NOTE: If you would like to schedule an appointment with a Pre-Health advisor, you can do so by going to Advisor Link below.
Director, Pre-Graduate Pre-Professional (PGPP) Advising
Phone: 404-894-1922
Email: shannon.dobranski@gatech.edu
Shannon Dobranski has been an educator at Georgia Tech since 1996. She is currently the Director of Pre-Graduate and Pre-Professional Advising, overseeing a team committed to students and alumni seeking careers in education, law, or health, or pursuing graduate admission or prestigious fellowships.
Shannon earned her Ph.D. in English literature at the University of Texas (hook-em!) in her hometown of Austin. Her field of study was Shakespeare, and her dissertation focused on absent fathers in Shakespeare’s middle comedies. As a faculty member at Georgia Tech, her teaching and research focused on Shakespeare, Shakespearean adaptations, adaptation studies more generally, and short fiction.
After serving as a Brittain Fellow in Georgia Tech’s School of Literature, Media, and Communication, Shannon took on the role of undergraduate coordinator for that school and was subsequently promoted to associate director of undergraduate studies. In that role, she oversaw the day-to-day management of two degree programs: Science, Technology, and Culture and Computational Media. She also coordinated several study abroad opportunities, including exchange programs with universities in Sweden and Denmark as well as a faculty-led program in Italy.
Since 2013, Shannon has worked in Georgia Tech’s Office of Undergraduate Education, where she served as the Director of the Center for Academic Success and the Director of Pre-Graduate and Pre-Professional Advising in the Career Center. She believes that advising is relationship and that effective advising is critical for student success in higher education. Shannon is a member of several professional organizations, including NACADA, PLANC, NAFA, and NAAHP.
At home, Shannon enjoys books, television, and movies, which she shares with her brilliant husband, Stephen, and amazing daughter, Audrey.
Assistant Director for Pre-Health Advising
Phone: 404-385-2475
Email: francisco.castelan@gatech.edu
Francisco Castelan attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he received Bachelor degrees in both Psychology and Spanish. Mr. Castelan earned an MS degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While working at UW-Madison, he discovered his passion for helping college students explore and connect their strengths and interests toward their future careers. He brings more than 15 years of experience with health professions advising, including continued collaboration with the Tour for Diversity in Medicine, a non-profit organization. He has held leadership positions in the National Association of Advisors in the Health Profession (NAAHP) as a Co-Chair for the Committee on Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) and has served as a representative of NAAHP on the Committee on Student Diversity Affairs (COSDA) for the Association of American Medical Colleges’ (AAMC) Group on Student Affairs (GSA). He most recently completed his term as Co-Chair of the Committee on Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Justice for the Southeastern Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (SAAHP). In the In his spare time, he enjoys traveling and pursuing his artistic endeavors with photography and acrylic painting, along with spending time with his family.
Yan Liang, Ph.D.
Pre-Health Outreach & Engagement Specialist
Phone: 404-894-0062
Email: Yan.liang@gatech.edu
Yan earned her PhD in chemistry from Emory University, and to extend her career training, she also completed an MPH program in health management from Augusta University and an MS program in learning technology and instructional design from Georgia State University.
Trained in basic science, Yan has conducted her research in biomedicine and public health. Moreover, she has rich experience in science teaching and learning and has taught at Georgia State University Perimeter College, Georgia Gwinnett College, and Emory University. Yan believes advising/mentoring is a critical component in learning, and in her past roles, she helped develop STEM advising and mentoring programs to promote trainees’ engagement and success.
Yan has a strong interest in learning effectiveness and quality improvement practice, and she blogs related topics at https://effectivenessworklist.blogspot.com/. In her spare time, she enjoys nature and loves gardening and cooking.
Monique joined Georgia Tech in 2006 and has more than 10 years of experience in career services. She manages letter of evaluations for pre-health students in the Center for Career Discovery and Development Pre-Health advisement office and is the Program Coordinator on the Pre-Graduate and Pre-Professional team. Prior to this role, Monique was with the Career Services Employer relations unit.
Monique is currently taking additional academic courses at Georgia State and enjoys pursuing some of her newfound endeavors such as swimming and photography.