentor, and leader dedicated to helping students discover their voice, unlock their potential, and pursue their goals with confidence, Ms. Pyne is the founder and CEO of Melodrama Education and Training Services, an educational consulting practice that provides immersive workshops for pre-college students and undergraduates on resilience, financial literacy, study skills and time-management strategies.
Her work providing dissertation editing and defense consulting to terminal degree candidates for the Ph.D and Ed.D degree is rooted in her work with students across K–16 classrooms in general, and her extensive experience serving TRIO programs in particular. In addition to founding Melodrama Education & Training Services LLC (METS), the STEM Instructional Specialist and adjunct faculty member has guided first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students through the challenges of college access and success, always centering her work on equity, resilience, and empowerment. Her transformative learning curricula, record of exemplary teaching experiences, mentorship, and skilled storytelling significantly improve her success rates shepherding candidates through the dissertation process, |
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SHANICE COX earned her Master of Science in Medical Sciences from Hampton University and her Bachelor of Science in Science – Pre-professional Studies from the University of Notre Dame. Ms. Cox is currently a third year medical student at Texas Christian University and University of North Texas Health Science Center School of Medicine.
As an undergraduate, Ms. Cox served as student researcher in the Cancer Neurocognitive Translational Research Lab focusing on the underlying mechanisms of treatment efforts to arrest neurocognitive dysfunction, increase cancer survivorship, and improve patients’ quality of life. At Hampton University, she served as the Graduate Assistant for Post-Baccalaureate Opportunities for the Ronald McNair Scholars program, coordinating a series of intrusive advising workshops to increase degree completion and graduate school enrollment rates among low-income, first-generation college students. Having researched prenatal health disparities in Tarrant County, TX, Dr. Cox aspires to practice evidence-based medicine in underserved communities, improving the life prospects for individuals who could not otherwise afford quality health care. She is doing just that as a resident at the University of New Mexico. |
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BRITTANY HUGUE earned her Master of Science in Medical Sciences from Hampton University and her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Mary Baldwin University. Ms. HUGUE is currently a third-year medical student in Wright State University’s Boonshoft School of Medicine, where she serves on the Executive Board of the Global Health Initiative.
During her tenure as the Graduate Assistant for Academic and Community Outreach, Ms. Hugue helped Ronald McNair Scholars and Student Support Services participants secure information on internships, fellowships, graduate assistantships, and summer research opportunities. In addition, she coordinated a Graduate and Professional School Tour to Eastern Carolina University that exposed twenty-one (21) low-income, first-generation undergraduates to graduate programs in Technology Management, Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences, Public Health, and Rehabilitation Counseling, to include small group sessions with school administrators and current graduate students, affording participants the opportunity to receive excellent feedback about the graduate school application process from members of their peer group. Ms. Hugue currently serves as a community doula advocate to expectant mothers with challenging circumstances. Committed to diminishing health disparities in her community, Brittany was recently awarded a United Health Foundation and National Medical Fellowship as a Diverse Scholar for her research in improving breastfeeding rates in the Black community in Dayton, OH. In her free time, she enjoys reading, HIIT workouts and eating different cultural cuisines. |
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DR. GREGG SUZANNE FERGUSON earned a Master of Arts in School Counseling and a Doctor of Education in Leadership Studies from Marshall University, and a Bachelor of Arts in the History of Art and Architecture from Harvard University.
She is the Founder of Mothers of Diversity America and currently serves as the Director of Hampton University’s Upward Bound program, a federal TRIO initiative to increase college access and post-secondary degree completion rates amongst low-income, first-generation students in Newport News Public Schools. Dr. Ferguson has served as adjunct faculty at both Hampton University and West Virginia State University, where her research focuses on the consequences of unequal protections and access for marginalized employees and students. An anti-racism workshop facilitator, Dr. Ferguson has published articles in the Washington Post, the Charleston Gazette and the Southern Poverty Law Center periodical, Teaching Tolerance. |
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TANISHA MAITRE earned her Master of Science in Biology and her Bachelor of Science in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Hampton University. Her Master's thesis investigated the association of CDH1 variants with breast cancer in African-American women.
Ms. Maitre recently completed the first year as a PhD candidate in Temple University's Biomedical Science Program. Highly interested in cancer genomics, Tanisha's goal is to address cancer disparities by improving the translation and benefit of genomics in diverse populations. |
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DR. EVORA BAKER earned dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in History and Sociology from Macalaster College, a Master of Arts in Education from the University of Phoenix, and a Doctor of Education from the American College of Education. Dr. Baker is an experienced college access professional with over a decade of experience increasing secondary graduation rates, immediate college matriculation, and postsecondary persistence and degree completion with a particular focus on low-income, first-generation, and differently abled students at Central Virginia Community College and Shepherd University. Passionate about graduate education, Dr. Baker is committed to helping postbaccalaureate students successfully navigate the academic journey toward completing their graduate and terminal degrees.
Having secured over $2.6 million in federal funds for two college access programs, Dr. Baker brings her experience as an Academic Retention Specialist, Upward Bound Assistant Director, Adjunct Faculty Instructor, Dissertation Chair, Committee Member for the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership, and Director of TRIO Programs to her work supporting the medical school application process, mentoring emerging scholars through the dissertation process, and terminal degree completion process, and equipping them with the requisite tools and confidence to excel as researchers, practitioners, and leaders in their fields. |
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SHANTINA CARRINGTON earned her Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology and her Bachelor of Science in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Hampton University, where she served as the Community Outreach and Development Aide for Student Support Services.
As an undergraduate, Ms. Carrington coordinated multiple service opportunities for SSS participants, recruited undergraduates for a monthly literacy initiative for children at the Eva C. Mitchell Early Childhood Center and volunteered as a Peer Mentor to support incoming students’ transition to Hampton University, and regularly provided tutorial services for struggling Math students. Having worked as a behavior therapist with experience in early intervention for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Shantina is currently applying to PsyD/PhD programs with the long-term goal to synthesize studies of the biological and behavioral sciences to better understand how myriad influences on the mind and body impact human behavior. |