Geisinger College of Health Sciences

Monica Joglekar, a member of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's MD Class of 2022, was among the medical-student authors of the independently published book, Diary of a Med Student. Released in September, the book features 100 student authors offering reflections on various aspects of the medical school experience.

Matthew Busch, a member of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's (GCSOM) MD Class of 2021, published an essay in the Oct. 7 edition of in-Training, an online peer-reviewed publication for medical students.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) student, Michael Blazaskie, a member of the MD Class of 2024 presented a session at Drexel University's seventh annual Conference on Teaching and Learning Assessment, held virtually. Blazaskie presented a session entitled, "Assessment of Graduate Students' Professional Identity Formation during the COVID-19 Pandemic,"

Paul Bastian, a member of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's MD Class of 2023, along with two faculty members, presented at the Sept. 23 NVivo Virtual Conference. Bastian presented a poster entitled, "Utilizing NVivo as an Evaluation Tool of a Hidden Curriculum Discussion Board within Medical Education."

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) students, Kara Romanowski and Jordan Wolfheimer, both members of the MD Class of 2023 will present at the National Residency Matching Program's (NRMP) virtual meeting, "Transition to Residency," being held Oct. 16-17. The students will present a session entitled, "Student Satisfaction with a Career Coaching Model in Undergraduate Medical Education."

Three Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine medical students, along with two faculty members, will present at the National Residency Matching Program's (NRMP) virtual meeting, "Transition to Residency," being held Oct. 16-17.

An abstract based on a project initiated during the 2019 Summer Research Immersion Program (SRIP) has been accepted for presentation at the national American Heart Association meeting to be held virtually in November. The abstract is entitled, "Computer Versus Physician-Interpreted Electrocardiographic Diagnosis of Prior Anterior, Septal or Anteroseptal Myocardial Infarction."

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) announced that 33 members of their Class of 2024 have been accepted to the Geisinger Primary Care Scholars program. Primary Care Scholars pay no tuition and receive a monthly stipend in exchange for becoming a Geisinger-employed physician in one of three targeted primary care specialties.

Three Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine medical students, along with two faculty members, presented at the Sept. 23 "NVivo Virtual Conference."

Amelia Mackarey, a fourth-year medical student at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM), recently completed the six-week Epidemiology Elective Program (EEP) at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. Mackarey's six weeks in Atlanta occurred just as the CDC issued guidelines regarding vaping and began rolling out its novel coronavirus response.

The Pediatric Endocrinology Society (PES) has selected Meredith Hanrahan, a member of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's MD Class of 2022, as a member of the highly exclusive PedsEndo Discovery Program. PES pays for the travel, lodging and conference registration to the 2020 PES Annual Meeting in Fort Worth for students chosen for the program. Students will also be introduced to board members and committee chairs during the meeting.

More than 30 Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) students completed training and were certified in Mental Health First Aid. Mental Health First Aid is an eight-hour training course designed to help participants build key skills to help a person coping with a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) teaches skills that can be used in a crisis just as CPR training helps a layperson without medical training assist an individual suffering a heart attack.

Students, faculty and staff at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine celebrated their heritage, culture and diversity with a lively international potluck luncheon and cultural dress fashion show on Friday, Jan. 17. Models presented cultural fashions from Africa, Japan and India. The fashion show is preceded by an international luncheon, with foods prepared by members of the GCSOM community eager to share a cultural dish.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) announced that eight fourth-year medical students have successfully matched into residency programs. While most of GCSOM's MD Class of 2020 will learn of the locations of their residency programs at noon on Friday, March 20, several matches occurs prior to the national residency event.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM)announces the first cohort of students accepted to the Geisinger Primary Care Scholars Program, in which selected scholars receive a monthly stipend and pay no tuition or fees in exchange for an obligation to work in a primary care area (family medicine, internal medicine or medicine-pediatrics) at Geisinger once they finish residency.

Two Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) students are authors of a paper published in Vol. 8, Issue 1 of Pharmacy, an international scientific peer-reviewed open access journal on pharmacy education and practice published quarterly online by MDPI. The students, Sara Graham and John Wroblewski, are both members of the MD Class of 2022.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine recently held an election for Graduate Student Council (GSC) for the Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS) program. GSC represents the united voice of graduate students and provides programs and activities which support the college's mission and core values. The elected officers of GSC will work to strengthen existing bonds between students, faculty, staff and administration and to enrich the college's educational excellence and student affairs programs.

Three Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) students and two faculty members had a paper accepted for publication in the September edition of the journal, Forensic Science International. Forensic Science International is an international journal dedicated to the applications of medicine and science in the administration of justice. The co-authors are Kevin Simpson, Matthew Moran and Dipam Shah, all members of GCSOM's MD Class of 2021 and faculty members Brian Piper, Ph.D., assistant professor of neuroscience and Olapeju M. Simoyan, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of family medicine and epidemiology.

The Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) notified four medical students at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine that their research, "Identifying and Increasing Palliative Care Consults in the Medical ICU," has been accepted for poster presentation CAPC's national seminar, scheduled for Nov.14-16 in Atlanta.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) has announced that 10 new doctors-in-training have committed to staying in the region to practice medicine by becoming part of the innovative Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program. Abigail Geisinger Scholars pay no tuition in exchange for an obligation to work at Geisinger once they finish residency.

Two student leaders at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) announced that "Concussions and Head Injuries," the inaugural offering of a new Sports Medicine Lecture series at GCSOM, will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 6:30 p.m. Michael Pheasant of East Stroudsburg and Bradley Garcia of Doylestown, both second-year medical students, are members of GCSOM's Student Musculoskeletal Society (SMS). Together they and Mark Seeley, MD, SMS club advisor and faculty sponsor, developed the concept for sharing information on safety, exercise and health for free with the community.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) held its 11th annual White Coat Ceremony for the Class of 2023 on Aug. 2. The Class of 2023's future doctors participated in a ceremony, held in common with virtually every other medical school in the nation, designed to welcome new medical students into the profession. Students recited an oath acknowledging their responsibilities as future physicians and their obligations to future patients. Then they were cloaked with the white coat -- the mantle of the medical profession.

Samuel Mellits, a member of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's (GCSOM) MD Class of 2020, delivered remarks at GCSOM's White Coat ceremony welcoming the new MD Class of 2023. It is the first time a GCSOM student has addressed attendees of the ceremony. Mellits spoke to students, their families and others gathered at the event about Geisinger Commonwealth's chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society to underscore how the values of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation are prioritized at GCSOM.

The American Medical Association (AMA) announced that Vanessa Thiel, a member of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's (GCSOM) MD Class of 2021, was appointed chair of AMA's Committee on Bioethics and Humanities in the Medical Student Section.

Brian Velasco is still just a medical student at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, but he has already accumulated more than 30 research experiences in publications, abstracts and presentations. He has also been invited to deliver podium presentations at the prestigious American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society's (AOFAS) annual meeting in Chicago, but had to decline the invitation because his preceptor at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard teaching hospital, suggested his fourth-year clinical rotations took precedence. However, his work will still be presented in September by his fellow co-authors.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine students at the Guthrie Campus participated in the second Stanley Conklin Research Day, an event which will be held annually. The purpose of the event is to showcase resident and student research and quality improvement projects conducted within the Guthrie system. Oral and poster presentations were judged by a panel of physicians and awards were announced at the end of the event.

In April, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine students at the Guthrie Campus participated in the second Stanley Conklin Research Day, an event which will be held annually. The purpose of the event is to showcase resident and student research and quality improvement projects conducted within the Guthrie system. Oral and poster presentations were judged by a panel of physicians and awards were announced at the end of the event.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine bestowed its annual end-of-year awards upon deserving students and faculty at a ceremony in May. During the event, Dr. Bruce Saidman presented the Dr.Lester Saidman Award for Excellence in Emergency Medicine, to GCSOM fourth-year student, Thomas Sewatsky.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) bestowed its annual end-of-year awards upon deserving students and faculty at a ceremony in May. During the event, Maureen Pesavento presented the John R. & Maureen J. Pesavento Community Service Award to fourth-year GCSOM medical student, Elizabeth Boyle.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) bestowed its annual end-of-year awards upon deserving students and faculty at a ceremony in May. During the event, several GCSOM students were recognized with a Jennifer A. Sidari, MD '13 Global Health Educational Award.