Padua Franciscan High School has announced that the Director of MedTrack® Laurie Keco Grabowski ’89 is retiring at the end of the 2023-24 school year. Dr. Laura Hopkins ’07 has been appointed as the director beginning in the 2024-25 school year.
Mrs. Grabowski completed her undergraduate studies at Miami University and earned her law degree from Case Western Reserve University. She worked for 12 years at Ernst & Young before transitioning into Padua’s Advancement Department in January 2008. While she served in several roles for Padua, including Board of Trustees Chairperson, 50th Anniversary Chairperson, and Endowment Liaison, she is best known for her work with the MedTrack program. Upon her hiring, then-Principal David Stec ’86 leveraged her project management and communication skills to design the program from the ground up, utilizing the professional expertise of both healthcare professionals and educators alike in the form of the MedTrack Advisory Board.
MedTrack launched in the fall of 2008 to enroll students beginning in the fall of 2009. The program has helped hundreds of students discern whether healthcare is their vocation and given them the preparation to be successful in college and beyond, no matter their chosen path. Including the Class of 2024, MedTrack has graduated 234 students, many of whom have been able to give back to the program as speakers, Externship hosts, workshop leaders, Advisory Board members, and mentors. After serving as MedTrack’s first and only official director since 2012, Mrs. Grabowski will participate in various activities and advise the program during the 2024-25 school year in order to ensure a smooth and successful transition. “It has been a true privilege to devote my energy to MedTrack for the last 16 years. I am grateful to have built relationships with so many graduates, students, colleagues, and healthcare professionals. I am very excited to see the program grow even more under the tutelage of Dr. Hopkins,” said Grabowski.
Dr. Hopkins earned her undergraduate degree from Ohio University, followed by a Master in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a doctorate from The Ohio State University. Most recently, Dr. Hopkins was an Assistant Professor at Baldwin Wallace University where she taught undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in global health, prevention of chronic disease, and theories and practices in health promotion. Her extensive research and body of published work focused on improving food security and preventing nutrition-related diseases in underserved populations. She also held key appointments involving program management and student mentorship. Dr. Hopkins has been involved in the MedTrack program as an Advisory Board member, public health speaker, and coordinator for the public health component of the sophomore Externship experience. She is also a registered dietitian. “I am beyond thrilled to be transitioning into the Director position. When I moved home to the Cleveland area five years ago, I was so excited to reconnect to my roots and serve the communities that raised and shaped me, which is how I first became involved with MedTrack. It has been an honor to participate in the MedTrack program in various capacities over the past several years, and it is a privilege to be taking the lead in this next chapter of the program.”
Principal Bob DiRocco said, “I am extremely grateful for everything Laurie has done for MedTrack and for Padua. While it is hard to lose someone of her talent, I am also looking forward to working with our new Director of MedTrack, Dr. Laura Hopkins. The future of the program is bright thanks to Laurie and Laura.”