Abigail Geisinger Scholars Viewbook 2023

Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program

Imagine

being free to serve the communities you love, working in a system driven by kindness, excellence, learning and innovation — without the burden of medical school debt. The Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program relieves the burden, giving you the opportunity to pursue your dreams without worry.

The Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program:

What happens when better health is built on primary care?

Medical students like you share the same dream: A career that builds lifelong personal relationships with patients and places you at the center of your community as a trusted source of knowledge and compassion.

Geisinger supports the ideals of its future doctors by putting primary care and psychiatry where they belong — at the forefront of every innovation and technological advance we make. Through the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program, we back that pledge with relief from all medical school tuition and fees, as well as a $2,000 per month stipend during your years at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine.

Nearly 85% of scholars want to practice in an underserved community.

Scholar spotlight

Frank Monney, MBS ’19

‘Geisinger lives its mission. I want to be a part of that.’

Growing up in Cameroon, Frank Monney learned to connect doctors and hospitals with death and trauma.

“I had several close relatives die for lack of access to care at the most basic level,” he said, noting his early negative impressions had persuaded him to avoid medicine as a career.

Frank’s love of science led him to study biological sciences with a concentration in STEM education at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, where — fortunately — positive research experiences changed his mind. “I conducted research with a shadowing component at the University of Connecticut,” he said. “I learned that medicine doesn’t always have all the answers, but doctors and scientists never stop looking for them. It was a big turning point for me.”

To prepare for medical school, Frank chose first to get a master’s degree in biomedical sciences from Geisinger. That’s when he fell in love with Geisinger and its approach to medicine. “While I was a graduate student, I got involved in a lot of community service. As a Black man in medicine, I realized that Geisinger

is encouraging diversity in all aspects. It’s not just lip service; it shows through every activity. The school celebrates, encourages and understands the value of diversity in healthcare. I felt it from the first day of my master’s program — that Geisinger wants to do right by its community and its people — and I continue to feel it today as a medical student.”

Citing programs like the school’s annual cultural observances and community immersion projects, Frank said there was only one place he wanted to go for medical school. “I like to be involved in my own community. I like being a mentor and role model for youth in the area. I want to stay here and do more,” he said. That is also why Frank applied for the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program and is looking forward to his future as a physician in Geisinger’s region.

“Geisinger Commonwealth is young, but just look at the strides it’s made already,” he said. “There is complete cohesion between the stated mission and the developed programs. Geisinger truly is concerned with the health of its population, and I want to be a part of that.”

Geisinger’s plans for healthier communities

In 2017, the Arnold P. Gold Foundation’s Richard Levin, MD, offered a blunt observation: “Doctors enter the profession to help and care for humans,” he said. “They do not sign up to be scribes or billing agents.” His statement struck at the heart of what plagues modern medicine, and particularly primary care and psychiatry — namely, inefficiencies and bureaucratic barriers that frustrate both doctor and patient and make good healthcare anything but easy.

Thanks to Geisinger’s redesign of primary care, a team led by J. Edward Hartle, MD, chief medical officer, the bond between primary care doctor and patient that should be at the heart of good health has been restored. According to Dr. Hartle, the redesign had two simple goals: to make primary care a joy to practice for doctors and to ramp up the level of care patients received in primary care settings. For patients, this means more intermediate care services, such as IV infusions, and

behavioral health services available right in the clinic. For physicians, primary care redesign removed excessive administrative burdens that negatively affect provider well-being.

Today, Geisinger’s transformed clinics are frustrationfree zones staffed by interdisciplinary teams that make primary care easier for patients and more rewarding for doctors. For example, patients long annoyed by having “homework” like getting lab work done or a prescription filled can now get all these services and more in one visit.

Everyone has more time with their doctor, and seniors even get things like social activities and a gym at special Geisinger 65 Forward Health Centers. And the physician inbox that once nagged clinicians with constant electronic chatter is now a responsibility shared among team members.

“When I started my career, before primary care redesign, it was up to the physician to get everything done for the patient,” said Kim Kovalick, DO, a family medicine physician at Geisinger Kingston. “Now, we have a care team that collaborates in the care of our patients. From the moment I walk in the door, I have many team members who help me provide great care. For example, a nurse will give recommended immunizations before I even walk in the room. They order blood work and preventive screenings such as mammograms and DEXA/bone density tests. We can take more time with patients with complicated medical conditions and have a team approach to make sure the patient has all the resources they need.”

She added, “If patients have multiple medical problems — congestive heart failure or diabetes, for example — we have case managers who can help educate them about their disease process. We also have dietitians and medical pharmacists to help educate our patients. All these team members have helped to not only reduce physician burnout, but also improve overall care.”

Scholar spotlight

Tyler Schubert

Student researcher: MyCode and primary care led me to Geisinger

Tyler Schubert had a solid medical school application — a degree from Franklin and Marshall College, experience working in a behavioral health hospital and basic science research experience in labs at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. He could have applied anywhere. He says he chose Geisinger thanks to its Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program and its renowned research program.

“The Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program was the most notable factor that drew me to Geisinger. I like that the health system is committed to solving the physician maldistribution problem. However, MyCode was the second determining factor,” he said, referring to the system’s precision medicine project and its biobank of more than 300,000 participants.

Now accepted to both the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program and the school’s Medical Research Honors Program, Tyler is working on an NIH NHLBI-funded study on familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) with

Laney Jones, PharmD, MPH. The purpose of the study is to build awareness and systems that will encourage clinicians to screen patients early for FH, a genetic condition that affects one in 250 people and can cause onset of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease at a young age if not treated.

Tyler is helping Dr. Jones’ implementation science team analyze qualitative data from clinician interviews and direct observations and synthesizing it “so we know where the pain points are in moving FH screening into the primary care setting,” Dr. Jones said. “From our talks, I know Tyler wants to do med-peds and incorporate genomics into his practice. Geisinger is one of the best places to do this kind of work. And because he is an Abigail Geisinger Scholar, our study directly relates to the work he will do when he comes back to Geisinger after residency. He’s making great connections here and learning how we use genomics to facilitate better health. It all seems like a perfect fit.”

We immerse our students in these unique, primarycare-focused programs:

Research centered around primary care

Abigail Geisinger Scholars have opportunities to take part in clinical research, studying everything from vaccine hesitancy in a federally qualified health center to barriers to care resulting in “no shows” for disadvantaged urban populations.

Fresh Food Farmacy®

This program offers nutritious groceries for eligible patients referred by their physician to help better control their diabetes in light of food insecurity. The program also supplies food for the patients’ families. Eligible patients and their families can enjoy better health, which is a priority for Geisinger.

MyCode Community Health Initiative

This precision-medicine project analyzes the DNA of registered patient-participants, improving healthcare by finding ways to diagnose medical conditions earlier — even before symptoms appear — and developing new ways to manage these diseases.

Geisinger 65 Forward

These primary care clinics are tailored to meet the unique needs of those age 65+. People get longer appointments, social activities, wellness classes and VIP-level, personalized care. Everything the patient needs is under one roof in a calm, relaxing environment. That’s what makes these sites more like a spa than a clinic.

Geisinger at Home™

Teams of doctors, nurses, dietitians, social workers and other medical professionals help keep patients with difficult-tomanage cases healthier and better connected to care by delivering it right to their doorstep.

LIFE Geisinger

LIFE Geisinger is a program for adults 55 and older designed to give patients the support they need to live at home independently while using comprehensive daily living and health services. An experienced team coordinates care based on individual needs, offering caregivers relief and support.

Scholar spotlight

Helen Guo

Accelerating good health: Abigail Geisinger Scholar Helen Guo can’t wait to have a wellness impact

Helen Guo may seem like she’s in a hurry. She got her undergraduate degree and her master’s in public health (MPH) from a University of California at Berkeley accelerated “4+1” program. Today, as an Abigail Geisinger 3 + 3 Scholar, she’s keeping up the tempo. She’s now one year into the accelerated program that will place her in a Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center (GWV) internal medicine residency in just three years. And although now, just a few semesters removed from college, she’s hands-on in the clinic, Helen said her pace comes from peace, certainty and an eagerness to get started.

“I was really interested in Geisinger mainly for the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program,” she said. “I feel like the 3 + 3 program made perfect sense. I’m certain about primary care, and I want the ability to finish one year sooner to start working in the community.”

Helen cites interest in the social determinants of health as the driving force behind both her MPH and her choice to pursue internal medicine. “What really attracted me to public health are the same things that attract me to medicine now. It’s the social factors that go into health.”

Nearing the end of Helen’s time at Berkeley for her master’s degree, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. She was studying infectious diseases and had a front row seat to see public health in action. “I was learning academically about the social determinants of health and after I graduated, I started working at the County of San Mateo in COVID-19 prevention. So, I was seeing everything play out — who was being affected, who was able to access resources, who was able to take time off from work, and who wasn’t — I think that’s what drew me to medicine. I wanted to make more of an impact and

have more one-on-one connections with people. That’s really what drew me to Geisinger, too — that community aspect.”

Although she’s just one year into the 3 + 3 program, Helen is already a fixture at the GWV clinic where she’ll do her residency. A perk of the program is extended time in her longitudinal clinical experience (LCE). Helen said she’s using that time to polish her interpersonal skills.

“I know I’m getting a really good education at Geisinger because, for me, what’s really important is that patient/ doctor relationship,” she said. “I’ve had experiences myself personally where I’ve gone to the doctor and feel like I’ve brought up concerns that were laughed off. As a future doctor, I never want my patients to feel that way. I want them to know every concern of theirs is being taken seriously, that they are being listened to. And from shadowing Dr. (Michael) Fox in the GWV clinic, I feel like he is the embodiment of what I want to do in my future practice. He takes the time to ask his patients about their lives and gets to know them. They’ll even swap reading recommendations. That’s really what I want to do as an internal medicine doctor — just take the time to listen to the patient.”

For someone always choosing to accelerate, taking the time might sound out of character. But Helen said clarity about her future makes her feel comfortable about slowing down now and enjoying the journey. “I like knowing my colleagues and the clinic where my residency will be,” she said. “I already know who my residency mentor is, so I’ve been able to start building that relationship with Dr. (Wasique) Mirza. I’ve met all the residents there. It’s a wonderful, holistic program. The idea was to get us integrated into that setting a little sooner. I think it’s amazing to be able to see the patients who will be my patients and to practice some of the things we’re already learning.”

Primary Care 3+3 Accelerated Program

Finish medical school and residency in 6 years

Abigail Geisinger Scholars accepted to the Primary Care 3 + 3 Accelerated Program complete medical school in three years, followed by a directed pathway into a three-year residency in one of Geisinger’s following programs:

• Family Medicine Residency at Geisinger Lewistown

• Kistler Family Medicine Residency at Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre

• Internal Medicine – Northeast Residency at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center

• Internal Medicine – Central Residency at Geisinger Medical Center

This means students in the Primary Care 3 + 3 Accelerated Program enter residency one year earlier than their peers, allowing them to start serving their community sooner.

Overview

• Accelerated training allows students to earn their medical degree in 3 years

• Early immersion/orientation with staff/faculty and our residency programs

• Longitudinal Clinical Experience (LCE) at participating residencies early in the curriculum

• 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

• Students meet all medical education program objectives

Advantages

• Medical school completion in 3 years

• Rigorous programming aimed at time efficiency and robust experiences

• Advising and mentoring by primary care and psychiatry physicians and residents

• Peer collaboration and fellowship

• Directed pathway into one of four residencies of your medical school training

Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center was ranked

#9on the Fortune/Merative’s 2022 “25 Top Teaching Hospitals” list.

Meet the team

Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program

Kim Kovalick, DO Assistant Dean, Primary Care Education

Admissions

Anja Landis, MD Director, Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program

Michelle Schmude, EdD, MBA Vice Provost for Enrollment Management Deirdre Jones Associate Director of Admissions

Amanda Therkorn Clinical Curriculum Coordinator, Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program and Primary Care

570-504-9068 mdadmissions@geisinger.edu

How the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program works:

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

• Internal medicine

• Medicine-pediatrics

• Psychiatry

Our scholars program frees medical students from the financial concerns that often derail their dreams.

Abigail Geisinger Scholars will:

• Graduate without tuition debt.

• 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.

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 and/or psychiatry and provide any updates to your experiences that align with the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program.

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

To learn more, visit go.geisinger.edu/abigailcare

Geisinger College of Health Sciences

525 Pine St.

Scranton, PA 18509

Call: 570-504-9068

go.geisinger.edu/abigailcare

mdadmissions@geisinger.edu

Scholar spotlight

Shauna Wassmus Building a life of service

Shauna Wassmus has immersed herself in community and in service for years. As an undergrad at Boston College, she spent every spring break — not on a Florida beach — but in some of the nation’s most disadvantaged communities. She built houses for Habitat for Humanity and worked in food pantries, tutored in afterschool programs and helped organize clothing drives. As a sophomore, she worked in a Boston healthcare clinic that provided foot care for the homeless population. “We provided foot baths and clean socks. It was amazing to see how transformative this basic care was. People with infections and blisters had their pain relieved and were able to get around a bit better. This is what sparked my interest in primary care,” she said.

When it came time to look for a medical school, however, Shauna admits to some feelings of disappointment. “It seemed that so many schools placed a lot of emphasis on metrics like MCAT scores,” she said. “That’s important, but I cared more about the values and beliefs of the school. So, I started to read the mission statements and really looked into how those were being supported. That’s how I found Geisinger Commonwealth and the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program.”

“I’ve been going to work at the Fresh Food Farmacy,” she said. “It’s so incredible. I’m not just there to pack groceries, I’m meant to think about how people’s lives are affected by things outside of a doctor’s office. And I’ll always keep that in mind and question what else is happening in a patient’s life.”