Winter 2022
Abigail Geisinger Scholars Update Scholars attend Family Medicine Education Consortium Five Geisinger Commonwealth students attended the 2021 Family Medicine Education Consortium’s (FMEC) annual meeting in Pittsburgh, held in-person from Oct. 8 through Oct. 10. Each student who attended is an Abigail Geisinger Scholar and all received an FMEC scholarship to participate.
The conference, with the theme “Family Medicine: The Unbreakable Bridge to Health Equity,” featured educational tracks aimed specifically at medical students, including how to have a satisfying clinical experience and tips for a successful residency interview.
Pictured, from left, at the 2021 FMEC annual meeting are Joanna Bernatowicz, Class of 2025, and Emily Grimes, Lizbeth Sandoval, Cara Anzulewicz and Jaclyn Podd, all members of the Class of 2024.
Abigail Geisinger Scholars Update | Winter 2022
A Celebration of Expression receives financial support Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine has received an honorarium from the Society for General Internal Medicine’s #ProudtobeGIM program, which encourages medical students and residents to choose internal medicine. The proposal was submitted as a collaboration of graduate and undergraduate medical education by Wasique Mirza, MD, Christin Spatz, MD, Michelle Thompson, MD, and several Geisinger Northeast Internal Medicine residents.
According to Dr. Spatz, assistant professor of medicine and director of clinical advising, “The Celebration of Expression is an opportunity to showcase the importance of primary care, specifically general internal medicine, to the overall health of patients and communities. This event will educate students and trainees about what the field has to offer and the unique programs Geisinger has developed to support primary care physicians and their patients.”
The winning application described plans to host a “Celebration of Expression” at the school on Saturday, Jan. 15. The celebration will include a panel discussion with three general internal medicine physicians and a discussion about Geisinger’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, led by Geisinger physician Aliasgar Chittalia, MD, who has been recognized for his work surrounding diversity and inclusion in the field of medicine. The highlight, however, will be a display by Geisinger physicians, residents and medical students, who will give artistic expression to their impressions of general internal medicine at it relates to community, well-being and innovation.
Dr. Mirza, associate professor of medicine and clerkship director for Geisinger Commonwealth’s North Campus, is also the internal medicine residency program director at Geisinger Wyoming Valley. He said the idea for the celebration was developed by his residents. “Our residency program is very focused on primary care,” he said. “We hope to show medical students and internal medicine residents what’s special about general internal medicine, especially the strong, rewarding patient relationships that develop.” Dr. Mirza added, “Our patients think of us as a big part of their lives because we’ve been there through good times and bad. It’s particularly gratifying when you start to see generations — patients bringing children and grandchildren to you because they trust your judgment.”
Participants may submit work in the categories of poetry, short stories, works of art or other. Cash prizes will be awarded. The celebration will also be open to members of the school’s REACH-HEI enrichment program for disadvantaged middle and high school students.
Mirza
Spatz
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Abigail Geisinger Scholars Update | Winter 2022
Student National Medical Association Regional Leadership Institute Conference 2021: An interview with Oluwaseyi Olulana, MD Class of 2024 Geisinger Commonwealth’s Student National Medical Association (SNMA) chapter virtually hosted the Region VIII 2021 Regional Leadership Institute (RLI) on Oct. 16. The RLI allows students of all levels to participate in workshops and academic programming where they can develop leadership skills. Attendees take part in interactive sessions, interact with physicians, hear from prominent speakers and network with our Regional Executive Committee, which includes medical students from across the country.
Department of Medical Education for providing the necessary financial support. I believe this is a strong indicator of the school’s commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion. I hope to work hard and make this the first of many Geisinger Commonwealth collaborations with SNMA and MAPS chapters in the region.
Following are insights from Oluwaseyi Olulana, MD Class of 2024, Abigail Geisinger Scholar and SNMA chapter president to the Regional Executive Committee for Northeast Region VIII, which includes all medical schools in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware. What did you take away from the conference? Olulana
I gained a tremendous amount of firsthand leadership experience from planning this event with my fellow SNMA executive board members, the Region VIII Regional Executive Committee, our former chapter adviser Dr. Vicki Sapp and Geisinger Commonwealth’s Department of Education. I learned that being consistent and showing up as a leader throughout the planning process are key to executing the event smoothly and providing a great experience for speakers and attendees. I also learned from Rhonda Dailey, MD, our keynote speaker, that cultivating my own communication and organizational skills is key to being a successful leader. Were there other standout speakers?
Ryu
I appreciated Jaewon Ryu, MD, JD, who shared Geisinger’s mission and vision. He mentioned the importance of prioritizing our status as students. Hearing about his journey to leadership reinforced the idea that similar paths can open up for me and other underrepresented minorities someday. Why was it important for Geisinger Commonwealth to host this conference? This was the first time we hosted the SNMA conference. I’m grateful to the Office of Student Affairs and
From left: Dailey and Adline Sarpong, MBS Class of 2022
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Abigail Geisinger Scholars Update | Winter 2022
Leadership spotlight Geisinger because of its emphasis on healthcare delivery and outcomes. Geisinger’s focus on these issues prepares our Geisinger Commonwealth students — especially Abigail Geisinger Scholars — for the future state of medicine.” According to Dr. Culbertson, systemness is a way to approach problems in healthcare. “It seeks to reduce unnecessary variation and maximize value,” she said. “When I think about a problem, I think about how to address it across the system, not for just one labor and delivery unit, but all six. We don’t want cookie-cutter medicine, but always want to think about best practices. Our medical students ‘grow up’ in a system that values that focus. As physicians, they’ll be prepared to create and thrive in systems that ask what the evidence shows and how to achieve best quality and value.”
Sandra Culbertson, MD: ‘Systemness’ makes a Geisinger Commonwealth education unique
While all Abigail Geisinger Scholars gain an advantage from Geisinger’s systemness focus, a few also get the benefit of personal advice from Dr. Culbertson, a program mentor. “I’m mentoring a third-year student interested in orthopaedic surgery,” she said. “I find there are a lot of overlaps with my own experience as a urogynecologist. These are both specialties in which improving quality of life is a major focus. I was also a residency program director and have been in academics for my whole career, so we talk a lot about career paths, what makes sense when choosing a specialty and how to be a good candidate for a residency program.”
Sandra Culbertson, MD, a urogynecologist, spent more than 20 years practicing medicine and teaching at large academic medical centers, including the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Chicago, where she was a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She left that environment in 2017 to head to Danville as chair of Geisinger’s Women and Children’s Institute. “Medicine is changing,” she explained. “I think its trajectory is toward value and quality and ‘systemness’. Academics generally has a different focus. I came to
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Abigail Geisinger Scholars Update | Winter 2022
Leadership spotlight “My role is new,” she said. “In graduate medical education, residents in neurology, family medicine and physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) residency or their transitional year require learning in psychiatry. I help make sure their experience meets their individual needs and interests. I’ve discovered that Geisinger welcomes collaboration and innovation. If people have ideas that further Geisinger’s goal of education and improved patient care, they’re encouraged and given space to develop and implement them. I’ve been impressed with the support I’ve received for educational initiatives from faculty and administration. And I’ve been thrilled with my colleagues’ interest and openness to work together and incorporate behavioral health threads in teaching, too.” Dr. Goldhirsh was drawn to psychiatry because “mental health is foundational to overall health. We know patients have better recovery from physical conditions when we address their mental health and approach wellness holistically.” She appreciates Geisinger’s incorporation of mental and behavioral health into overall patient care. “I see a lot of interest in further incorporation of behavioral health and increased collaborative care among my colleagues, and I’m excited to see what unfolds for the health system in the coming years,” she said. “And the regional need for psychiatry is great. It’s wonderful that the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program has added psychiatry as a preferred specialty.”
Jessica Goldhirsh, MD: Innovators welcome For Jessica Goldhirsh, MD, one of the most exciting things about being a Geisinger physician — especially a psychiatrist — is the system’s embrace of new ideas. In fact, her job is to innovate. As director of psychiatry education, she oversees undergraduate medical education, specifically third- and fourth-year clerkships in psychiatry, and she assists with the pre-clinical psychiatry curriculum. She’s also responsible for non-psychiatry residents’ experience when rotating through Geisinger’s department of psychiatry and behavioral health.
Abigail Geisinger Scholars not only benefit from Dr. Goldhirsh’s innovative touch — she’s also a program mentor. “It’s a privilege to work with students and guide them in their careers and decisions about their future,” she said. “Mentorship can be difficult to find organically. It’s unique that we pair our scholars with a mentor right away. It’s a great model.”
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine is committed to non-discrimination in all employment and educational opportunities.
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