GCHS magazine 2024

In this edition, come along with Geisinger College of Health Sciences as we take you on a tour of our five-year strategic plan, Drive to THRIVE (Transform Health through Research, Inspiration, Value and Education). Each section of the magazine bears a “mile marker,” an excerpt from the plan placed alongside a story about how we’re putting our vision into action. Our journey is mapped out and the wheels are in motion. Hop aboard and see where our College is going!

A message from Julie Byerley, MD, MPH

Drive to THRIVE, the strategic plan laid out in these pages, is the work of everyone at Geisinger College of Health Sciences. It was created through one-on-one interviews, focus groups, surveys and plenty of feedback.

The plan was born of one simple question: How do we, as an academic institution, help Geisinger, our patients, our communities and our people to thrive?

We needed to develop a map that defines what drives us and how to reach our goals.

We seek, learn, discover and teach because we believe in a better future. Contributing to the store of human knowledge and then sharing it with the next generation is, at its heart, a future-facing endeavor, a thing done — not for us — but for others. That’s what drives everyone drawn to academia. But at Geisinger, it’s even more. Here, we take that drive and put a uniquely Geisinger spin on it.

What is uniquely Geisinger? You’ll find out in these pages as we explore some exciting initiatives that embody Drive to THRIVE. Whether it’s creating a model for excellence in rural healthcare or empowering medical students to advocate for patients in their own languages, it is uniquely Geisinger to make better health easier.

Uniquely Geisinger education and research means a singular focus on quality. Our learners must never stop questioning how we can do things better, how processes and systems can be improved and how engaging with community often gives us the answers. This is how we deliver care that meets the real and present needs of a diverse population.

Our drive is to come together as Geisinger College of Health Sciences and demonstrate to our neighbors — and the nation — how the power of academia can be harnessed for the benefit of its communities.

That’s our drive to THRIVE. These pages will illustrate our plan to rev up and get going.

-Julie Byerley, MD, MPH
President, Geisinger College of Health Sciences
Dean, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer, Geisinger

Julie Byerley, MD, MPH

Geisinger College Magazine

A publication by the Department of Marketing and Communications

Elizabeth Zygmunt
Marketing and Communications Strategist and Geisinger College Magazine Editor

Heather M. Davis, MFA
Director of Marketing and Communications for Education and Research

Ashley Andyshak Hayes
Marketing and Communications Strategist

Erich Lenz
Marketing and Communications Strategist

Board of Directors

Virginia McGregor, Chair

John C. Bravman, PhD

Benjamin K. Chu, MD, MPH

Pedro J. Greer Jr., MD

V. Chris Holcombe, PE

David B. Nash, MD, MBA

Jaewon Ryu, MD, JD, Geisinger President and CEO (Ex-Officio)

Julie Byerley, MD, MPH, Geisinger
Commonwealth President and Dean (Ex-Officio)

Geisinger Health Foundation

Nancy Lawton-Kluck
Chief Philanthropy Officer

Robin Endicott, CFRE
Vice President, Philanthropy

Jane Kanyock, MBA, CFRE
Director of Major Gifts

Chris Boland
Director of Alumni Relations

Dorothy Williams
Administrative Assistant

On the cover: Better health is a journey and a thriving community is our destination. With our five-year strategic plan, Geisinger College of Health Sciences is well on its way!