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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Zhi-Shan Hsu, Justina A. Warnick and Tice R. Harkins, members of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's MD Class of 2024, along with Master of Biomedical Sciences alumni, Neal K. Bharati, MBS '21 and leTausjua B. Eley, MBS '21 have published a manuscript entitled "An analysis of patterns of distribution of buprenorphine in the United States using ARCOS, Medicaid, and Medicare databases" in the peer-reviewed journal Pharmacology Research & Perspectives.

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, MBS '21, of Lodi, a member of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's MD Class of 2027, has co-authored a paper published in the Nov. 16 edition of the online journal BMJ Open.

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.

One hundred and fifteen new MD students were presented with a powerful symbol of the medical profession at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's 15th annual White Coat Ceremony. The event welcoming the school'svClass of 2027 was held Aug. 5, in Scranton.

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.

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.

On March 17, 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.

Geisinger College of Health Sciences (Geisinger College) conferred 44 Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS) degrees upon students who composed Geisinger Commonwealth's MBS Class of 2022. Commencement ceremonies were held virtually on Saturday, January 7.

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.

Irene J. Ganahl, a member of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's MD Class of 2024, received a 2022 Excellence in Public Health Award from the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS).