Your Academic Support Team
There are many people at URI dedicated to your academic success and to helping you pursue your professional goals. Some of these people are your academic advisor, your faculty mentor(s), and your career education specialist. Read more about these roles and how to find the people in your success network below.
The College of Health Sciences Student Services Office is your go-to office for advising forms, graduation information, and transfer credits. We can assist with generalist advising and academic policy questions, scholastic standing, graduation questions, and more. Our doors are open (Mon-Fri, 8:30AM-4:30PM, year-round), and we are happy to serve as your point of contact if you need a referral to another office as well. We’re here to help!
If you have any forms to submit, please drop them off in person at Chafee 100, or send them to us via email at chs-group@uri.edu. Forms that require a Dean’s Signature will be reviewed and will require a signature from Assistant Dean Lauren Bauer.
Your academic advisor is an important source of information for your curriculum, questions regarding your major, and information about the University, career paths, etc.
Students are assigned to professional academic advisors, and in some cases, faculty advisors according to their major. You will work with these advisors for your entire undergraduate career (unless you change your major). These advisors are part of your Success Network in Starfish, where you can find their schedule to make an appointment, as well as their contact information.
The grid below lists each of our advisors by major – in some cases, students are assigned advisors based on their subplan or last name. When in doubt, check your Success Network!
| Communicative Disorders | Sharon D’Antuono, Clinical Assistant Professor |
| Dietetics | Sarah Larson, Assoc. Teaching Professor |
| Human Development and Family Science | Phyllis Penhallow, Assoc. Teaching Professor |
| Kinesiology – last names A through G | Courtney Mackey Wilbur |
| Kinesiology – last names H through Z | Alex Hill |
| Kinesiology – all Early Contingent PT students | Dr. Allison Harper, Teaching Professor |
| Neuroscience | Shelby Kiley |
| Nutrition | Sarah Larson, Assoc. Teaching Professor |
| Psychology* – last names A through F | Val Trainor |
| Psychology* – last names G through N | Meredith Gibbons |
| Psychology* – last names O through Z | Silvana Melo |
| Public Health | Stephanie Champlin |
| Exploring Health Preparation (Health Undeclared) | Brittany Casey |
*Psychology BA and BS work with the same academic advisors.
Faculty mentor(s) support students in their academic and professional development. They offer guidance on career preparation, graduate school, and areas of study. As mentors, they serve as sounding boards beyond course planning. Faculty mentors are not assigned – students should seek out a faculty mentor in their major. Some ways to find the right mentor for you may be to check in with a faculty member whose class you’ve really enjoyed, one who has a research portfolio that aligns with your interests, or one who pursued a graduate program that sparks your interest. Students should contact a mentor directly to schedule a meeting.
Your Career Education Specialist is a great resource for career and professional planning. They can work with you on pursuing an internship, exploring career paths, reviewing resumes and LinkedIn profiles, and even conduct mock interviews as you prepare for job or graduate school applications.
Students are assigned to Career Education Specialists by major. The grid below lists which CES is assigned to which major(s). When in doubt, check your Success Network!
| Communicative Disorders | CJ Sanchez |
| Dietetics | CJ Sanchez |
| Human Development and Family Science | Chelsea Lenhart |
| Kinesiology | CJ Sanchez |
| Neuroscience | CJ Sanchez |
| Nutrition | CJ Sanchez |
| Psychology | Chelsea Lenhart |
| Public Health | Chelsea Lenhart |
| Exploring Health Preparation (Health Undeclared) | Brandon Souza |