Abigail Geisinger Scholars receive warm welcome

Abigail Geisinger Scholars from Geisinger Commonwealth’s Class of 2026 were welcomed into the family by their mentors and system leaders, including Geisinger President and CEO Jaewon Ryu, MD, JD, at a dinner and ceremony in August.

Kim Kovalick, DO, assistant dean of primary care and assistant chair of family medicine, described the evening as “inspirational.”

“We viewed a slide show highlighting each scholar personally. The experiences so many of these students bring with them is amazing,” she said. “I feel very connected to them already. I was also impressed that my colleagues who are to serve as mentors traveled — some of them for two hours — just to meet their student.”

Anja Landis, MD, director of the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program, fixed a special pin on the scholars’ white coats during a ceremony before dinner. Afterward, the guests dined in the lobby of the school’s Medical Sciences Building. At every table, system leadership joined students to answer questions and acclimate them to Geisinger.

Dr. Kovalick said seeing the connections students were making with their future colleagues was gratifying. “When I left in the evening, the socializing hadn’t stopped. Dr. Ryu was still sitting at a table with 10 students. It was wonderful.”