Dr. Goolsby earned a bachelor’s degree from Hampton University, and Doctor of Dental Surgery and M.S. in Health Administration degrees from the Virginia Commonwealth University. She has been a faculty member in the Department of General Practice at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry since 2009.

 After completing the Postgraduate Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency program at Howard University in 1994, she worked in a private practice in New Orleans and in a community health clinic in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.  Susie opened a solo practice in the rural city of Thibodaux, Louisiana in 1999 and continued until her appointment at the VCU School of Dentistry.

 In 2013, Dr. Goolsby was appointed as the Director of Student Recruitment and Director of Pipeline Programs, and served in that role until 2020.  She led state and national recruitment for the DDS program and was successful in recruiting highly competitive applicants from diverse backgrounds with diverse interests. Dr. Goolsby provided leadership and support for the school and university pipeline programs.  As a result of her leadership and recruiting efforts, VCU experienced a 44% increase in the number of applicants. In 2019, in collaboration with the Division for Student Success, she co-created Thrive, a student-support and retention program that offers support and mentorship for historically underrepresented race and ethnic students through the first year in dental school. Additionally, she served as the advisor for all participants in the program. From July 2020 until her appointment at OHSU, she served as the Director of one of the eight pre-doctoral clinical groups at VCU where she educated, mentored, advised, and guided a group of 25 third- and fourth-year dental students.  Dr. Goolsby is an active member, and speaker and advisor, in ASDA and ADEA.  She is a Fellow of the ADEA Leadership Institute class of 2021 and recipient of the ADEA/Colgate-Palmolive/National Dental Association Jeanne Sinkford Scholarship.

Susie looks forward to sharing her ideas and plans for enhancing the number of applicants and increasing the diversity of our student body through communication and collaboration with schools and departments at OHSU and throughout the community.