MD Viewbook 2024

Doctor of Medicine MD Program

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

Doctor of Medicine MD Program

Table of contents Message from the president and dean......................... 1 Total Health Curriculum....................................................... 2 Spotlight: Anitza Quintero.................................................... 6 Systems, Society and Humanism in Medicine.......... 7 Spotlight: Akshay Patel........................................................... 8 Clinical presentation model............................................... 9 Regional campus model..................................................... 10 Geisinger experiences......................................................... 11 Spotlight: Ceili Hamill........................................................... 12 Research and scholarship................................................. 13 Spotlight: Jordan Salvato.................................................... 15 Student well-being................................................................ 16 Match maker............................................................................ 18 Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program........................... 22 Apply............................................................................................. 24

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine educates aspiring physicians and scientists to serve society using a community-based, patient-centered, interprofessional and evidence-based model of education that is committed to inclusion, promotes discovery and utilizes innovative techniques.

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

Concerns or questions may be directed to the Title IX coordinator whose contact information is available at geisinger.edu/titleix

Doctor of Medicine | MD Program

A message from the president and dean In the modern healthcare landscape, we must focus on value: quality and outcomes.

And we know that physicians who comprehend the complex, interlocking systems driving healthcare deliver better patient care.

Geisinger has been a leader in value-based care and health systems science long before these were buzzwords. Our visionary initiatives like ProvenCare® drive toward positive outcomes using best evidence. The MyCode® Community Health Initiative, with more than 350,000 sequenced genomes, is used to place precision medicine where it belongs — in the clinic and in the hands of primary care providers. Our robust research arm is uniquely focused on discovery that jumps directly from hypothesis to health. And while we use machine learning and AI and every technological tool to our patients’ advantage, we don’t forget that where our neighbors work, where they live and what our communities support drives health. That’s why we emphasize health equity and innovate in the human sphere.

We offer groundbreaking programs like Fresh

Food Farmacy®, which provides healthy, nutritious groceries for entire households, and Geisinger 65 Forward, which recognizes the unique needs of an aging population to optimize the health of the people and populations we serve.

This is what makes our education uniquely Geisinger. Leveraging Geisinger’s acclaimed clinical and technological strengths, we emphasize active learning, early clinical exposure and community immersion. That’s why Geisinger College of Health Sciences graduates are known for authentic empathy, in addition to residencyready clinical skills. We educate the kind of doctors who will lead healthcare teams of the future. If this is the future physician you’d like to be, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine is the place for you to learn.

Sincerely, Julie Byerley, MD, MPH President, Geisinger College of Health Sciences Dean, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer, Geisinger

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Total Health Curriculum The Total Health Curriculum is built on the science of learning and uses an evidence-based approach to train skilled, compassionate physicians who provide individualized care of patients and promote health in the communities they serve. In addition to providing a fully integrated and immersive educational experience in basic, clinical and health systems sciences, the curriculum emphasizes six longitudinal themes that compose the Systems, Society and Humanism in Medicine (SSHM) core: Community Immersion and Population Health, Health System Citizenship, Personal and Professional Development, Primary Care, Social Justice and Health Equity .

We envision our Total Health Curriculum as a tree, like the tree of knowledge that forms our seal. The roots correspond to Phase 1 – Principles of Science and Practice, which encompasses foundational education rooted in basic, clinical and health system sciences. The trunk epitomizes Phase 2 – Core Clinical Immersion. With roots firmly planted, you will build a solid body of clinical experiences that begins early and grows in complexity and meaning.

The trunk provides firm support for the branches, which represent Phase 3 – Career Differentiation and Exploration. During this phase, you will progress in the development of advanced clinical skills and training that suits your individual interests and career goals.

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Doctor of Medicine | MD Program

At a glance: Total Health Curriculum October

September

August

November

December

January

February

March

April

May

Phase 1 – Principles of Medical Science and Practice

Phase 1 – Principles of Medical Science and Practice

June

July

Summer Research

Phase 2 – Core Clinical Immersion

Phase 2 – Core Clinical Immersion

Phase 3 – Career Differentiation and Exploration

Phase 3 – Career Differentiation and Exploration

Phase 1

Principles of Medical Science and Practice Phase 1 includes three semesters. The curriculum is organized into integrated, system-based blocks and features learning through the Clinical Presentation Model and other active learning formats.

Ataaglance: glance:Phase Phase11 At

PPCC

September

October

Integrative review

PPCC

ISC

ISC

PPCC

November

ISC

PPCC

February

March

Cardiopulmonary

PPCC

December

Neuroscience/Psychiatry

Endocrine/Reproduction

ISC

Gastrointestinal

Integrative week

August

January

April

Renal

ISC

PPCC

May

June

July

Hematology Integrative review

PPCC

December

Winter break - Phase 1 ends

ISC

November

Winter break

ISC

Orientation

Dermatology and Musculoskeletal

Spring break

October

Principles of Medicine

Integrative review

September

August

ISC

Summer Research Immersion Program (SRIP)

PPCC

54 weeks of instructional time 2 courses: Integrated Science Course (ISC) and Physician and Patient Centered Care (PPCC)

How it works: Clinical Presentation Model

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Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

Phase 2 Core Clinical Immersion Phase 2 contains a four-week Transition to Clerkship course, five nine-week clerkship blocks (Ambulatory, Neurosciences, Women’s and Children, Surgery and Medicine) inclusive of bridge weeks.

Bridge weeks are periods between clerkship blocks during which you’ll complete assignments, take national board subject examinations and receive orientation for the next clerkship experience. They also allow you to explore subspecialty areas of interest, conduct research, follow up on continuity patients and/or meet with mentors and advisors. Phase 2 ends with a two-week Transition to Phase 3 course. Additional features of the Phase 2 curriculum include longitudinal requirements in the disciplines of Radiology and Pathology/Diagnostic Medicine and a Career Pathways Program.

At a glance: Phase 2 Clinical blocks

Curriculum overview*

Transition to Clerkships

Hones clinical skills and provides necessary clerkship overviews and trainings in preparation to enter clinical learning environment full-time.

Regional orientation sessions also included.

Ambulatory

Outpatient experience inclusive of Family Medicine, Geriatrics, Pediatrics and Musculoskeletal Medicine.

Medicine

Inpatient and outpatient experience with exposure to general medicine and medicine subspecialty fields.

Women’s and Children’s

Inpatient Pediatrics, newborn nursery and pediatric subspecialty areas combined with Obstetrics/Gynecology (OB/GYN) curricular experiences including labor and delivery, gynecologic surgery and outpatient OB/GYN clinic.

Neurosciences

Combined clinical experience inclusive of inpatient and outpatient Neurology and Psychiatry services.

Surgery

Core General Surgery rotations with intentional exposure to subspecialty surgical fields.

Transition to Phase 3

Transitional curriculum that allows you to reflect on your clerkship year experiences and provides enhanced skill development to prepare you for the advanced clinical requirements in the Phase 3 year.

*Length of curriculum blocks is based on Medical Curriculum Committee review each year.

2023 Step 1 pass rate* Geisinger Commonwealth 98% National 92% 4

*first-time examinees

Doctor of Medicine | MD Program

Phase 3 Career Differentiation and Exploration Phase 3 includes required core clinical rotations, expanded elective exploration opportunities and a formal Transition to Residency course.

At a glance: Phase 3 - Requirements for advanced clinical experiences* Activity

Curriculum overview*

Required rotations

Advanced clinical experiences including Medicine subinternship, Critical Care Medicine selective, Emergency Medicine and Health Systems Interprofessional Sciences selective, as well as a Preparation for Licensure course.

Elective opportunities

Elective opportunities to enhance your learning and expand knowledge in specialty areas, research, medical humanities and teaching.

Transition to residency

You’ll participate in a variety of in-person and virtual sessions that will prepare you for transition into the graduate medical education phase of your training. *Length of curriculum blocks is based on Medical Curriculum Committee review each year.

Take a deeper dive into our curriculum by visiting: go.geisinger.edu/gcsomcurriculum 5

Student spotlight

Anitza Quintero

Inspired by her parents, Abigail Geisinger Scholar Anitza Quintero’s mission is to care for those who are most vulnerable. “I’ve always been passionate about helping underserved populations and people who don’t have access to healthcare. I think that passion comes from my background and my family,” she said. “We’re Cuban and we’re a big family — we’re very loving with each other. My parents experienced a lot of hardships in Cuba and were able to escape the regime in 1995.”

Using the strength and work ethic her parents instilled in her, Quintero wanted to help others.

Propelled by her desire to be of service, Quintero went to South and Central America on mission trips in college. After graduation, she worked in a small Texas border town helping migrant children as an emergency case manager. These experiences helped solidify her decision to pursue medicine.

“Working at the border, I felt like I was doing real work for a big, important issue, which is serving underserved populations,” she said. “In Peru and Costa Rica, I worked in churches where we’d set up a tent outside and perform basic exams. I even administered some vaccines. Being hands-on, learning and immersing myself in a different culture started drawing my attention to community-focused medical schools. I found that Geisinger was doing 6

that; it was helping the community. Very early on I realized that Geisinger values giving — not only giving financial support but giving your time and passion. I think giving is the foundation of change, so that resonated with me.”

As a Florida native unfamiliar with Geisinger, Quintero wanted to learn more. “The more research I did, I found out there’s a program dedicated to helping the community. What better way is there to teach young, incoming medical students than immersing them in the way they’ll work later?”

As a Geisinger student, Quintero has taken on leadership roles in several national organizations, including the Latino Medical Student Association National Conference. She’s also taking advantage of a program to become a certified medical Spanish interpreter at no cost. “Throughout my clerkships I have been able to connect with and serve many Latin and Hispanic families, enhancing the quality of their medical experience,” she said. “This is just one way Geisinger teaches medical students how to make sure your patients come back to you and follow your recommendations. At Geisinger, we’re transforming these principles into real-time work, and that’s something that I value. I’ve seen other schools say they do things, but here I am seeing it done. I’m so thankful that it’s real.”

Doctor of Medicine | MD Program

Systems, Society, and Humanism in Medicine (SSHM) A strength of our Total Health Curriculum is the integration of six longitudinal themes that transform responsible students into socially accountable leaders in the healthcare system and their communities.

These themes foster the development of compassionate and adaptable physicians dedicated to a personcentered approach to improving the health and well-being of the patients and communities they serve.

1.

Community Immersion: Provides you with the skills to understand the needs of your patients and your communities through the practices of narrative, cultural and structural humility, and to embrace engagement and involvement with communities in your area of practice, including service learning.

2.

Health System Citizenship: Prepares future doctors to contribute to quality improvement, participate in early adoption of technology and function in teambased models of care. This theme delves deeply into healthcare delivery science and leverages the strength of Geisinger’s value-based care model to focus on system improvement.

3.

Personal and Professional Development: Lays the foundation to begin shaping attitudes, skills and behaviors needed to commit to a social contract, participate in a community of practice and improve health through service to individuals and communities.

4.

Population Health: Prepares you for individual and population-oriented prevention and health promotion efforts with a focus on wellness, epidemiologic and statistical methods, reduction of disease burden and improvement of health outcomes in patient populations and communities.

5.

Primary Care: Focuses attention on the most critical health need in the nation and centers the future physician’s approach on wellness and disease prevention, regardless of medical specialty.

6.

Social Justice and Health Equity: Encourages you to examine how bodies (individual and collective) are constructed and how such constructions cultivate modes of difference that can lead to bias and health inequity. This theme focuses on cultural, structural and epistemic humility, with an end goal of working toward advocacy for inclusive policies and practices.

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Student spotlight

Akshay Patel Akshay Patel began his journey to medicine very early. “I have a yearbook from when I was in elementary school where they asked us what we wanted to be when we were older,” he said. “Next to my name, it says ‘surgeon.’ I think I was drawn to medicine because at my doctor’s appointments, every conversation I had with him was always so caring, in a way that seemed almost parental.”

Now a member of the class of 2025, Patel plans to apply to general surgery residencies, with an eye on trauma critical care or cardiothoracic surgery.

Besides his childhood dreams, his parents’ own determination helped pave his way. His father, now a business owner in Tampa, began his career selling tea on train platforms in India. From there, the family moved to Kenya, where Patel was born, and finally to the U.S. “Just seeing their perseverance and grit, I gained those characteristics myself and learned to persevere through tough times,” he said.

Patel first tested that grit when he was working as a medical scribe in 2020, just as the COVID pandemic hit. “I lived out of my car for a bit because I was scared to go back home,” he said. “After a few weeks, we all got more comfortable, but those early weeks were a rough patch. I just couldn’t find it in me to quit. I couldn’t leave them when it felt like they needed me the most.”

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In looking at medical schools, Patel was interested in the Northeast. “I wanted to experience a different population,” he said. “I love the community connection that Geisinger has and how early we started being involved in the life of the community.”

His Geisinger education has had many standout moments, but his Family and Community-Centered Experience (FCCE) and his first surgical rotation made the deepest impressions.

During his FCCE, Patel was immersed in the family experience of a man with ALS. “Some of the most valuable things I’ve learned I got from being in my FCCE family’s living room eating pizza,” he said. “I was just absorbing the information, and I didn’t even need to try because it’s just so different from reading a textbook. Talking to a family and learning how a particular disease impacted them — somehow you just walk out immediately knowing how that disease works,” he said.

As for surgery, Patel is glad his 10-year-old self knew what he wanted. “When I had my first surgery rotation, it was very early on in my third year, and I was truly fascinated. I was like, ‘This is exactly what I want to do.’ Oddly, I’m very scatterbrained. I like to work on three or four things at once, and it’s only certain moments that I focus and put all my effort into just one thing. But in the OR I found, as soon as the incision was made, I was just lasered in on the patient. I was focused on and interested in the next step. Performing surgery is such a privilege. It’s something that grounds me and keeps me focused.”

His advice to incoming and current students who haven’t decided on a specialty: “Find something that encapsulates you, something that will make you look up at the clock and say, ‘Wow, it’s already lunchtime.’”

Doctor of Medicine | MD Program

Clinical Presentation Model Traditional medical education relies on teaching basic, clinical and health system science concepts; however, these concepts must be well integrated and appropriately framed in clinical context. The Phase 1 curriculum uses the Clinical Presentation Model to integrate all content to contextualize the curriculum.

The Clinical Presentation Model is aligned with the core clinical conditions that anchor Phase 2 of the curriculum and represents the mode by which a patient presents to a physician and represents the clinical problem a physician is expected to manage.

Big picture: The curriculum begins and ends with a focus on the patient, specifically the patient’s clinical presentation.

Deconstruct and independent learning: Each clinical presentation is broken down into its basic science, clinical science and SSHM content.

You will use resources in our knowledge repository to focus on learning objectives in preparation for in-class work.

Experiencing: Large and small group active learning activities are designed to have you apply knowledge in a clinical context.

Reassemble big picture: For each clinical presentation, student groups will summarize material for their classmates, re-integrating all content in a large group interactive session.

Basic science

Clinical presentation

Clinical science

Independent learning

Experiencing

Student summary

Doing, observing

Reassemble big picture

SSHM

Big picture

Deconstruct and independent learning

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Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

Regional campus model To explore our regional campuses, visit: go.geisinger.edu/gcsomregionalcampuses

The School of Medicine offers a community-based model of medical education with four regional campuses: Central (Danville), Guthrie (Sayre), Northeast (Scranton and Wilkes-Barre) and West (Lewistown and State College).

You’ll complete your clinical training at your assigned regional campus.

More than 2,100 Geisinger College of Health Sciences faculty members comprise a diverse and highly specialized group of professionals dedicated to educating and training the next generation of healthcare professionals.

Each campus offers: •

Outstanding clinical training

•

Abundant, diverse clinical experiences

•

Community service programs and activities

•

Opportunities for research and scholarship

Tompkins Schuyler Steuben Tioga

Chemung N E W

Y O R K

P E N N S Y L V A N I A

Sayre Tioga

Susquehanna

Bradford

Wayne

Wyoming Sullivan

Lackawanna

Scranton Pike

Lycoming Clinton

Wilkes-Barre Columbia

Luzerne

Monroe

Montour Union

Centre

Snyder

Danville Schuylkill

Lewistown Mifflin

Carbon

Northumberland

Juniata

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Regions

Perry

■ Guthrie ■ Northeast

■ Central ■ West

•

Campus locations: Geisinger Commonwealth Counties (MD admissions) outlined: P

E

N

N

S

Y

L

V

A

J W

N

E

I

R

A

S

E

Y

Doctor of Medicine | MD Program

Geisinger experiences Learning communities

•

We follow the well-known adage “it takes a village” by offering students a ready-made “village” of faculty, interprofessional staff and peers within the larger school community that engages you in your personal and professional identity formation.

Fresh Food Farmacy, serving patients with Type 2 diabetes (and their household) with enough healthy food to make 10 nutritious meals each week — and a clinical care team that moves them toward better health.

•

Geisinger 65 Forward, primary care designed exclusively for patients 65 and older, featuring more time with physicians, social and educational activities and all ancillary services offered under one roof.

•

Family- and Community-Centered Experience is a required component of the Phase 1 curriculum that partners you with community members to learn about their experiences of health and healthcare, helping you to better understand the social drivers of health, to hone your communication skills and to develop narrative and cultural humility through active listening and reflection.

Community well-being As a system, Geisinger has devoted significant resources to examining the unique health needs of the communities it serves and proposing novel solutions that can be applied locally but transferred globally.

Our impact is felt economically (Geisinger has an annual $15.7 billion positive impact on Pennsylvania’s economy), but more importantly, it’s felt in the ways our presence uplifts our neighbors and improves the region’s quality of life through initiatives like: •

•

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REACH-HEI (Regional Education Academy for Careers in Health – Higher Education Initiative), an out-of-school experience that provides academic enrichment opportunities for students who are economically disadvantaged or under-represented in medicine.

The Edward R. Leahy Jr. Clinic For The Uninsured at The University of Scranton provides free, non-emergency healthcare to uninsured Lackawanna County residents.

The clinic provides high-quality care in a welcoming, respectful and compassionate environment. It offers teaching, learning, research and service opportunities to Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine faculty, students and volunteers.

GME enriches the UME experience The medical student/resident relationship is mutually enriching. Residents and fellows teach and mentor, and you’ll benefit from seeing what residency/ fellowship is really like. Geisinger has more than 600 residents and fellows, comprising 46 residency programs and 33 subspecialty fellowship programs, which encompass Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education physician programs, as well as dental, podiatry, pharmacy and others.

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Student spotlight

Ceili Hamill Ceili Hamill, a member of the School of Medicine’s class of 2025, believes strongly in humanism in medicine. She keeps that connection strong by indulging her talent for creative writing alive, even as she handles the rigor of medical school.

She was among the winners of the 2024 Dr. Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest sponsored by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation. Her essay, Girl of Debra, won honorable mention among more than 500 submissions.

In announcing the winners, Elizabeth Cleek, PsyD, chief operating officer and senior vice president of the Gold Foundation, said, “This year’s winning essays poignantly convey the experiences of nurses and physicians in training. Each essay tells a unique story, yet they speak to a common truth: We are all better off when compassion is central in healthcare.”

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This year, the contest prompt was a quote from Sir William Osler, whose writings about the practice of medicine have influenced clinicians for over a century: “The practice of medicine is an art, not a trade; a calling, not a business; a calling in which your heart will be exercised equally with your head.”

Hamill’s essay explored the complex emotions she and the rest of her NICU care team navigated as they cared for an abandoned infant, who by an obscure legal provision, remained nameless.

In addition to the Gold Foundation honor, Hamill was also accepted to a competitive writing internship with in-Training, an online peer-reviewed publication for medical students. “I submitted some writing pieces and was accepted to Writers-inTraining last summer. Since then, I’ve been sending in pieces,” she said. “I’ve published two pieces there and a third is pending.”

Hamill said she’s always been interested in writing and even minored in English as an undergraduate.

“I honestly think writing is a very important skill to have in medicine,” she said. “Especially with the advent of medical charts being open to patients — patients can see every single thing written about them — we’re going to have to humanize our writing. I also think it’s improved my ability to speak with patients and to be intentional about what I say and what I put down on paper.”

Doctor of Medicine | MD Program

Research and scholarship At the School of Medicine, you’ll have many opportunities to engage in research and scholarship throughout your education. The Office of Research and Scholarship offers short- and long-term research programs, like the Summer Research Immersion Program (SRIP) and the Medical Research Honors Program (MRHP).

SRIP gives stipends to 65 preclinical students to engage in summer research each year. Projects are conducted over eight weeks in the summer after the first year of medical school.

Throughout SRIP, you can work directly with a faculty mentor and a research team on specific projects that include scientific research aimed at improving health in the laboratory setting or in a community setting, doing public health, community and clinical research that solve problems like access to care. As part of SRIP, you must submit an abstract and share your research findings with the community as an oral or poster presentation at the Summer Research Symposium.

MRHP is a long-term research program that can advance your fundamental scientific knowledge, refine your scholarly communication and foster a mindset of lifelong learning. You must submit a research project proposal, write a thesis and deliver an oral defense to complete the 4-year program. The research experience is guided by a research mentor, a thesis advisory committee and the program manager. Additionally, you’ll write abstracts, present posters and publish findings while building your thesis defense. If you meet all program requirements, you will graduate with an honors distinction.

You’ll find multiple occasions to present and publish your research findings, including presenting at the annual Spring Research Symposium or submitting your scholarly and creative work for publication in our Journal for Scholarly Research in Progress (SCRIP). This journal is published annually in both print and online mediums and is edited and produced with the assistance of student editors engaged in the editorial process.

To learn more, visit: go.geisinger.edu/researchandscholarship

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Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

MyCode: Personalizing healthcare Geisinger’s research theme is to personalize healthcare by discovering ways to empower doctors to discern differences in patients — genetic, environmental or social — that impact quality and outcomes. Anchoring this theme is the MyCode® Community Health Initiative, a systemwide biobank storing blood and other samples for research use.

MyCode analyzes the DNA of volunteers and has surpassed its latest goal of 350,000 participants.

Researchers use this vast body of data to transform knowledge of the genome into powerful intelligence that is personally relevant to individual patients. MyCode research has already been translated into ways to diagnose certain medical conditions earlier — even before symptoms appear — and to implement new treatments or medications to manage them.

Medical Marijuana Academic Clinical Research Center In 2022, the School of Medicine was certified as a Medical Marijuana Academic Clinical Research Center (ACRC) by the Pennsylvania Department of Health as part of the state’s medical marijuana research program. Through our partnership with the state-approved clinical registrant, Story of PA, LLC, we support research in medical marijuana that aligns with Geisinger’s expertise in addiction medicine, pharmacy, epidemiology, behavioral sciences, bioethics, data science, education and genomics. Geisinger’s ACRC prioritizes research that is patient-centered and emphasizes the role of patients, providers and other health decision-makers as strategic partners. In this way, the School of Medicine is expanding our scientific understanding of the potential benefits and harms of cannabis on the health of patients.

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Doctor of Medicine | MD Program

Student spotlight

Jordan Salvato Jordan Salvato has always been interested in the big questions: life, death and why we’re here.

It began when he accompanied his father on a disaster relief trip to Brazil. “We spent a few weeks on the Amazon River setting up medical clinics along the way,” he said. “Just the idea that a mother would walk three days with her child on her back to this clinic for antibiotics made me see how much hope can change people’s lives. What do we make of this? How do we make sense of suffering?”

Those big questions led Salvato to study theology as an undergrad. But he couldn’t look away from people’s health. “No matter where you went, there were people in need, and I wanted to address physical needs. It was just a step here and a step there, little by little, until I was like, ‘Oh man, I feel like I should go into medicine.’”

While at Columbia University, Salvato lived in the Bronx. “I worked in an urgent care clinic during the pandemic. Again, I saw that people didn’t have access to health resources. So when I started looking for a medical school, I was looking for something that was engaged in the community in a more dynamic capacity.”

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That’s how Salvato found Geisinger. “I found that Geisinger is actually making a difference, and its medical students engage in the community, even early on. Whenever I would talk to the students and faculty, they all seemed happy,” he said. “At some other medical schools, it felt like they were just way too stressed. Geisinger has a collaborative environment and people actually want to help you — the administrators all the way down to the students. Everyone is on your side.”

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Today, as a third-year student, Salvato is leaning toward general surgery. And he’s engrossed in several research projects to prepare for this competitive specialty. “I was fortunate to meet a surgeon early on. I’ve done a few different kinds of projects with him,” he said.

But the research Salvato is proudest of combines science and his love of the “big questions.” As part of the Medical Research Honors Program, he’s been documenting the oral histories of retired medical professionals and their reflections on their careers in medicine. He’s presented the research at two conferences and is readying a paper for publication.

Salvato is also building an audio library where his subjects’ loved ones can listen to their stories.

“With the oral history project, I didn’t really know I could put it into qualitative research. I wasn’t very familiar with that. But Dr. Ian McCoog said, ‘This is how you can turn it into research and make it sustainable.’ So even if it’s just a wild idea you have, people here will help you turn it into something and learn the skills you need, from getting it IRBapproved to presenting at conferences and writing bigger papers and chapters.”

The retiring physicians he’s interviewed have helped Salvato know he’s on the right path. “The overriding theme is gratitude,” he said. “For me, it’s very moving for somebody, after 40 years working as a doctor through all the ups and downs, to say it was worth it and that they still remember patients saying, ‘You changed my life.’ That’s the kind of change I hope to be a part of.”

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Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

Student well-being Taking a holistic approach to medical education, we offer a wealth of resources for you in regard to every domain that contributes to a person’s overall sense of well-being.

Resource examples Geisinger Student Health Services (SHS): SHS minimizes health-related barriers to learning. The SHS office staff and website provide information and referral to urgent care, primary and specialty care, health insurance and credentialing.

Geisinger Student Psychological Services (SPS): SPS provides students with free and confidential services. This structure provides resources and care coordination across all counseling resources at the Medical Sciences Building and at all regional campus sites. These resources include counselors in SPS, TimelyCare, and referral to local providers.

TimelyCare is a digital solution that offers ondemand 24/7 access to mental health and medical care and a diverse, culturally competent provider network. Services include scheduled counseling, health coaching, yoga, meditation and self-care resources.

Center for Student Well-being: The center develops, implements, and evaluates programs aimed at supporting and enhancing student well-being through leadership, engagement and wellness programming. The center collaborates

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with academic and health system leadership to develop and maintain learning environments that foster the intellectual, social, professional, and personal development of a diverse health professions student population. It also supports the following dedicated spaces in the Medical Sciences Building: a fitness center, a recreation and relaxation space, a multicultural room, a meditation and prayer room, student government offices, a kitchenette and a student lounge.

An example of a program offered through the Center for Student Well-being includes Wake Up and Learn. Wake Up and Learn is a sleep education and surveillance program that was developed to improve knowledge, recognition, and time to treatment for sleep wake disorders among students.

Geisinger Peer Support: Peer Navigators are a student-led group that support peers in addressing academic stress, interpersonal conflicts, imposter syndrome, feelings of isolation and general mental health concerns.

CARE Team: The CARE Team provides support and referral services to students experiencing stress. By partnering with members of the community, the CARE Team strives to promote individual well-being and success while prioritizing community safety.

Doctor of Medicine | MD Program

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Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

Match maker Career Pathways Program The Career Pathways Program is a longitudinal component of the Total Health Curriculum designed to assist you in your professional identity formation, using the “Careers in Medicine” (CiM) model to support all phases of the career decision-making process.

The match An abundance of resources help you match in residency programs that are best aligned with your career and personal interests. The Division of Student Affairs’ Center for Career Development uses a combination of career coaching, specialty advising and mentoring and the longitudinal Career Pathways Program to help you identify your specialty interests and future residency.

You’ll begin the process of career exploration in Phase 1 with specialty events, mentoring resources and individual meetings. During Phase 2 and Phase 3, you’ll learn about

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the process of applying to residency through a series of workshops, panel discussions and didactic sessions.

Collaborative meetings will be held among the residency planning team and the regional teams to best support you throughout this process. National and institutional match data helps you successfully gain interviews and ultimately match to a residency program that best fits with their values, skills and attributes. You’ll receive strategic coaching regarding the application submission and alumni provide peer mentoring, as needed.

Doctor of Medicine | MD Program

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Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

Match 2024 Our medical students participated in the match experience hosted by the National Resident Matching Program. Students interviewed across the country with residency programs in a wide range of specialties and programs.

Anesthesiology • Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania-PA • University of Minnesota Medical School-MN • UPMC Medical Education-PA Child neurology • Duke University Medical Center-NC Emergency Medicine • CMSRU/Cooper University Hospital-NJ • Darnall Army Medical Center-TX • Eastern Virginia Medical School-VA • Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania-PA • Mike O’Callaghan Federal Hospital, Nellis Air Force Base/University of Nevada School of Medicine-NV • Morristown Medical Center-NJ • The Ohio State University Medical Center-OH • Prisma Health-University of South Carolina School of Medicine-SC

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• University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine-FL • WellSpan Health York Hospital-PA Family Medicine • Bryn Mawr Hospital-PA • Montana Family Medicine-MT • NYP Hospital-Columbia University Medical Center-NY • ProHealth Waukesha Memorial Hospital-WI • Rutgers-RW Johnson Medical School-NJ • St. Joseph’s Medical Center-CA • University at Buffalo School of Medicine-NY • University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School-TX • UPMC St. Margaret-PA • UPMC Williamsport-PA • Zucker School of Medicin-Northwell Phelps Hospital-NY Internal Medicine • Allegheny General Hospital-PA • Baylor S & W All Saints Medical Center-TX • CMSRU/Cooper University Hospital-NJ • Geisinger-PA • Indiana University School of Medicine-IN • Lehigh Valley Hospital-PA • Medical University of South Carolina-SC

Doctor of Medicine | MD Program

• • • • • • • • • • •

NYP Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center-NY NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine-NY Penn State Hershey Medical Center-PA St. Luke’s Hospital-Bethlehem-PA Thomas Jefferson University-PA University of Arizona College of Medicine-AZ University of Kentucky Medical Center-KY University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine-FL University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School-MA UPMC Medical Education-PA Zucker School of Medicine-Northwell NS/LIJ-NY

Medicine-Pediatrics • Albany Medical Center-NY • Case Western/University Hospital Cleveland Medical Center-OH • Penn State Hershey Medical Center-PA • Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School-NJ • University of Kansas School of Medicine-KS • University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School-MA Medicine-Preliminary • University at Buffalo School of Medicine-NY • UPMC Medical Education-PA Medicine-Preliminary/Neurology • Rutgers-Newark Beth Israel Medical Center-NJ Medicine-Primary • The Wright Center for GME-PA • Yale-New Haven Hospital-CT Medicine-Primary/DGM • MGB-Brigham & Women’s Hospital-MA Neurology • Geisinger-PA • St. Luke’s Hospital-Anderson-PA • Thomas Jefferson University-PA • UPMC Medical Education-PA Obstetrics-Gynecology • St. Luke’s Hospital-Bethlehem-PA • Tufts Medical Center-MA • Zucker School of Medicine-Northwell NS/LIJ-NY Ophthamology • Geisinger-PA Orthopaedic Surgery • Allegheny General Hospital-PA • Geisinger-PA • Temple University Hospital-PA

Pathology • Cleveland Clinic Foundation-OH • NYP Hospital-Columbia University Medical Center-NY • NYP Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center-NY Pediatrics • Kaiser Permanente-Los Angeles-CA • NYP Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center-NY • Stanford Health Care-CA • TJU/Nemours Children’s Health-PA • University of Virginia-VA • Valley Children’s Healthcare-CA • Yale-New Haven Hospital-CT Pediatrics-Primary/Social • Montefiore Medical Center/Einstein-NY Psychiatry • AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center-NJ • Family Health Centers at NYU Langone-NY • Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania-PA • Montefiore Medical Center/Einstein-NY • Portsmouth Regional Hospital-NH • Tower Health/Phoenixville Hospital-PA • Trinity Health Livonia Hospital-MI • University of Connecticut School of Medicine-CT • University of Virginia-VA • Zucker School of Medicine-Northwell Zucker Hillside-NY Psychiatry-Family Med • University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics-IA Surgery-General • Geisinger-PA • Jersey Shore University Medical Center-NJ • Medical University of South Carolina-SC Surgery-Preliminary • Naval Medical Center-CA • NYP Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center-NY • SUNY Upstate Medical University-NY • UPMC Mercy Hospital-PA Transitional • Geisinger-PA • Inspira Health Network-NJ • St. Luke’s Hospital-PA • University of Central FL/HCA Healthcare GME-FL Urology • University of Pennsylvania Health System-PA • Virginia Mason Medical Center-WA

Ratings of Geisinger Commonwealth graduates’* preparation for residency by their residency program directors range from 96% to 100% across categories. *MD Class of 2023

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Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program Geisinger believes that the future of medicine lies in robust primary care and psychiatry — care that anticipates and prevents disease, focuses on wellness and recognizes mental health and well-being as fundamental to stronger, more resilient communities. That’s why the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program focuses on the following specialties: •

Family medicine

•

General internal medicine

•

Medicine-pediatrics

•

Psychiatry

Our scholars program frees medical students from the financial concerns that often derail their dreams. Abigail Geisinger Scholars will: •

Get relief from overwhelming medical school tuition and fees

•

Receive a $2,000 per month stipend

•

Become a Geisinger-employed physician in one of the specialties listed above upon completion of residency training. One year of service equals one year of support.

To learn more, visit geisinger.edu/abigailscholars.

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Interested in applying?

Submit an American Medical College Application Service® (AMCAS®) primary application and Geisinger Commonwealth secondary application.

•

Answer “yes” to the first question on the Geisinger Commonwealth secondary application regarding interest in applying for the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program.

•

Complete the question regarding primary care or psychiatry and provide any updates to your experiences that align with the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program.

You are considered for admission into the MD program before interviewing for the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program. You are selected to participate in this program based on financial need, merit, mission alignment, likelihood of staying at Geisinger beyond the service obligation and the interview assessment.

Doctor of Medicine | MD Program

Primary Care 3+3 Accelerated Program Finish medical school and residency in 6 years This program allows accepted Abigail Geisinger Scholars to complete medical school in three years, followed by a directed pathway into a three-year residency in one of the following programs: • Family medicine residency at Geisinger Lewistown Hospital • Family medicine residency at the Kistler Clinic of Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre

• Scholarly summer immersion program with participating residencies • Students spend one half-day per week in a continuity practice aligned with their residency during Phase 2 of the curriculum.

Advantages • Medical school completion in 3 years

• General internal medicine residency at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center

• Rigorous programing aimed for time efficiency and robust experiences

• General internal medicine residency at Geisinger Medical Center

• Advising and mentoring by primary care physicians and residents

Overview • Early immersion/orientation with staff/faculty and our residency programs • Longitudinal Clinical Experience (LCE) at participating residencies early in the curriculum

• Peer collaboration and fellowship • Direct pathway into one of four residencies of your medical school training To learn more, visit geisinger.edu/abigailscholars.

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Apply Admission requirements To seek admission to the School of Medicine: 1.

Complete the following premedical course requirements in good standing:

2.

Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident of the United States at time of application.

3.

Have received your bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. or Canadian institution prior to matriculation.

4.

Complete all required criminal background checks and drug screens. If you are accepted, Certiphi Screening Inc. will contact you via email about the criminal background check process. The following checks are required by July 1 of the matriculating year: Criminal Background Check, Child Abuse History, Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History and FBI fingerprinting. Furthermore, accepted applicants must submit and satisfactorily complete a drug screening prior to matriculation and within the time frame designated by the Admissions Office.

General biology with laboratory (1 year/2 semesters) General inorganic chemistry with laboratory (1 year/2 semesters) Organic chemistry with laboratory (1 year/2 semesters) General physics with laboratory (1 year/2 semesters) English and English composition (1 semester) Online coursework will not be accepted, except where coursework was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

All prerequisite course grades must be passing.

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Doctor of Medicine | MD Program

Find our Policy on Criminal Background Check and Drug Screening here: go.geisinger.edu/backgrounddrugscreening.

5.

Report any legal or academic actions taken against you from the time of application submission to AMCAS and matriculation at the School of Medicine to the Admissions Office.

6.

Attend the School of Medicine’s mandatory orientation program.

7.

Meet the School of Medicine’s Technical Standards with or without a reasonable accommodation. If you have a disability, you must provide medical documentation detailing the disability and the type of accommodation needed to meet the Technical Standards.

Depending on the need for the accommodation, the Accessibilities Committee will review the information you supplied to determine your ability to meet the Technical Standards with reasonable accommodations.

You’re responsible for meeting all the above requirements. Failure to do so may result in the rescinding of the admission offer.

Application process To apply to the MD program: 1.

2.

• The admissions committee will consider additional letters that highlight and support facets of an applicant’s portfolio not previously addressed, and are submitted via the AMCAS Letter Service. Students may submit a maximum of four letters.

Complete an application through the online American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS), the national application for U.S. MD programs.

• For non-traditional students, the admissions committee will consider letters of recommendation written by people who have firsthand knowledge of your strengths, work ethic, abilities and commitment to the field of medicine.

3.

Complete the Geisinger Commonwealth Secondary Application.

• All AMCAS verified applicants will automatically receive a secondary application.

• Application fee is $100.

• Candidates in receipt of an AMCAS Fee Assistance Program (FAP) waiver may submit a PDF copy of the form to mdadmissions@geisinger.edu.

4.

Take the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) PREview™ Professional Readiness Exam.

• We encourage you to take the AAMC PREview™ exam. We will consider scores as one part of our admissions process.

Interviewing

• AMCAS application completion includes an application fee and all supporting documents as requested.

After reviewing your application materials, we’ll notify you if you’ll be offered an interview for the MD program. All candidates will interview using the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format.

• The School of Medicine will only consider verified AMCAS applications (incomplete applications will not be reviewed).

Contact us

Submit letters of recommendation via AMCAS Letters.

• You are required to submit one preprofessional/pre-health/committee letter or three evaluation/recommendation letters from faculty who are familiar with your career goals and academic coursework.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Geisinger College of Health Sciences 525 Pine St., Scranton, PA 18509 Call: 570-504-9068 Text: 570-904-2084 mdadmissions@geisinger.edu geisinger.edu/gcsom

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MD Class of 2028

New student profile - 115 students

Pennsylvania residents:

77 School of Medicine counties:

32

22

4

from rural counties

First in their families to graduate college

Another gender identity

2

Average undergraduate GPA:

3.82

Men

53

Average undergraduate science GPA:

Women

60

3.76

Average undergraduate all other GPA:

3.89

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come from diverse perspectives & backgrounds Average MCAT 2015:

511.82 (82 ) nd

percentile

11 come from communities underrepresented in medicine

24 average age (ranges from 21 to 43)

36 are E01/E02 status (AAMC Socioeconomic Status Indicators)

1362007-8/24-HD/SL