Themes

Our six themes are longitudinal and cumulative curricular experiences that provide intentional emphasis and competency in contemporary aspects of medical practice. Thematic educational experiences start in the first year and continue as students matriculate in their medical training.

1. Health Equity and Justice: Ensures awareness and recognition of existent historic inequities in medicine to establish the next generation of physicians as agents of change. Students will learn to recognize their own biases and practice cultural humility in their interaction with patients and colleagues.

Geisinger Commonwealth is part of a multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary team developing an educational antiracism curriculum funded by the Josiah

Macy Foundation that will enhance students’ knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors regarding social justice, equity and inclusion.

2. Health System Citizenship: Prepares future doctors to contribute to quality improvement, participate in early adoption of technology and function in team-based models of care for improved patient care and healthcare delivery.

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. 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.

4. Personal and Professional Development: Supplies the tools, skills and knowledge necessary to promote lifelong learning and skill development, personal wellness and career development.

5. Community Immersion: Enables students to develop meaningful relationships with the community through partnerships with local patients, families and agencies. Students engage in service learning with mentorship by community leaders and patients.

6. Population Health: Leverages Geisinger’s signature programs to introduce future physicians to successful models that recognize and mitigate the social determinants of health that affect individual patients, neighborhoods, communities and populations.