Spring 2021
Abigail Geisinger Scholars Update Welcome! It’s spring — and that means we just celebrated Match Day!
Scholars survey results encouraging and informative
We’re so proud that the first five students who participated in the Abigail Geisinger Scholars program were in the Match. Congratulations to:
Our spirits are buoyed by the results of a recent survey of participants in the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program to learn how well the program structure aligned with their needs and interests.
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Tara Avery Hannah Bohr Alexa Bolock Saran Kunaprayoon Jeremy Tokash
And in just a few years, they’ll return to us as Geisinger physicians. In this issue, you’ll see profiles of Scholars and two members of our excellent clinical faculty, as well as a summary of our Scholars’ opinions on the program. It was gratifying to find that students’ motivation for joining the program line up perfectly with Geisinger’s mission and values.
So far, the students resoundingly affirmed their decision to pursue primary care: •
95.45% indicated their values align with the physicians they’ve met in primary care.
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95.46% said their approach to medicine is like that of physicians in primary care.
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95.45% said their intended patient relationships are like those of physicians in primary care.
Students seemed to want enhanced medicine/pediatrics experiences: 62% indicated they would like to work with both children and adults. Even more heartening was the fact that 86% are interested in including behavioral health in their future practice. The survey showed that the current group of Scholars are a good match for Geisinger. •
73% prefer to practice in rural/small-town settings.
Be sure to mark these dates in your calendar:
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86% hope to practice in an underserved community.
Wednesday, April 21: Session with Jaewon Ryu, MD, JD, from 7 to 8 p.m.
Students cited a desire for more primary care clinical experiences, including those with signature programs like Geisinger at Home and 65 Forward, as well as more involvement in service and research opportunities related to primary care.
Wednesday, May 5: Doctor/ patient story with Richard Oley, DO, from 7 to 8 p.m.
The most attractive feature of the program was overwhelmingly “financial peace of mind” as the primary benefit. But there are other things our Scholars enjoy about the program, as well, including the sense of community they have as a group with faculty and staff. Importantly, we also had questions raised about issues like potential maternity leave and future employment. Our team plans to improve communication about such topics in the future.
Abigail Geisinger Scholars Update | Spring 2021
Geisinger’s comprehensive approach to quality in primary care In February, Abigail Geisinger Scholars from the MD1 through MD3 classes learned about Geisinger’s comprehensive approach to quality in primary care from two of the system’s senior leaders in the field. The session was part one of a two-part series in the Senior Leadership Seminars being offered for scholars. The second session was held on March 24. Keith Boell, DO, MS-HQSM, SFHM, who is a hospitalist, vice chair of the Medicine Institute and the system’s chief quality officer for population initiatives, joined Juli Molecavage, DHA, MHA, BSHCM, associate vice president for quality & primary care service, to instruct the scholars in Geisinger’s sophisticated, data-driven quality initiatives. Using dashboards that track everything from completed appointments to “missed opportunities,” Geisinger’s quality metrics provide a both a bird’s-eye view of a physician’s entire patient population, as well as detailed analytics about the individual patient right in front of the practitioner. Although the data is complex, the physicians’ goal is simple: to provide the best care at a lower cost. Dr. Boell and Ms. Molecavage made clear, however, that the physician is not solely responsible for quality. They said data is just one pillar supporting quality. The other
pillar is the team, and it demands a change in thinking, in organizational culture and in infrastructure. The physician culture must shift: •
From a sole focus on individual patients to a concern for the team’s entire panel
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From individually planning the care for the patient to communicating together to create a comprehensive plan
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From working in silos to huddling and creating a plan
Once a physician is comfortable with consulting dashboards as well as team members, patient care dramatically improves — and Emergency Department visits and missed screenings plummet. Second-year student Rick Hiciano was impressed. “Learning that Geisinger physicians are actively working for low-cost patient care by emphasizing collaborative team planning and updated technology reinforces my happiness in being a Geisinger student and future Geisinger doctor,” he said. “I’m amazed at the opportunities available to me, and grateful to be a part of a team so dedicated to helping the community. I look forward to the advancements that will better my medical training for future patients.”
Abigail Geisinger Scholars Update | Spring 2021
Leadership spotlight Dr. Chittalia believes the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program was the next logical step in the system/ school integration. “The Scholars benefit strongly from learning in a system that has its own health plan. Geisinger is nationally known for its innovative approach to delivering healthcare — Geisinger 65 Forward and Geisinger at Home are two such examples.” Many second-year students get a taste of how to use quality data to improve care in Dr. Chittalia’s clinic. “I like to teach,” he said. “The students learn about a medical home for complex patients and are exposed to the concept of population health. I also enjoy teaching about how to use information technology to improve healthcare delivery.” His interest in data-driven quality has created learning opportunities for residents as well as medical students. As a physician informaticist, Dr. Chittalia supports practice-management rotation that, among other things, helps residents efficiently use electronic health records.
Aliasgar Chittalia, MD, MHA, was an integral part of medical education in northeast Pennsylvania long before Geisinger Commonwealth opened its doors. In fact, he helped found the medical school.
Dr Chittalia is a member of the Geisinger Diversity Council and leads the implementation of the SOGI initiative at Geisinger. In 2019, he was awarded the Pennsylvania Diversity Council Leadership award for his contribution to improve care given to our LGBTQ+ community. He started a multispecialty clinic in Tanzania in 2019, and his clinic will also support global health learning for interested Geisinger resident doctors.
“I was on the board of the Scranton Temple Residency Program (STRP) where the conversations about establishing a medical school in our region first began,” he said. “A lot of people dismissed us, but the people on the STRP board were positive. We looked at various avenues for financing.” Dr. Chittalia was with founders Robert Wright, MD, and Robert W. Naismith when the delegation approached Blue Cross of NEPA for the seed money that made their dream a reality. “It’s an amazing thing we have here,” Dr. Chittalia said of the school. “The medical school has revitalized NEPA. It’s also important because physician recruitment can be tough. And since integration with Geisinger, students are learning in an innovative setting. Few integrated health systems have their own medical school. Geisinger Commonwealth is on a strong trajectory.” 3
Abigail Geisinger Scholars Update | Spring 2021
Scholar spotlight each time. I never felt the importance and true impact of having a primary care doctor until my gap year in South Korea before I started medical school. That’s when, thanks to a close relationship with my primary care doctor, I started to see areas where I needed improvement in my health. The relationship was more personal.” Inspired by her South Korean experience, Irene was excited when she learned about Geisinger and its patientcentered approach to primary care. As she began to explore the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program, her enthusiasm increased. Her mind was made up when she had an opportunity to talk one-on-one with a current Abigail Geisinger Scholar. “I talked to a current Scholar. She super helpful, telling me about the program and her own experience in it. That was convincing point for me.”
As a child of educators and missionaries, Irene Cho had an international upbringing. She was born in Oregon, but spent her formative years in China, Canada and South Korea. “I spent 10 years as a child in China,” she said. “Where we lived, there were no roads, no computers, no cars. Looking back, I recall many friends who lacked the barest necessities. It made me curious and built the foundation of who I am today. I decided that whatever my career path, I would care for people suffering discrimination because of socioeconomic or cultural barriers.”
Today, Irene is certain she made the right choice. She finds the enhanced experiences she gets in the program to be especially beneficial. “The Abigail program has been amazing about organizing experiences for us,” she said. “With every speaker, if I want to learn more about their subject or visit a site they discuss — even with COVID — staff arranges it. I really appreciate the Senior Leadership Seminars. Through them, we get a lot of exposure to Geisinger’s system innovations. The last one we had was on quality and value-based care, which is why I was attracted to Geisinger in the first place. It’s a completely new care model that is more patient-centered than physician-centered. It gives me a lot to look forward to as I picture myself as a Geisinger doctor interacting with patients.”
Irene spent her teenage years in Canada. “In Canada, I had my first family doctor,” she said. “Still, I didn’t feel the continuation of primary care. I never built a relationship with my doctor. So, when in college at New York University, my experiences all told me to go to a hospital when I need something. That’s what I did in New York City. It was sporadic and I had different doctors
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Abigail Geisinger Scholars Update | Spring 2021
Leadership spotlight When she heard about the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program, Dr. Rapp said she regarded it as a win for Geisinger, a win for students and a win for patients. “It’s so wonderful for Geisinger to get such a committed, talented group of students. They are going to be great physicians. It’s just good for everyone,” she said, adding that she is assisting the effort by mentoring a Scholar. “I had a lot of mentors in my life, but they were always accidental, organic. I think it’s good that the Scholars program is being more intentional about mentors. Students should know that they don’t have to make all the mistakes themselves. Someone already has and can help them avoid the pitfalls. When the COVID restrictions are lifted, I want to invite my student to my home, spend time with him and help him to get a feel for what being a Geisinger doctor is like.”
Megan Rapp, MD, describes an unusual path she took to medicine. She says her love of football led the way. “I grew up in Minnesota and I’ve always been passionate about the Green Bay Packers. In high school, my friend and I were discussing careers and I said, ‘If only I could play for Green Bay.’ My friend’s father said, “Maybe you can’t play for them, but you can be the team doctor.’ That inspired me to explore medicine, where I soon found that aspiring to be a team doctor was way too narrow. I explored 100 different specialties from that day forward.” Dr. Rapp left her rural hometown in Minnesota to attend medical school at Temple University — where she learned another important fact about herself. “I found I didn’t love being in the city. As a student, I had many of my rotations at Geisinger, where I felt much more at home. That’s when I decided I loved surgery and Geisinger. Other than a one-year fellowship in critical care surgery, I haven’t left Danville since.”
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Abigail Geisinger Scholars Update | Spring 2021
Scholar spotlight Once she graduates, she will be the first doctor in her family, Avery said. “It’s always hard to know where you’ll land, especially with the match process (where students are presumeably matched to their desired specialties and often in regions they choose to live),” she said. “But all my roots are here in Danville. I have two adorable nieces I love to play with. I was hoping for the best.” Geisinger’s Scholars program reinforced that because it presented to her such a great opportunity. “I was ‘matched’ to Danville, which means I know where my residency will be,” she said. Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program The Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program, announced in the fall of 2018, promises to bring bright, young talent back to Geisinger communities. Medical students accepted to Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine can apply to the program to get tuition relief. In return, they agree to work at Geisinger upon completing their residencies.
Danville native to return, practice dermatology at Geisinger By Rick Dandes, Daily Item Danville native Tara Fritz Avery has wanted to join the medical profession since graduating high school in 2013 and, thanks to the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program, will be able to return and work in her hometown. After she graduates this May from Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Avery, 25, will start working at Geisinger Medical Center, in Danville, with a residency in dermatology, her chosen specialty. “My major at Penn State was pre-med,” she said on Monday. “So, I was always intending to go into medicine.”
The match program includes all medical schools, explained Michelle Schmude, associate dean for admissions, enrollment, financial aid and associate professor at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. It is a national residency program and application process. “In Tara’s case, she was interested in a residency focusing on dermatology,” Schmude said. When Avery joined — in the first ‘scholars’ class — she could choose any specialty. She chose dermatology. Although Avery will be a dermatologist, the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program has evolved since she was named a scholar. Beginning with the current class of first-year students (Class of 2025) and going forward, the program applies only to those students interested in family medicine, medicine-pediatrics, internal medicine and psychiatry, which are the areas of greatest need for Geisinger.
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Abigail Geisinger Scholars Update | Spring 2021
Scholar spotlight
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“The two goals of the scholar program are to reduce medical student debt because medical student debt in this country is quite high. The other goal is to repopulate the physician shortage with the Geisinger service area,” Schmude said.
Avery was not directly involved with COVID patients, she said. “I’m most excited about knowing where I’ll be working,” she said, reflecting on her years of study. “Knowing that I matched into a specialty that I wanted to be in for so long is very gratifying.
Hometown girl makes good Avery said her family is “very happy that she is coming back home to practice, especially my nieces.”
“I’m excited to take the next step,” she said. “To take more responsibility for patients. And finally be able to say — I am a doctor.”
Graduation is May 2, so Avery is still technically a fourthyear medical student.
Dandes, Rick. “Danville Native to Return, Practice Dermatology at Geisinger.” Daily Item, 1 Apr. 2021. https://www.dailyitem.com/news/local_news/danville-nativeto-return-practice-dermatology-at-geisinger/article_929e9c1da1ed-5ad9-8930-1bdaf75640dd.html
In May, when Avery graduates as one of the first five Abigail Geisinger Scholars, she will work as a Geisinger physician when she finishes residency, but that residency will be done at Geisinger. She said she applied to the Abigail Scholars program because she wants to plan her future in her hometown and the thought of working at Geisinger, an institution with which she grew up, excites her. Now, thanks to Abigail Geisinger Scholars program, that future is secure and Danville just gained a new doctor. Developing an interest Her focus on dermatology began when Avery volunteered at Camp Victory in Millville, where the camp she went to focused on skin diseases. “I think that is what really sparked my interest,” she recalled. “I thought that the pathology was really interesting. But I also realized there was a psycho-social aspect to dermatology. I like how a dermatologist can not only deal with the physical aspect of some of the diseases, but also the mental and emotional aspects of the diseased person. I thought it was really cool.” In her fourth year at med school, “Typically you go on rotation,” she explained. “Think of it as an auditon in several fields. This year, because of COVID, we were not able to do that. I did all of my rotations at Geisinger in Danville: pediatrics, internal medicine, pediatrics ICU. All the rotations were done in-person.”
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine is committed to non-discrimination in all employment and educational opportunities.
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