Our MDS Advising Team
If emailing Wes, Jackie, or Maria, please continue to use online-mds-support@pitt.edu. Please see details below on additional means of engaging with MDS advising!
Maria DePastino, MDS Student Success Specialist
Lead advisor for the MDS program
Jackie Speake Dwyer, Temporary MDS Student Success Specialist
Advisor for the MDS program
Wes Lipschultz, Senior Director of Student and Academic Affairs in SCI
Administrator responsible for supporting MDS advising
How MDS Advising Help Students
- Review and plan in advance for the program's staggered course offering schedule
- Guide students through navigating Pitt resources (the Counseling Center, Disability Resources and Services, the Career Center, etc.)
- Advocate for students and build strategies to address challenges students may face
How to Reach MDS Advising
MDS students have a few different ways to seek advising assistance:
- Students can consult directly with our resources below to learn basic information about prerequisites, what courses are offered when, and program policies.
- Students can email online-mds-support@pitt.edu with an advising question or request, and this email will be routed to Maria.
- Students can schedule an advising appointment by logging in to my.pitt.edu, searching for “Pathways,” and selecting the advising link. From there they will be able to browse available advising appointments and set up an online appointment from the dates and times available.
- Students can call the main SCI number – 412-383-4396 – and use the phone menu options to navigate to “advising” and then “MDS.”