Geisinger College of Health Sciences

Three Geisinger School of Medicine students authored a paper published in The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, the official scientific publication of the American Academy of Dermatology. The paper is entitled Neonatal Familial Cold Autoinflammatory Syndrome: A Newborn with Recurrent Cold Induced Urticarial Eruptions. Nicholas Tomassoni, MD '28; Mary Grace Allen, MD '28; and Kaitlin Toal, MD '27, published the case report they produced under the mentorship of Keith Shenberger, MD and Youngjin Cho, PhD, associate professor of immunology at Geisinger.

Healthcare providers can gain easy access to community resources for patients with dementia thanks to a new app developed by Geisinger School of Medicine students. Aspiring neurologists Roshni Raj and Rachel Milke, both MD Class of 2028, developed Resources for Individuals Living with Dementia and their Families to take fragmented information about regional resources and pull them together in one location.

Two members of Geisinger School of Medicine's (GSOM) MD Class of 2027 received an award given to just 10 medical students nationwide. The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) awarded Kulsoom Mohammad and Nathan Witteveen the ASCP Medical Student Award. The honor is given to 10 medical students who have "achieved academic excellence, demonstrated leadership ability, and shown a strong interest in the pathology profession."

Geisinger College of Health Sciences' School of Medicine student Madison Brooks has received multiple awards and recognitions for scholarship and academic excellence. As she enters the final year of medical school, Brooks has racked up an eye-popping number of national awards: ASCP Medical Student Award Awarded to only 10 students nationwide each year, this honor recognizes academic excellence, leadership, and a strong interest in pathology. CAP 2025 Distinguished Medical Student Award One recipient per medical school annually, this award celebrates outstanding achievement and initiative in pathology. Society of '67 Kinney Scholar - Association for Academic Pathology (AAPath) One of only 8 students selected from 85 applicants, this highly competitive scholarship enabled Brooks to attend the AAPath conference in Denver, where she engaged with leaders in academic pathology. USCAP Genomics Workshop Travel Award This scholarship supported Brooks's attendance at the USCAP conference in Boston, where she networked with experts and Geisinger pathologists. CAP Medical Student Travel Award Brooks will attend the upcoming CAP conference in Orlando, where she will be paired with a practicing pathologist for mentorship. This award recognizes her strong commitment to pathology as a career. Brooks's experience at Geisinger has been transformative, thanks in large part to her mentor, Geisinger pathologist, Renee Frank, MD. "She's been helping me since day one," Madison says. "Any opportunity she had-research, awards, scholarships-she would reach out. She's one of the most incredible women I've ever met." Brooks is now preparing to apply for residency programs, with a strong interest in Geisinger's Danville program. And her vision for the future is clear: "I want to be somewhere like Geisinger, where people love their jobs and want to teach. That's how you build great doctors."

Nick Tomassoni, a second-year medical student at Geisinger College of Health Sciences School of Medicine, recently presented at the 2025 Academy for Professionalism in Health Careconference with a session titled "Gaining, Building, and Keeping Trust Throughout Medical Education and Practice." The presentation explored the complexities of trust in healthcare, emphasizing the relationships between medical learners, physicians and institutions.

Touch and hearing are the last senses to go when we die. It's why hospice professionals have an iron-clad rule: Assume everything you say can be heard and understood, even by a seemingly non-responsive patient - and assume these patients know when they're alone. This simple truth inspired a group of Geisinger College's School of Medicine class of 2025 to found No One Dies Alone, a volunteer group that "vigil sits" with hospice patients. And due to their compassion and dedication Allied Service Hospice recently recognized them with its Star Volunteer Award.

Geisinger College of Health Sciences' School of Medicine held its 13th commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 10. 115 members of the class of 2025 received a diploma.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine conferred Doctor of Medicine (MD) degrees upon the 108 students in the Class of 2023 at commencement ceremonies Sunday, May 7 at 11 a.m. at FM Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre.

Zhi-Shan Hsu, Tice Harkins, Miranda Rep, Justina Warnick, Michael Kovalick and Evan Calvo, all members of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's MD Class of 2024, helped Scranton Tomorrow clean up the downtown. Working in the rain, the students cleaned out the planters found in several blocks of Scranton's downtown area and planted fresh flowers that will beautify the city all spring and summer!

Sydney Dana, a member of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's MD Class of 2025, published a paper, "Pronounced State-Level Disparities in Medicaid Prescribing of Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder (2019-2020)" in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

Edward Liu, a member of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's MD Class of 2025, published a paper, "Pronounced State-Level Disparities in Prescription of Cannabinoids to Medicaid Patients," in the journal, Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids.

Guha Jay Ganesh, GCSOM MD Class of 2024, received one of just four scholarships awarded to medical students by the Physician's Foundation, a nonprofit that, through research, education and grantmaking works to improve physician wellbeing, strengthen physician leadership, address drivers of health and lift physician perspectives.

Abigail Geisinger Scholars from Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's (GCSOM) class of 2026 were welcomed into the family by their mentors and system leaders at a special reception and ceremony. Students accepted to the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program pay no tuition and receive a monthly stipend in exchange for a commitment to work as a Geisinger primary care physician or psychiatrist upon residency completion.

Thanks to a curricular emphasis on community immersion, a group of first-year medical students at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine worked with Marley's Mission, a nonprofit that provides equine-assisted psychotherapy to traumatized children, to develop health resources to help the children along their therapeutic journeys. Impressed with the results, Marley's Mission leadership asked the students to join them as their guests at the agency's annual Blue Ribbon Gala. At the event, held Feb. 18, the students' work was prominently displayed throughout the venue, and they were recognized for their work.

When the holidays come to the hospital, healing includes making spirits bright. That's why Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine student Miranda Chen played violin for the inpatients at Geisinger Lewistown Hospital (GLH) on Christmas Eve and Christmas day this year.

Kara Romanowski, a member of the MD Class of 2023, entered a submission, entitled "Dignity in the Details," a moving reflection on the need to remember the humanity of patients. Her first-place award will be presented during the 2022 FMEC Annual Meeting, September 16-18 in Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia.

A Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine student delivered an oral presentation and won an award at Geisinger's 27th annual Scholarship Days, an event that highlights the depth and breadth of clinician, fellow and resident research.

Five Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine MD graduates received military commissions prior to their Commencement ceremony,

Students in the Master of Biomedical Sciences Class of 2022 at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine have elected officers to represent them on the Graduate Student Council (GSC).

Mira Patel, a second-year medical student at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, last month was elected by her peers to serve as Medical Student Representative on the Women Physician Section for the Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED). She will serve in the role for one year.