Geisinger College of Health Sciences

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.

Oluwaseyi Olulana, a member of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's cass of 2024, was elected Student National Medical Association (SNMA) Region VIII Director. Region VIII includes all medical schools in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware. Olulana was elected at the 2022 SNMA Annual Medical Education Conference (AMEC) in Orlando, the largest gathering of underrepresented minority (URM) medical students in the nation.

On Saturday April 23, the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Basketball Club held a tournament to support local charities providing aid to Ukrainian refugees. Students and members of the Geisinger community spent the day competing in a "three-on-three" basketball tournament and other games.

On November 10, Len Farber, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's director of career engagement, along with Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS) student volunteers, assembled meal packets to hand out to veterans from northeastern Pennsylvania. Students were located at three distribution sites in Wilkes-Barre and Scranton.

On January 28, three Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS) students joined an effort aimed at improving health in Scranton's African American community.

Several students in the master of biomedical sciences (MBS) Class of 2022 received personal thanks from Jim Pierce, president of Pike County Hands of Hope, who praised the students for their work aiding people without homes.

Members of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's (GCSOM) chapter of the Minority Association of Premedical Students (MAPS) recently completed a successful fundraiser on behalf of the NEPA Rainbow Alliance.The Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS) students raised funds by selling Double Good Popcorn.

Eight medical students at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine volunteered during Scranton School District's Fire Prevention Month Fair in October.The Scranton School District invited students of GCSOM to create a table on Family Health and Wellness.

Twelve Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine MD students participated in a September 11th Day of Service designed to inspire future heroes.

Members of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's (GCSOM) chapter of the Minority Association of Premedical Students (MAPS) recently completed a successful fundraiser on behalf of the Black Scranton Project.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's (GCSOM) Climbing Club and Chakstone Climbing will host the "Spooky Sends Dyno Climbing Competition" on Saturday, Oct. 30. The event will benefot Children's Advocacy Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania.

On Sept. 20 Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's Pediatric Outreach Group for Students (POGS) hosted a vaccine clinic. During the clinic, the POGS students taught 73 fellow GCSOM medical students how to administer vaccines, understand the pediatric vaccine schedule and combinations, navigate vaccine hesitancy conversations, and manage vaccinations in immune-compromised patients.

On Aug. 25, Emily Grimes, a member of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's MD Class of 2024 joined Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn, along with officials from Geisinger and the Pennsylvania Medical Society officials at Hess Recreation Area to launch 'Walk with a Doc' statewide.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) student, Alivia Roberts, a member of the master of biomedical sciences Class of 2021, organized and presented an Earth Day service project designed to encourage students, faculty and staff to recognize and adopt environmentally-friendly practices.

On April 27, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's Pediatric Outreach Group for Students (POGS) hosted events for child abuse prevention. The observance included a pinwheel planting on the lawn of the Medical Sciences Building. Students also wrote, signed and sent letters to local business owners about recognizing the signs of child abuse.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's Center for Student Engagement, Diversity & Inclusion, along with the Asians in the Diaspora Planning Committee, presented a series of events in April to celebrate Asian cultures! Although May is the official Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, student planners chose April to recognize the contributions and the history, culture and achievements of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.

Alivia Roberts, a member of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's (GCSOM) Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS) Class of 2021 and chair of the Graduate Student Council Service and Engagement Committee, invited her classmates to take part in "Geisinger Pays it Forward." The initiative was an effort to "spread kindness and reflect on the impact we can make, one kind act at a time," according to Roberts.

Several Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine students worked with Vicki T. Sapp, director of student engagement, diversity and inclusion and assistant professor at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, to present a series of lectures and workshops celebrating "Women's HERStory" month in March. Women's HERStory events included a Black Women's Health Matters series and a series called, Women LEAD. They were presented by Geisinger's Black Outreach Leadership Development (BOLD) Employee Resource Group; Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's Center for Student Engagement, Diversity and Inclusion; Geisinger's Women LEAD Employee Resource Group; and community partner, Black Scranton Project.

A Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine faculty member and two students helped The Black Scranton Project unveil its Black History Month programming by raising the Pan-African Flag at an annual event held at Scranton City Hall.

At an orientation event held March 24, four students from Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS) program became the first volunteers in a new program that will aid elderly patients at GEisinger South Wilkes-Barre.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine medical students hosted the school's 11th annual Turkey Trot 5K/10K in November. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the students planned a virtual race instead of the traditional in-person event. Despite this challenge, student organizers raised more than $10,000 for Friends of the Poor.

The 2020 Steamtown Health Fair will go on - virtually. According to student planners, gift bags filled with educational resources and other "goodies" from local health and wellness businesses which will be handed out by participating organizations. Bags will be distributed from Tuesday, Oct. 13 through Saturday, Oct. 17 while supplies last. Please check geisinger.edu/gcsomhealthfair for updates on where to pick up a bag. "While not our typical health fair format, this will still be a fun, free way to learn about health, wellness and the resources that are available to you in the community," said ___ In addition, instead of the health fair's gift basket raffle, GCSOM students have chosen to help promote donations to several local organizations. If you would like to donate to any of these organizations, you may do so by following the links listed below: Bread Basket of NEPA Meals on Wheels of NEPA - You can also text "meals" to 64600 National Alliance on Mental Illness NEPA United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA Follow the event on Facebook for the latest updates. For more information, contact Julia Hendricks at jhendricks@som.geisinger.edu.

A new academic year usually includes a flurry of activities meant to organize and orient new students. At Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM), September typically includes events that fill the Medical Sciences Building lobby with booths, balloons and people. This year, despite COVID-19 restrictions, student planners made sure the annual Community Service Fair went on as scheduled.

On Saturday, March 21, student members of the Dermatology Interest Group at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) will host a free skin-cancer screening from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the school's Medical Sciences Building, 525 Pine Street in Scranton.

Student leaders at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine organized a Day of Service in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The students planned and participated in events for Scranton-area children and youth at Friends of the Poor and Boys and Girls Club. Events included teaching participants the basics of CPR, blood pressure, heart rate and temperature in order to expose them to health indicators in minority populations. The children also learned about Dr. King and created posters regarding their dreams for the future.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's student organization, Pediatric Outreach Group for Students (POGS), spearheaded an effort to make sure children in Head Start programs and foster care will have gifts to open this holiday season. The students sponsored a Holiday Giving Tree that collected donations for Dunmore Head Start and Lackawanna Family Care for Children and Youth. More than 140 children will receive gifts thanks to the effort.

Student leaders at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine recently planned and organized the school's second Indigenous/First Nation People cultural bazaar to celebrate is Indigenous/First Nation People Heritage Month, an observance that occurs in November.

Preserving health and having fun were the twin goals of the eighth annual Steamtown Health Fair recently hosted by second-year medical students from Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) in partnership with Scranton Primary Health Care Center. The free, family-friendly event featured free screenings for blood pressure, hearing and mental health. In addition, attendees received information on a variety of health-related topics, from diabetes management to substance use disorder education, as well as education on emotional resilience and organ and tissue donation. All event proceeds were donated to the Meals on Wheels of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Student organizers said 250 people attended or volunteered at the event.

A group of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) students have dedicated what little spare time they have to mentoring undergraduate students and preparing them to be competitive applicants. Since its founding in 2018, the Pre-medical Mentoring and Advising Program (PMAP) has helped 17 students get into medical school and was recognized by GCSOM students as "organization of the year" for the 2018-2019 academic year, based upon student votes.