Geisinger College of Health Sciences

On Nov. 11, 12 Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (Geisinger Commonwealth) students traveled to the University of Pennsylvania to attend the Racism in Medicine Conference 2017. The purpose of the conference was to provide an opportunity for people in healthcare or related fields to examine the ways that racism affects the health of marginalized people and to develop strategies to oppose it.

Dipam Shah, of Scranton, a first-year medical student at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, is co-author of a paper accepted for publication in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Members of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's (Geisinger Commonwealth) MD Class of 2020 led a project that will help medical and graduate school students stay grounded during their studies. The project, dubbed "Grateful at Geisinger Commonwealth," is a monthly collection of reflections from members of the School of Medicine community on aspects of student life for which they are grateful.

On Nov. 30, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's student organization, Physicians Representing Inclusivity, Diversity and Equality (PRIDE), will hold a ceremony marking World AIDS Day and remembering all lives lost to the disease. The event is free and open to the public.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's chapter of the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) held a "mock baby shower" event to benefit St. Joseph's Center Baby Pantry. Students brought shower gifts and enjoyed lunch, dessert and traditional baby shower festivities, including a "guess the baby food flavor" game. All gifts were donated to the Baby Pantry. The Baby Pantry is a free, local community service supplied entirely by donations and is available to all families who need baby food, clothing, diapers, and other baby items. The shower event raised more than $500 worth of items to give to the pantry.

Doug Wells, a Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine second-year medical student, has founded the Community Healthcare Advocacy Team for Individuals with Disabilities (CHATID). Imagine approaching a receptionist's desk that's so high you can't see over it. Or arriving for a cancer screening only to confuse staff because they are not sure how to properly lift you from your wheelchair. Or being deaf and having interpretive services that don't speak the sign language to which you are accustomed, rendering the service virtually useless. These are challenges people with disabilities face in our community every day. They comprise the largest minority group that anyone can join at any time, yet far too few of their neighbors comprehend the difficulties they encounter. Doug said these barriers unacceptable -- especially when they are encountered in healthcare. Because his father copes with multiple sclerosis (MS), Doug has firsthand knowledge of some of the difficulties people with disabilities face. That's why he founded CHATID.

Vanessa Velez of Hazleton, a fourth-year medical student at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, is the author of a poem, entitled "Body Field Meets Sterile Field," published in the September 2017 edition of in-Training, an online magazine for medical students.

Student leaders representing Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's (Geisinger Commonwealth) MD Class of 2020 recently organized a multi site "Day of Service." On Sept. 18, second-year medical students fanned out across Lackawanna County to clean parks, stock food pantry shelves and help care for youth, elderly and the homeless population in the region.

Students in the master of biomedical sciences (MBS) program at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's Doylestown campus recently had the opportunity to receive "CPR for Healthcare Providers" training.

On Sept. 14, two members of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's MD Class of 2020 delivered a presentation on mental health and substance use disorders in northeastern Pennsylvania. The region is among the top 15 areas for drug-related deaths in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The students, Stephanie Amendola of Mountain Top and Shane Zeshonski of Archbald, assessed the scope of the problem and described potential interventions. Both students are recipients of the Commonwealth Health Future Physician Scholarship.

Incoming first-year Doctor of Medicine (MD) students received the first symbol of their new profession as Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (Geisinger Commonwealth) held its ninth annual White Coat Ceremony for the Class of 2021 on Friday, Aug. 4 in Scranton.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine graduate, Daniel Baldoni, MD of Glenmoore, publishes paper in the May 5 edition of Science magazine

During the spring semester, several master of biomedical sciences (MBS) students at the Doylestown campus of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (Geisinger Commonwealth) took part in a shadowing experience at Matossian Eye Associates in Doylestown.

Laura Barna of Mountain Top, a member of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's MD Class of 2019, will publish a case presentation in an upcoming edition of the Journal of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus in the Images in Pediatric Ophthalmology section. She hopes to pursue ophthalmology as her medical specialty.

MaryElise Lynch of Philadelphia received two awards at a May 6 ceremony held at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (Geisinger Commonwealth).

On Saturday, April 8, students in the master of biomedical sciences program at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's Doylestown campus (MBS-D) participated in a Cultural Awareness Day at the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute. Student leader, Janette Pham, organized the event, which focused on cultivating awareness of global cultures and recognizing the beneficial effects of diversity in improving the practice of medicine. Each student contributed to the event by discussing the nuances of their personal culture(s) and how multiculturalism impacts medicine locally, nationally and globally.

Fourteen third-year medical students at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine have been notified that they will be inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS).

Eighty-eight students at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (Geisinger Commonwealth), the largest class in the school's history, learned their residency placements during the National Resident Matching Program's "Match Day." Match Day occurred simultaneously at medical colleges around the country in an exciting event in which all fourth-year M.D. students opened their envelopes to learn where they will spend the next three to seven years training in specialties. Residencies begin July 1.

On March 7, Adriana Feliz, Michael Scharf and Nicholas Maffetone - all students in Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's master of biomedical sciences program (MBS) at the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute in Doylestown -- served as judges for the Buck County Science Research Competition.

Leanne Woiewodski, of Lower Burrell, a second-year medical student at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, was the lead author of a case report published in the Journal of Pediatrics.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's Doylestown campus recently celebrated the FDA approval of TRULANCE, a drug developed by Kunwar Shailubhai, PhD, MBA, executive vice president and chief scientific officer of Synergy Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Shailubhai is also a faculty member at the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute (BSBI) and at Geisinger Commonwealth.

Mountaintop resident Michael Bedrin, a fourth-year medical student at The Commonwealth Medical College (TCMC) has been notified he has successfully matched into an orthopedic surgery residency at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland.

TCMC students led the organization of a special event meant to help future primary care doctors, pharmacists and other providers effectively address the delicate topic of end-of-life care.

First-year TCMC medical student Daniel Bach is co-author of a paper published by Neuroscience Letters in its September 2016 edition. He collaborated with fellow researchers at West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Neuroscience Letters is a biweekly scientific journal for short articles covering all aspects of neuroscience.

108 students received their white coats at a ceremony on Aug. 12.

First-year TCMC medical student Adit Singhal is co-author of a paper published in the August 2016 edition of The International Journal of Medical and Pharmaceutical Case Reports. Researchers at Georgetown University and of Topiwala National Medical College and Sathaye College, both in Mumbai, India, collaborated on the paper. The journal publishes case reports in the areas of medical and pharmaceutical sciences and is a quality-controlled, open peer-reviewed international journal. The article,