Meet the Advisors
Dr. Elisa Cripps
Program Director
Senior Pre-Health Advisor
B.A., Biology, Colorado College, 1996.
Ph.D., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Â鶹ӰԺ, 2008.
Dr. Cripps has been a pre-health advisor at CU Â鶹ӰԺ since 2009. Over the years, she has successfully coached thousands of students through the pre-health preparation and application process.
She writes, "I am passionate about this work! I especially enjoy working with non-traditional students who have taken unique paths to a career in health care. When working with my students, I take an honest-yet-supportive approach. I see my role as one of providing accurate information; asking questions that help me understand your interests, personal strengths, areas of development, values, and logistical limitations; and then offering strategic suggestions. I will encourage you to think about your career preparation in a holistic way so that you may prepare yourself in a thoughtful, meaningful, comprehensive, and ultimately successful manner.
As a lifelong learner who thrives on challenges, I love this work because it allows me to help others reach their goals while also granting me never-ending opportunities for service, learning, and personal growth. In my free time, I enjoy riding horses, trail running with my dogs, dancing, and mogul skiing. My husband, daughter, and I live with two dogs, two cats, a small flock of chickens, and an old desert tortoise named Spot."
Jessica Talbot
Senior Pre-Health Advisor,Â
Post-Baccalaureate Health Professions Program Admissions Manager
B.A., Psychology, Â鶹ӰԺ, 2007
M.A., Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Regis University, 2018
Jessica is a CU Â鶹ӰԺ graduate and a career-changer herself. She spent the initial 8 years of her career in private industry where she worked as an Account Manager at an insurance brokerage. During that time she discovered this wasn’t the best fit and instead wanted to pursue a vocation where she could help people. Based on the struggles she experienced in her career, she decided that she ultimately wanted to support other individuals in their career path. She decided to leave her position in order to complete her master’s degree in counseling. During that time, she worked as an intern at CU’s Career Services and was ultimately hired as the Career Advisor at CU Â鶹ӰԺ’s Division of Continuing Education where she supports students and adult learners in their career and academic goals.
Jessica works closely with pre-health students who are preparing for varying roles in health care. In this capacity, she meets directly with students to provide individualized coaching. This can range from the beginning stages of exploring the many different types of clinical careers to supporting students as they prepare their application to professional school. Jessica offers 1:1 appointments to help students develop strong written application materials and prepare for professional school interviews in the form of recorded mock interviews. It truly takes a village to apply to professional school, and Jessica is happy to be one member of that support system!