Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program Newsletter - Summer 2021

Summer 2021

Abigail Geisinger Scholars Update Happy summer!

On May 2 we were overjoyed to watch the very first Abigail Geisinger Scholars graduate.

Read all about Hannah Bohr and join us in wishing her and her fellow Scholars — Tara Avery, Alexa Bolock, Saran Kunaprayoon and Jeremy Tokash — the best of luck as they begin their residencies.

As we bid a temporary farewell to our first cohort, we’re gearing up to welcome the newest Scholars, who will be members of the Class of 2025. You’ll meet some of them in upcoming editions of our newsletter.

Finally, we celebrate the Scholars who have just completed another academic year. We look forward to sharing their progress as they work with their clinical faculty mentors and have formative experiences at Geisinger’s signature primary care sites.

First Abigail Geisinger Scholars graduate Recently, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine conferred doctor of medicine degrees upon the 98 students who compose Geisinger Commonwealth’s graduating Class of 2021.

The commencement ceremony was held Sunday, May 2, at Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono. The in-person ceremony was limited to the graduates and two guests, with a live stream of the ceremony available to others.

The MD Class of 2021 included our first five Abigail Geisinger Scholars to graduate!

Congratulations to: Tara Avery, MD ’21 Transitional Residency Geisinger, PA Dermatology Residency Geisinger, PA Hannah Bohr, MD ’21 General Surgery Residency Spectrum Health/Michigan State University, MI

Alexa Bolock, MD ’21 Interventional Radiology (Integrated) Residency New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NY

Saran Kunaprayoon, MD ’21 General Surgery Residency ISMMS Mount Sinai Morningside – West, NY

Jeremy Tokash, MD ’21 Orthopaedic Surgery Geisinger, PA

Abigail Geisinger Scholars Update | Summer 2021

Graduate spotlight Hannah Bohr can name many classmates, faculty members and educational experiences that have readied her for the challenges of a general surgery residency. She said the greatest teacher, however, was the microscopic spiky ball that temporarily threw her third year of medical school into disarray.

“Honestly, my class had a lot of curve balls thrown at us because of COVID. My class was able to take lemons and make lemonade. Make the best of a bad situation. So, while I am nervous about my residency’s rigor, the hours and the steep learning curve, I know how to be resilient and adaptable. That’s going to help a lot,” she said.

Hannah is bound for Grand Rapids, Mich., to start a general surgery residency at Michigan State University and Spectrum Health — her first choice in the residency match.

“Of course I’m nervous about moving to new area that I am not familiar with at all, but that in itself presents excitement as well,” she said. “I’m looking forward to living in a different part of the country and moving on to the next step and getting a paycheck — finally! And I am really excited about having more responsibilities for patient care.”

Although Hannah says some anxiety will accompany her growing responsibilities as a surgeon, student loan debt is one thing she won’t worry about. “This is an exciting time for me, but having to pay insurmountable debt would be daunting and overwhelming. Knowing that a nice chunk of that will be relieved is a big weight off my shoulders,” she said.

Hannah was among the Geisinger Commonwealth students to be accepted into the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program.

In her case, having applied to the program in her second year of medical school, 2 years’ worth of her medical school debt will be forgiven when she returns to Geisinger after her 5-year residency.

“Even without the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program I think it was in the stars for me to return to the area. All of my family and my social support is here,” she said. “I am glad that during my residency I’ll have the chance to expand my horizons, but my safe haven is always home. So, everything now aligns with what I’ve always wanted.”

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Abigail Geisinger Scholars Update | Summer 2021

Geisinger CEO speaks to Abigail Geisinger Scholars His fellow Class of 2023 member Tyler Bogaczyk agreed.

“I was impressed with how Dr. Ryu was drawing parallels between non-healthcare industries and Geisinger — and how we need to use the lessons from past industry giants to guide Geisinger’s path forward as a leader in healthcare. Right now, I think Geisinger is staying on top through exciting projects like 65 Forward. As a system, Geisinger is truly asking, ‘What do people need?’ and ‘How can we help?’”

What do Steinway pianos, Blockbuster and travel agents have in common? They each represent a company or industry that failed to take note of what their constituents wanted and needed the most. And each was used as a cautionary example by Geisinger President and CEO Jaewon Ryu, MD, JD, when he led a recent senior leadership seminar for Abigail Geisinger Scholars.

“Using these companies as examples, we talked about how failing to adjust can lead to your downfall,” said Rick Hiciano, a member of the MD Class of 2023. “You can get left behind as markets change. This can’t happen if you place people’s needs at the center of all you do.”

Rick said the discussion sparked his entrepreneurial interests and he appreciated the way he was able to engage with the CEO, ask questions and, in turn, be challenged by Dr. Ryu. “Dr. Ryu posed a lot of questions and used good examples,” he said. “I remember Blockbuster. I grew up with it and I recall it ending. I love making those connections between what goes on in the wider world and what I will be doing.”

Interacting with leaders like Dr. Ryu will help him when he is a Geisinger physician, Rick said. “Experiences like this seminar will help me a lot. You have to adjust to what people need. I plan to be a child and adolescent psychiatrist, and in that field, you need to stay ahead of new treatments and be willing to understand the mindset and circumstances affecting patients. I also have entrepreneurial leanings and want to break new ground in the area of sports psychiatry, so as an Abigail Scholar, I appreciate the opportunity to learn from someone already making those kinds of decisions.”

Tyler also values the access to system leadership that the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program offers. “As Scholars, we are placed into this network of leaders and mentors,” he said. “In my second year of medical school, I am already interacting with people who makes decisions at the highest level of the Geisinger system. When I begin my clinical rotations in July, I believe this network will become even more valuable as I will be able to share my clinical experiences with my mentors and discuss how Geisinger policies and programs are impacting patient care. Since I know I’ll be working as a Geisinger physician someday, this early exposure to system thinking will help me better approach the way I provide care for my patients.”

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Abigail Geisinger Scholars Update | Summer 2021

Why I am a peer mentor

By Jaclyn Podd, MD Class of 2024 I’ve learned to value mentorship.

Prior to medical school, I had several mentors who were willing to share their career and personal experiences.

In hindsight, I realize the extent of the support and knowledge I gained from them. My mentors gave me the confidence to navigate medical school and life with drive and purpose.

My experiences encouraged me to give back my time as an ambassador and mentor through the REACH-HEI. I believe this is the best way to show gratitude to all the great mentors I have had. In my first year of medical school I was also supported through the school’s MD Peer Mentor Program, and I will be continuing next year as an M2 Peer Mentor Leader.

In the beginning of the year, the MD Peer Mentor Program pairs first-year students with second-year students who have volunteered to be mentors. The program allowed us to have immediate access to support, friendship and guidance. I think this instant connection to a mentor with insight and advice was even more special due to COVID and our predominantly virtual curriculum this year. My mentor, Malie Collins, has been a precious resource of advice and laughs, and I go to her for guidance on so many different aspects of first year: what she thought were the best places to find study resources, what is the best way to navigate different styles of teaching, etc. And it’s through my mentor that I became involved in and will be continuing with leadership in the MD Peer Mentor program.

Emily Grimes is a first-year classmate of mine, and she is also an Abigail Geisinger Scholar. Emily noted that the relationship with her current peer mentor has been one

based in strong camaraderie. She also learned of several different ways to get involved in the community and in leadership in the school through her mentor. Emily noted, “I am originally from Tennessee, and my mentor is from Washington. It was really nice to bond with someone who could give me tips on adjusting to the Scranton area from an out-of-state perspective. She also sparked my interest in the American Medical Student Association at school.

I have been pretty involved with AMSA throughout my first year of medical school, and recently I was elected to leadership as the president of the organization at school. I think having a peer mentor overall eased the adjustment to my first year of medical school.” She plans to participate as an M2 peer mentor next year for the incoming class.

Peer mentorship has been an essential tool for learning how to navigate my medical career with a balanced personal life. While there is an abundance of information available online, it is through speaking with mentors that I’ve learned to decipher for myself what is personally meaningful and make informed decisions on my future.

As an Abigail Geisinger Scholar and a future Geisinger physician, I believe mentorship can pass on important perspectives on practicing medicine in the NEPA area and how best to serve the local patient population as a doctor.

New Peer Mentor Leaders for the 2021 – 2022 academic year (* denotes Abigail Geisinger Scholar): •

Alison Barrett*

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Irene Ganahl*

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Thomas Gonzales*

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Donovan Harris

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Alysse Machalek*

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Jacob McKenzie

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John Murray

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Jaclyn Podd*

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Gabriela Rodriguez

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Hamzah Shariff*

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Abigail Geisinger Scholars Update | Summer 2021

Leadership spotlight Everyone expected the screening ultrasound to be routine. Instead, it revealed a 6.5-centimeter aneurysm.

“Normally, the aorta is about 2 centimeters,” Dr. Oley said. “Anything above 3 is considered an aneurysm, so this was quite large and put the patient at high risk for spontaneous rupture.” Had a rupture occurred, the patient could easily have died from the bleeding. But he had an emergency procedure and is doing well today. In fact, Dr. Oley noted that during a recent heavy snowfall, the patient shoveled his driveway. “Had he done that before the aneurysm repair, it could well have ruptured,” he said.

This spring, Abigail Scholars learned firsthand about the power of proper screenings. Richard Oley, DO, a family medicine physician and an Abigail Geisinger Scholars mentor, shared his personal experience with the remarkable, lifesaving outcomes a prescribed screening can yield.

The lesson for the Scholars was simple but powerful.

“We follow screening guidelines, and over time, we catch things,” Dr. Oley said. “It’s usually not as dramatic and immediate as this, but I wanted to impress upon the students that the things you do can result in saving a life.

As future primary care physicians, these students need to know that even routine screenings can make a difference and should not be overlooked.”

During a monthly seminar for Scholars centered around quality, Dr. Oley and his patient discussed a recent office visit that took a dramatic turn. “The patient was seeing me for a regular visit, and we sent him for an abdominal aortic aneurysm screening. He wasn’t experiencing any symptoms. Nothing really was going on. But he fit the screening criteria: He was male, a former smoker and aged 65 to 75.”

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine is committed to non-discrimination in all employment and educational opportunities.

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