Geisinger College of Health Sciences

Fifteen Geisinger School of Medicine students recently returned from Guatemala, where they completed a week-long rotation with Friends of San Lucas Mission - marking the second Geisinger-led trip to the region and a significant milestone in the institution's growing global health program. The students staffed pop-up clinics in rural communities, caring for more than 130 patients across five underserved communities in five days. Conditions treated ranged from chronic disease and nutritional deficiencies to pediatric infections and vision problems. Several students also donated eyeglasses collected prior to the trip, providing lasting benefits to patients with visual impairments.

Geisinger College of Health Sciences today celebrated the graduation of its Associate Degree in Nursing Class of 2026 at the Geisinger School of Nursing (SON) commencement ceremony in Lewistown. The ceremony marks another step forward in Geisinger's commitment to addressing the healthcare workforce shortage facing rural communities across Pennsylvania.

Geisinger College of Health Sciences' School of Medicine held its 18th annual White Coat Ceremony for the Class of 2030 on Friday, Aug. 7, in Scranton

Students in Geisinger School of Medicine's Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) earned national attention for their leadership, service and commitment to primary care. The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has selected the college's FMIG as a recipient of its 2026 Program of Excellence Award, which recognizes student-led initiatives that promote the values and impact of family medicine.

Geisinger College of Health Sciences conferred 28 Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS) degrees upon students in School of Graduate Education's MBS Class of 2026. Commencement ceremonies were held Saturday, July 11.

Oam Patel, a first-year medical student at Geisinger College's School of Medicine, was awarded Best in Show: Gold out of more than 500 posters at the American Medical Association Research Conference in Chicago for his poster presentation, "Plaque Radiotherapy for Posterior Uveal Melanoma in 4000 Eyes: Analysis of >/= 15 letter visual acuity loss in the pre-anti-VEGF era." The award recognizes both the scientific merit of the work and its potential impact on future efforts to improve quality of life for patients undergoing treatment for ocular cancer.

Geisinger School of Medicine students Lakshmi Ilango and Emily Rubio, both Class of 2026 and recipients of the Jennifer A. Sidari Global Health Award, returned from a monthlong rotation in Bogota, Colombia, with stories of connection and personal growth. Hosted by Fundacion Universitaria Juan N. Corpas, their experience blended clinical service, cultural immersion and personal discovery. Both students spent most of their rotation working in Centro Comunitaria Juan Corpas, a community clinic in a lowerincome neighborhood of Bogota.

Aubrey McGovern, a second-year medical student at Geisinger College's School of Medicine, is leading a global health initiative at the school that has resulted in scientific collaboration across two continents.

On Friday, March 20, 111 soon-to-be graduates of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine learned their residency placements during the National Resident Matching Program's "Match Day," an event at which all fourth-year M.D. students around the country simultaneously open their envelopes to learn where they will spend the next three to seven years training in their chosen specialty.

Second-year Geisinger College of Health Sciences medical student Jessica Huang has been appointed a regional delegate for the Northeast to the Association of American Medical Colleges' (AAMC) Organization of Student Representatives (OSR).

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.

Joaquim Diego Santos, Geisinger School of Medicine class of 2028, has received a highly competitive Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Carolyn L. Kuckein Research Fellowship. About 50 awards are made annually "to foster the development of the next generation of medical researchers." AOA, the national medical honor society, aims to promote scholarship and research in medical schools, encourage high standard of character and conduct among medical students and graduates, and recognize high attainment of goals in medical science, practice and related fields.

Ethan Boyle, a member of Geisinger School of Medicine's MD Class of 2028, was awarded a highly competitive Gold Student Summer Fellowship from The Arnold P. Gold Foundation. His project, "Action Against Healthcare Inequalities for Patients Experiencing Substance Abuse and Homelessness," will address healthcare access issues for people served by Scranton's Community Intervention Center (CIC). The project focuses on recording weekly vital signs for 100-150 patients, providing essential hygiene and harm-reduction products, and connecting patients to free healthcare clinics. The goal is to rebuild trust between this at-risk population and healthcare systems.

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.

On Friday, March 21, soon-to-be graduates of Geisinger School of Medicine took part in "Match Day," an event at which all fourth-year medical students around the country simultaneously open envelopes to learn where they'll spend the next years training in their chosen specialty.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine held its 16th annual White Coat Ceremony for the Class of 2028 on Saturday, Aug. 3, at the Theater at North in Scranton.

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.

On March 15 soon-to-be graduates of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (Geisinger Commonwealth) learned their residency placements during the National Resident Matching Program's "Match Day," an event at which all fourth-year M.D. students around the country simultaneously open their envelopes to learn where they will spend the next three to seven years training in their chosen specialty.

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.

Rhudjerry Arnet, a member of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine MD Class of 2027, published a paper, "An Examination of the Complex Pharmacological Properties of the Non-Selective Opioid Modulator Buprenorphine to distinguish the variable properties and mechanisms of Buprenorphine" in the journal, Pharmaceuticals.

Edward Liu, a member of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's MD Class of 2025, published a paper, "Variations in adverse drug events of opioids in the United States," in the journal, Frontiers in Pharmacology.

Two Geisinger Commonwealth medical students, Garrett Alexander, II, and Luke Cavanah, both members of the class of 2025, have published a paper, Medical Cannabis Legalization: No Contribution to Rising Stimulant Rates in the USA, in the journal Pharmacopsychiatry.

Catherine (Cate) Falkenstein, a member of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's MD Class of 2027, recently received a commendation for the work she did as a member of the American Balint Society.

Edward Liu, a member of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's class of 2025, was a presenter at the Pennsylvania Society of Oncology and Hematology's (PSOH) annual conference last fall in Philadelphia. A state affiliate of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, PSOH is an organization of physicians and healthcare professionals devoted to the improvement of hematologic and oncologic care of patients.

Amy Kennalley, Class of 2027 and Jessica Fanelli, Class of 2025 both MD students at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, published a paper, "Dynamic changes in methadone utilization for opioid use disorder treatment: a retrospective observational study during the COVID-19 pandemic" in BMJ Open, a medical journal addressing research questions in clinical medicine, public health and epidemiology.