Pre-Health Program Staff

When you become a PBPH student at Penn, these are the people who will support you as you prepare for professional school.

The Pre-Health Program Director, Pre-Health Advisor, Faculty Advisors dedicated to the program, and a Program Coordinator will work with you to customize a course of study that meets your specific career goals. Our advisors will also work closely with you as you apply to health professional school, focusing on standardized test preparation, school selection, the personal statement, and interviewing techniques. When you become a Post-Bac Pre-Health student at Penn, these are the people who will support you as you prepare for professional school.

• Valerie R. Dorn - Director
• Danielle Gianfrancesco - Advisor
• Lisa Witmer - Biology Lecturer/Advisor
• Carsten Sanders - Biology Lecturer/Advisor
• Sally Cardy - Program Coordinator

Valerie R. Dorn
Director

Valerie Dorn joined Penn's Post-Bac Pre-Health Program in August 2010 as the Director of Pre-Health Programs, and is responsible for recruiting prospective students and providing academic, application, and career advising to Core Studies and Specialized Studies students. In addition, she provides outreach to pre-health professional schools. Valerie is a member of the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP) and the Northeast Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NEAAHP) and represents Penn LPS at regional and national conferences.

Valerie finds that one of the most rewarding aspects of working with the Pre-Health students is helping them fulfill their personal, academic, and career goals; she finds students’ determination, compassion, and ability to persevere inspiring.

She has more than eight years of experience providing personal, academic, and career advising to college students. Prior to joining LPS, Valerie was the Associate Director for Advising in the Bioengineering Department at Penn where she advised undergraduate students, many of whom were pursuing a pre-health curriculum.

Valerie graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2000 with a B.S. in Psychology and earned her M.Ed. in School Counseling from the University of Delaware in 2003. More recently, Valerie earned her M.Phil.Ed. in Professional Counseling and Psychology from Penn’s Graduate School of Education in May 2011.

Danielle Gianfrancesco
Advisor

Danielle Gianfrancesco joined the LPS team in October 2010 as the Advisor for Pre-Health Programs. She works with both Core Studies and Specialized Studies current students providing support in the following areas: academic and career advising, pre-health committee letter writing, assisting in the planning and delivery of special workshops/events for the Pre-Health Programs, assisting in building student community, and many other duties to benefit the success of the PBPH student population.

One of the most rewarding aspects of working with the Pre-Health Program student population for Danielle is helping them through the transition of a post-baccalaureate program and preparing them for their professional school career in the healthcare field. These students have such a strong desire to help others that it’s inspiring to Danielle to help them reach their goals and realize their full potential. As an advisor, she truly enjoys forming a connection with the students that allows her to be available throughout the year to help them move forward in the program.

Before joining LPS, Danielle served as the Assistant Director of Admissions at Thomas Jefferson University, School of Nursing and School of Health Professions and brings with her more than three years of experience in college admissions, recruitment and enrollment management. Danielle’s experience with college admissions, specifically in health care professions, has helped her understand the needs and concerns of the Pre-Health Programs student population at Penn.

Danielle received her Master of Science in Higher Education Counseling/Student Affairs, which is a Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational program, from West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Danielle also attended West Chester University for her undergraduate degree, Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2005 and 2010, respectively.

Lisa Witmer
Biology Lecturer/Advisor

Lisa Witmer joined the Penn LPS Post-Bac Pre-Health program in 2005 as a lecturer and advisor. She is responsible for teaching introductory biology and upper level biology courses to Core Studies and Specialized Studies students. In addition, she is involved in recruiting prospective students and providing academic, application, and career advising to Post-Bac Pre-Health students.

Dr. Witmer earned her Ph.D. in Plant Physiology and Molecular Biology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 2000. She did her post-doctoral training at Purdue University where she conducted research on molecular characterization of origin recognition complex (ORC) involved in DNA replication in maize. She joined Dr. Robert Wilson’s lab at Penn in 2002 where she conducted research on identification of anticancer drug targets using synthetic lethal analysis in yeast.

With more than five years of teaching Dr. Witmer has a strong passion for teaching and is committed to students' learning.  She has more than five years of teaching experience at Penn. She has taught Introductory Biology (BIOL 101 and BIOL 102), Cell Biology and Biochemistry (BIOL 202), and Advanced Cell Biology (BIOL 480). In addition, she is involved in teaching Molecular Biology and Genetics (BIOL 221) and Vertebrate Physiology (BIOL 215).

Dr. Witmer also has a strong passion for advising. Because she is very familiar with all of the science courses offered by Penn LPS and all of the biology courses offered by the Biology Department, she can critically analyze Pre-Health students' academic background and will recommend a highly individualized plan of study to ensure students' success at Penn. She has helped many students enter professional health schools.

Carsten Sanders
Biology Lecturer/Advisor

In 2001, Dr. Carsten Sanders successfully defended his dissertation in the Department of Biology and Chemistry at the University of Osnabrueck in Germany graduating with a Ph.D. in Biophysics. From 2001 till 2006, Dr. Sanders completed a post-doctoral training in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics in the Department of Biology at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia (PA). Subsequently, Dr. Sanders worked as a Senior Scientist in the Research & Development Division of a Biotech Company in Malvern (PA) and as a Temporary Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania in Kutztown (PA). In summer 2008, 2009 and 2010, Dr. Sanders also served as an Instructor and Experimental Designer of the Biomedical Research Academy within the LPS Penn Summer High School Programs. In September 2010, Dr. Sanders became an integrated member of the LPS Pre-Health Post-Baccalaureate Programs as a Lecturer (General Biology and Biochemistry) and Advisor (Academic and Career Support).

Sally Cardy
Program Coordinator

Sally Cardy has been coordinating the pre-health program for four years. Her skills as a project manager and administrative goddess have enabled her to oversee 250 current students enrolled in the program with the intention of creating and enhancing their pre-med sciences to go to medical, veterinary, dental, or nursing school.

She holds a BS in Business Administration from DeVry University. She has 10 years’ experience as an office manager in various settings. She is also treasurer for the Women’s Therapy Center, for which she has served as a board member for two years.

Sally was born in England but has lived in this country for 20 years, which doesn’t stop her from wondering why the “World Series” doesn’t include any other countries and why you don’t get enough vacation days in the summer.