Financial Aid and Wellness
Welcome to the School of Medicine’s Department of Financial Aid and Wellness!
Our mission is to educate, support, and empower you to make sound financial decisions while in medical school and beyond. We are here to provide real-time and proactive solutions to address your financial needs. Some include but not limited to:
Financial Aid Assistance: In partnership with the University Student Financial Assistance Office, we are here to help you understand all aspects of the financial aid process. From the initial application (FAFSA) process to understanding your aid package, aid disbursements, refunds, and more. We are here to provide the one-on-one counseling and assistance that you need.
Financial Planning and Financial Wellness: As an anchor for which we build our mission upon, our office recognizes that while in medical school, the ability to make informed financial decisions usually starts with having readily accessible and accurate information. In partnership with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) our office wants to help you improve your personal financial well-being in several ways. We will help do this by providing you with:
- One-on-one budget counseling
- Expert-led workshops and financial wellness events
- In-house Q&A sessions
- Weekly email financial wellness newsletter
- Podcast features
- Access to budgeting tools
Meet our staff:
Our staff is passionate about helping students regarding finances. We are here to support you every step of the way!
Sofia Cascio, MBA, GCSC
SOM Director of Student Financial Planning
scascio@som.umaryland.edu
Direct Line: 410-706-4237
Ms. Cascio manages the Financial Aid and Wellness Program for the School of Medicine. She oversees all aspects of student financial planning and debt counseling, establishes short and long-term debt management plans, develops training materials and seminars, and more. Ms. Cascio serves as liaison between the central financial aid and financial wellness services. She has adopted the FIRST program (Financial Information, Resources, Services, and Tools), a resource provided by the Association of American Colleges (AAMC). Ms. Cascio joined SOM with over 12 years of experience in Financial aid and other financial services. She has a deep understanding of federal, state, and institutional policies and processes regarding financial aid.
Juanita Simmons, B.S. in Education
SOM Assistant Director of Financial Assistance
juanitasimmons@som.umaryland.edu
Direct Line: 410-706-0293
Ms. Simmons works closely with the Director of Student Financial Planning Ms. Cascio to provide financial aid and wellness service to medical students. Ms. Simmons comes to the School of Medicine with over 8 years of experience in financial aid administration. Joining SOM from another USM school, Ms. Simmons has a deep understanding of not only federal aid, but also of MD state aid, institutional awards, and Veteran Education benefits. Ms. Simmons takes pride in providing excellent customer service and is adept at quickly assessing students financial aid issues and provides guidance to solving inquiries. Ms. Simmons is passionate about helping students understand their aid options and goes above and beyond to meet students’ individual needs.
Contact our office:
Office hours
Monday – Friday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Email us : SOMFINAID@som.umaryland.edu
AAMC Registration
Maintaining healthy finances helps reduce stress and allows you to focus on school, we highly encourage all medical students to register for AAMC FIRST Financial Wellness website . Please register with your SOM student email.
To understand financial aid at UMB, please visit the main page from central financial aid here: University Student Financial Assistance (umaryland.edu)