Abigail Geisinger Scholar Spotlight

Jessica Fanelli, MD Class of ’25

Hometown: Lenoxville, PA

Abigail Geisinger Scholar grateful for opportunity to work and learn in her own community

Jessica Fanelli grew up in the rural community of Lenoxville, Pa., and saw firsthand how difficult it was for her neighbors to access healthcare. “When I was in college, I worked at a pharmacy in my hometown, and we were used like a triage. The nearest hospital is 30 minutes away in Scranton, so people would come to us in emergency situations,” she said.

“I chose Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine because Geisinger gives me the opportunity to train and work where I grew up. I feel that’s something not many people get to do,” she said. “And this is the patient population I want to work with. As an Abigail Geisinger Scholar, I know I’ll be placed in Geisinger’s footprint, and that’s where I want to be.”

Besides the chance to work and learn in her own community, Ms. Fanelli said the program’s stipend was a great gift. “Coming from a middle-class family, having a job while in medical school would have been challenging. I worked all throughout my undergraduate years, but it’s impossible to work in medical school — there’s just no time to have a job.”

Jessica Fanelli, MD Class of ’25