State of the
School 2021 – 2022
Steven J. Scheinman, MD President and Dean, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer, Geisinger
Table of contents Introduction................................................................................................................................... 2 COVID silver linings.................................................................................................................... 2 Community engagement.................................................................................................. 4 Student community engagement................................................................................. 5 Caring for the health and well-being of our students........................................... 6 Diversity, equity and inclusion and social unrest................................................... 7 Operational success........................................................................................................... 8 Technology............................................................................................................................. 9 Looking ahead................................................................................................................................ 10 New MD curriculum to begin with arrival of Class of 2025............................... 10 Post-COVID: Moving to the curriculum of the future................................ 12 Introduction of primary care track for Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program and others................................................................................ 13 Expanding the School of Graduate Education portfolio...................................... 14 Graduate Medical Education.......................................................................................... 15 Continuing Professional Development...................................................................... 16 Nursing growth.................................................................................................................... 17 Full system alignment........................................................................................................ 17 Continued evolution................................................................................................................... 18 Conclusion: Fulfilling the vision that education transforms healthcare and makes better health easier............................................................................................... 19 Reflection........................................................................................................................................ 20
Many photos taken pre-pandemic.
State of the
School
Jan. 26, 2021 – As I begin this annual State of the School address, I feel I need to pause and take a breath. 2020 was the kind of year that, thankfully, doesn’t happen very often — and if history is any guide, is likely to change the way we live and work. The Black Death of the 14th century ended serfdom in Europe. The great influenza of 1918 gave rise to vaccine-manufacturing techniques still used today. HIV/AIDS brought us to profound advances in retroviral therapy and in social policy. History shows us that pandemics are inevitably followed by lasting, systemic change. It’s much too early to discern the worldwide implications of COVID-19, but we can already see the ways it will change social interactions, higher education and work patterns across the world and here at the School of Medicine. This past year has shifted focus from business as usual and represents a point of true departure. COVID-19 accelerated some developments that might have played out anyway, eventually, while also introducing some concepts we never before imagined.
2021 – 2022
Introduction In this State of the School address, we will reflect on how the accomplishments of our first 12 years since this school’s founding put us in a strong position to deal with the challenges of a pandemic, and how the past 12 months have challenged us to think differently about how we educate the healthcare workforce of the future.
It also facilitated the participation of busy clinicians in teaching, as it eliminated the need for travel. Almost as soon as the Medical Sciences Building closed, we began planning how to reopen it safely. One thing the pandemic made perfectly obvious was that Terri Lacey and Becky Slangan make a great project management team. They led a Steering Committee established to oversee all actions taken regarding COVID-19 mitigation
At this time last year, we were celebrating more than a
and named Steve Jarbola as pandemic safety officer. The
decade since launching our innovative medical college.
team coordinated the reopening of the building in July,
Our main themes for the future then were MD curricular
the adaptations to the second wave this winter, our open
renewal, graduate program growth, nursing education
communications every week and numerous adjustments
expansion, integration of education throughout Geisinger
in response to changing governmental advisories.
and expanded community engagement. These are themes
Terri and Becky also lead our school’s Enterprise Risk
that, despite COVID, we managed to carry forward in
Management Project, a major ongoing initiative that will
2020, despite some interruptions in our plans.
identify and address potential institutional risks. Expect to hear more about this important project in the future.
COVID silver linings COVID tested our resilience and creativity. In addition to the stress and fear of contagion the pandemic brought, it changed the way we work and added enormous pressures to the lives of everyone here. I admire how we, this medical school family, coped and continue to cope with this new reality. In March we closed the building and quickly moved all learning to virtual. At that time COVID testing and personal protective equipment were limited, and so the AAMC advised U.S. medical schools to remove medical students from the clinical environment. Our faculty demonstrated remarkable leadership in adapting all classroom teaching to online within 4 days. We were fortunate that investments in our graduate programs, beginning more than 5 years ago, had given us the expertise and capacity to deliver online learning well. Our curriculum has always emphasized active learning, and we learned quickly that Zoom excels at this.
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Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
Members of Geisinger Commonwealth's facilities and public safety teams have remained at the Medical Sciences Building in Scranton, Pa., even during lockdown in spring 2020, keeping the premises clean and disinfected and making sure students, staff and faculty have a safe building in which to learn and work.
We are very proud that no COVID-19 cases have been linked to our Medical Sciences Building. Our facilities and public safety teams have been fastidious, polite and accommodating as they continue to keep our MSB pristine. While the building was closed and nobody was teaching or meeting in the building, the facilities and security teams were here. We all owe them a deep debt of gratitude. I’m also grateful to Ann Arvay, Lisa Runco and the HR team who were particularly supportive of employees as we adjusted to working from home.
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
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I am in awe of the resilience of our staff, faculty and students through all of 2020’s challenges and stresses. Graduating students dealt graciously with not being able to celebrate Match Day and commencement in person and made the most of virtual celebrations. First-year students have not had the bonding experience of in-person interactions with their classmates, faculty and staff. Faculty and staff have been tremendous in adapting to working from home and seeing students largely virtually. We do our best to get staff and faculty together for virtual community and town hall meetings, and the turnouts have been wonderful, but we all miss seeing each other in person in the hallway or café. The vaccines — and new national leadership deeply committed to mitigating the pandemic — give us all reason to look forward to a bright future. Despite the pandemic, progress at the school continued on many fronts. A number of accomplishments were achieved in the past year unrelated to (and despite the obstacles created by) the pandemic.
Community engagement The AAMC’s Spencer Foreman Award for Outstanding Community Engagement is awarded annually in recognition of a medical school’s service to its community. We were excited to be named one of only two finalists for this award. Although we were ultimately not selected to receive the award, the AAMC’s site visit team was particularly impressed with what they learned during their exhaustive virtual site visit this summer. They cited particular areas that demonstrate uncommon strength: • Community service is foundational to Geisinger Commonwealth, evident in our founding and the breadth of our community engagement. • Our impressive REACH-HEI pipeline program and our federally funded Center of Excellence.
Maura Morgan, MD Class of 2021, poses as she volunteers to administer coronavirus vaccines.
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Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
• Learners’ immersion in community engagement, which is embedded throughout our curriculum. • The commitment of leadership, both at the school and Geisinger, that is “unusual and evident.” • Our community partners attested that our engagement is substantial and meaningful. The visitors were impressed that we engage with partners who are “typically less visible.” The visitors gave us valuable advice to strengthen these efforts and encourage us to make another run at this award. Achieving finalist status is a great honor and provides objective external validation of our community engagement
Jessica Baylor, MD Class of 2022, volunteers for PPE 2 NEPA.
efforts. I am enormously grateful to Ida Castro, VP for Community Engagement, both for her achievements for our community over the years and for orchestrating an excellent site visit. We are confident that we can use the feedback offered by AAMC to try again and one day bring home the award.
Student community engagement Can you host a Turkey Trot and a Health Fair during a pandemic? The pandemic taught us never to underestimate the ingenuity and commitment of our students. They found solutions to allow them, for example, to continue to tutor United Neighborhood Centers’ English-as-a-secondlanguage learners and to maintain a range of the other
Rachel Evans, MD Class of 2023 and Abigail Geisinger Scholar, phone tutors for United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
myriad community service they normally provide. They launched several creative COVID-specific service activities, including sewing and collecting personal protective equipment for healthcare workers (Masked Bandits), delivering meals to the often-overlooked hospital thirdshift workers (Meals for Medics) and even, most recently, donating blood when many other such drives were canceled for fear of contagion.
Students from Geisinger Commonwealth deliver Meals for Medics.
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
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And now they are volunteering in droves to be part of efforts at Geisinger and elsewhere to vaccinate people. Over 200 of our students have signed up and been trained. Together they have vaccinated thousands; my own second dose was administered by one of our students. These remarkable young women and men continue to give us reasons to be proud.
Caring for the health and well-being of our students COVID-19 added many stresses to an MD program that is already demanding and focused the school on our students’ needs for emotional and physical well-being. We expanded our mental health services for students and hired a wellness director in Student Health Services. I also convened a student wellness panel to provide recommendations on how to boost student well-being. This group, led by Leighton Huey, Tanja Adonizio and fourth-year student Kathy Snyder, just submitted a proposed wellness plan.
Eshiemomoh Osilama, MD Class of 2024, and Matthew Parry, MD Class of 2023, volunteer at a vaccine clinic.
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Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
Kenneth Lam, MD Class of 2021, volunteers to administer coronavirus vaccines.
In June 2020, several members of the Geisinger community took part in a system-wide pause for silence in support of racial equality.
Discussions are now underway to determine how to
team developed a comprehensive framework to create a
implement their recommendations. I am grateful to Justin
more inclusive learning environment. From curriculum to
Collins and Dr. Vicki Sapp, who coordinated many virtual
community engagement to staff and faculty understanding,
student activities during the pandemic.
the stage is being set to address a pervasive though often unconscious atmosphere that marginalizes certain students
Diversity, equity and inclusion and social unrest
and caregivers.
This was an historic year in our nation for acknowledging the
a subcommittee of the curriculum renewal process Dr.
role that race plays in our history and society. At the medical
Jeffries had already initiated. Their task is to create a
school our actions were inspired by the voices of students,
4-year theme of our new curriculum centered on health
who spoke clearly and passionately about the reality of
equity and social justice. Our goal with this curricular
discrimination in their own lives, and even in our building.
theme is to produce young physicians who recognize how
I am grateful to those students — and to Drs. John Arnott,
injustices, inequities and racism in medicine pose a threat
Vicki Sapp, Bill Jeffries, Tanja Adonizio and others — who
to public health.
We have established a Social Justice and Equity Task Force,
gave students opportunities and audiences for expressing themselves sincerely and safely. One of the most profound
All School of Medicine faculty have been charged with
experiences of my year has been that of listening openly to
“showing the curricular renewal committee precisely how they are decreasing racism and improving inclusivity.”
our students.
Faculty have responded with some immediate changes, Inspired by dialogues with students, Ida Castro, in her
including cataloging and revising clinical vignettes used
role as associate dean for equity and inclusion, and her
throughout courses with respect to bias and inclusion.
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
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Recognizing that students interact not just with faculty, Geisinger Commonwealth engaged Dr. Keba Rogers, a counseling and clinical psychologist. Dr. Rogers has begun delivering her series, “Social and Emotional Learning as a Tool for Equity and Social Justice” to all faculty, staff and students. Dr. Rogers’ charge is to help us to use the skills she teaches “to effect transformational change in regard to diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice.”
Operational success On top of everything else, this year Geisinger moved from a budgeting to a forecasting model, and from a “fiscal year end” to a “calendar year end” for financial reporting. All of this required, among other things, mastering new forecasting software and financial reports. Successful implementation of these changes on a tight deadline — while still assuring accurate reporting — required a Herculean
Students also recommended that we conduct regular
effort, much of which occurs behind the scenes while others
racial climate surveys to understand better the overall
are engaged in more “glamorous” work. I am very grateful
learning environment at Geisinger. Dr. Castro has worked
to our really remarkable finance team, led by Ann Arvay and
with Arthur Breese, Geisinger’s director of Diversity
including Rita King and Kevin Baumes.
and Inclusion, and Alison Howe, our assistant dean for Assessment and Evaluation, to develop this survey, which was administered to students, faculty and staff at the school in November. I have seen the results of this survey,
Our physical plant also keeps growing. Although the pandemic slowed things down, our Facilities team is still moving forward with two vital projects:
which we will soon share; they are enlightening. Based on
• Stabilization and preservation of Halpin Hall
the experience of this pilot, a racial climate survey will be
• Student space development on 4 West in the
developed and implemented as part of the Engagement
Medical Sciences Building
Survey across the entire Geisinger system this year. This is an important and promising development, both for students and residents and for the system itself.
Halpin Hall
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Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
Technology
guide the selection and implementation of a new student
Technology saved the academic year for our students by enabling virtual learning, advising and celebrations. Our successful pivot emphasizes how important information technology is in all that we do. Kudos to the help desk staff and everyone in IT who kept our lifeline — our systems and technology — up and running. This year we created the position of associate dean for Educational Information Technology and appointed Jim Franceschelli to that role. Jim’s many years in higher
information system that will serve all learners across Geisinger; addressing the problems created by the “firewall” between the school and the system; supporting education delivery as we continue to innovate and develop new degree programs; and supporting the many virtual platforms that enable remote working and teaching. We have also been fortunate to have excellent leadership of the library in Amy Allison, associate dean for Library Services. Behind the scenes she has been reorganizing the staff, creating informationist positions and filling them with
education have given him a deep understanding of the educational mission that, together with his high level of IT expertise, collaborative manner and problem-solving skills, have all served us well. Among his challenges are to
excellent people, adding resources to support curriculum and implementing plans to provide more robust services online across the system and at the school.
Geisinger Commonwealth students Kristen Richards (left) and Ashley Rekem (right), both members of the MD Class of 2023, use one of the school’s four Sectra tables. Each table comes with a VH Dissector software program and premade online lessons. These high-tech tables facilitate students’ learning with radiological images, a core tool in the diagnosis and treatment of patients.
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
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Looking ahead New MD curriculum to begin with arrival of Class of 2025 this summer
accelerate our plans to increase the use of technology to teach anatomy virtually, as planned in our curriculum renewal, and we gathered valuable experience with this approach.
Clearly, it’s been a momentous year. And I am very excited
Pivoting to virtual teaching for clinical rotations was more
by what we can look forward to accomplishing together in
of a challenge. But our faculty created valuable virtual
2021, particularly the launch of our new MD curriculum,
experiences that made use of a range of resources that
the maturation of the Abigail Geisinger Scholars program,
focused on honing critical thinking and reasoning, note-
expansion of graduate degree offerings and further
writing and presentation skills and of course clinical
progress in the integration of education across the
knowledge. These sessions also gave students valuable
clinical system.
one-on-one time with attending physicians, something that is often difficult to arrange on busy ward rounds.
Some COVID-driven changes are here to stay. With Federal CARES Act funding we bought four Sectra tables and added
With remarkable ingenuity our faculty even created
software to our students’ laptops that illustrates human
ways for our students to make rounds virtually. Dr. Peggy
anatomy and provides the ability to dissect away structures
Shoemaker, assistant chair of internal medicine, and Dr.
even more clearly than with cadavers. COVID forced us to
Cass Lippold, a critical care fellow, devised a solution for the ICU in less than a week. The e-ICU they created gave fourth-year students a virtual experience with direct patient interaction. Students said their 4 weeks in the e-ICU rivaled the experience of being physically in the ICU.
Cassiopia Lippold, MD, critical care fellow, performs a physical exam on a Geisinger e-ICU patient as directed by Geisinger Commonwealth medical student Wojciech Losos, MD Class of 2021.
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Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
This attracted quite a bit of national attention, including
COVID-19 disrupted many of our own programs, as well as
coverage in a recent issue of Time magazine. Faculty are now
national processes and deadlines for residency selection.
adapting this capability to other clinical settings.
Despite this, our advising team was able to adapt deftly to a virtual environment. Under the leadership of Dr. Tanja
COVID propelled a major expansion of the use of telemedicine in outpatient care, particularly in psychiatry, but also in many other specialties. Geisinger was particularly well-positioned to take advantage of this. Before COVID, Geisinger doctors made fewer than 100 telemedicine visits per week; during the first COVID wave visits ballooned to
Adonizio, our advising team actually improved and expanded their services in the virtual environment. I am particularly grateful to Dr. Chrissy Spatz, Julia Kolcharno and Linda Learn for their efforts in maintaining the career advising and match process during these troubled times.
20,000, and patient satisfaction increased. Telemedicine
It is worth noting that, thanks to the prompt and
will clearly be important in the practice of medicine for our
coordinated effort by faculty and IT staff to seamlessly
graduates, so we are building a curriculum that will have
convert all learning to online, no student progress was
them experience telemedicine visits both from the doctor’s
delayed in terms of degrees. In fact, we were able to
side and in the patient’s home.
graduate over 20 medical students early so they could
Medical students need advice on how to navigate career
volunteer to fight COVID before starting their residencies.
choices and the complex procedure of residency application.
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
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Post-COVID: Moving to the curriculum of the future
This effort is led by Dr. Jeffries and has made remarkable progress, particularly in light of the disruptions caused
Curricular renewal has been underway since 2019 when the faculty conducted its overall review of the current MD curriculum. In last year’s address I outlined my goals for a new curriculum:
by COVID. Thirty-four new learning objectives were formulated to address six fundamental competencies. A large emphasis on active learning will be part of our signature pedagogy, and live lectures will be phased out. The new curriculum will feature six longitudinal themes:
• That it integrates fundamental and clinical science
• Primary Care
horizontally and vertically
• Community Immersion
• That it incorporates a range of new content
• Professional Development
• That it addresses professional identity formation • That it emphasizes the physician’s role in promoting health rather than merely managing disease
• Health System Citizenship • Population Health • Diversity and Health Equity
At the same time, it should preserve those elements that have helped our students succeed so well — active learning,
Each of these thematic teams is currently working
longitudinal experiences, community engagement — but also
on a 4-year immersive curriculum that will mesh with
move to more innovative pedagogies.
the traditional subjects of medical education. The new curriculum has three phases: an initial 18-month
A Curriculum Task Force of the Medical Curriculum
foundational period, followed by a yearlong clerkship phase,
Committee was named and charged by me to formulate the vision, themes, objectives and pedagogy for a renewal of our
followed by an advanced application phase. Barring further delays, this curriculum will roll out in August of 2021.
medical curriculum.
Current curriculum
MD curricular renewal August
October
Nov
Dec
January
February
March
April
May
Year 1: Basic science
June
July
Summer research
Year 2: Basic science
Clerkships
Year 3: Clerkships
Electives
Year 4: Clinical electives
August
New curriculum
Sept
Sept
October
Nov
Dec
January
February
March
April
May
Phase 1: Foundational Phase 1: Foundational Phase 2: Clerkships
July
Summer research Capstone
Phase 2: Clerkships Phase 3: Advanced clinical experience
Phase 3: Advanced clinical experience
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June
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
“Horizontal integration” requires meaningful incorporation of clinical medicine into the fundamental curriculum from the beginning, both through giving students clinical opportunities and through making more use of clinicians to teach fundamental science. The new curriculum will do both. The past year has witnessed a growing cohesion and unity between our clinical and basic sciences faculty. This “coming together” means that clinical faculty will
Introduction of primary care track for Abigail Geisinger Scholars and others The goals of the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program are not just to create more primary care providers, but physicians trained to deliver primary care differently. We are developing a primary care curricular track for them. They will leverage data and genomics to support disease prevention, early detection and intervention, and increased
infuse the curricula of years one and two with clinical
access, teaching how precision health can be incorporated
relevance and experiences.
into primary care. Expertise at the health plan will inform
Students will begin clinical rotations in January of the
the medical curriculum for population health and healthcare
second year and early classroom education will be based on
economics. And the scholars will experience primary care
a case presentation format. Our experience during COVID
through opportunities to participate in programs such as
has given our faculty great facility with virtual teaching.
Geisinger 65 Forward, Geisinger at Home and the Fresh
We found it’s easier for busy clinicians to “Zoom” into a
Food Farmacy.
small-group discussion than to have to travel to the MSB to do it. Zoom thus enhances our ability to use clinicians as classroom teachers, giving students a more clinically oriented view of basic science.
A subgroup of the curricular renewal team, led by Drs. Janet Townsend and Kim Kovalick, is exploring creating a special “three plus three” primary care track to accelerate the careers of physicians.
Horizontal integration also means deeper incorporation of science (including things like system science, population health and genomics) into the clinical experiences and making the “application phase” (the last 18 months) more meaningful. Our basic science faculty will work to reconnect and ground the clerkship year and advanced application phase with the concepts once confined to the classroom. Clinical faculty indicate they are eager to get “refresher courses” in the basic sciences as part of this new, symbiotic relationship. Curricular renewal will also create an opportunity to connect active learning with community engagement more closely. Our founding vision was to educate aspiring physicians and scientists to “serve society,” and we have always required 100 hours of community service. In the new curriculum this engagement will occur as part of the formal curriculum and will represent service learning. Kara Romanowski, MD Class of 2023 and Abigail Geisinger Scholar (left), is introduced to one of Geisinger’s Primary Care Signature Models – Geisinger 65 Forward – by Juliann Molecavage, DHA, associate vice president of quality & primary care services at Geisinger (right).
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
13
Expanding the School of Graduate Education portfolio
The team has also created an online graduate course, COVID-19: Health Systems and Pandemics; several
The School of Graduate Education has built a strong instructional design team, led by Joe Evanick. The team’s
modules are taught by Dr. Jaewon Ryu and other senior leaders.
efforts put us in a great position in March, when both the
These are not the only reasons 2020 was an historic year for
MD and graduate programs needed to move completely
the School of Graduate Education. In addition to continued
online. We anticipated that enrollment might drop with
growth in the number of graduate students we enroll, in
COVID as it has at many other graduate programs.
January, three new master’s degrees were launched in
Anticipating the changes ahead due to COVID, Dr. Scott
Health Informatics, Genetics and Healthcare Administration
Koerwer, the graduate school leadership team and core
in partnership with the University of the Sciences. These are
curriculum faculty made several adjustments to the
fully asynchronous degree programs, the first of their kind
Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS) program, reducing
at Geisinger, and are available to the general public, as well
the number of credit hours and the tuition rate per credit,
as internally to Geisinger employees. As of the beginning of
and transitioning to a quarter system from our traditional
April of 2021, we have approximately 120 students enrolled
semester structure, which enabled students to enter the
in these new degrees.
program at four points throughout the year. With these changes, MBS enrollment actually increased this year to the highest number in our history.
Graduate program redesign (Master of Biomedical Sciences)
Streamlines cost, time and flexibility
Prepares future healthcare leaders
Allows for multiple entry points
Designed for students pursuing medical school and offers the core and many other helpful opportunities.
Flexible student timelines include full-time, part-time and accelerated options that fit any scheule.
Recognizes student concerns
Provides fully online experience
Engages students online
Students hesitant to return to in-seat classes this academic year have online, multiple entry options.
Allows for social distancing in the pandemic along with flexiblity in the case of continued viral outbreaks.
The interactive, async experience is flexible with synchronous meetings that engage students.
A program that decreases student cost, decreases time to completion and increases student flexibility
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Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
The graduate school is looking forward with great
The team that created the proposal includes Drs. Michelle
enthusiasm to offering a Genetic Counseling master’s
Thompson, Janet Townsend and Mandy Maneval, the
degree program in 2023. The project team responsible
residency program director. The Geisinger Lewistown
for putting the program together is led by Andy Faucett,
Hospital Family Medicine Residency’s strength and
a nationally recognized genetic counselor, in tandem with
unique approach attracted 1,987 applications for just
Graduate School leadership including Drs. Greg Shanower,
four positions. This expansion of primary care training will
Erin Sutzko, Jennifer Boardman and Scott Koerwer, and
complement the new primary care emphasis of the Abigail
working closely with Ann Arvay. The program will leverage
Geisinger Scholars Program. Dr. Jeffries is interested in
the nation-leading genomics initiative at Geisinger, including
exploring unique approaches to training in the UME/GME
its method of returning actionable findings of genetic risk
continuum. We are also exploring the potential of creating a
resulting from the patient’s genome sequencing. Genetic
West Regional Campus based in Lewistown and focused on
counselors are central to patient understanding of their
primary care.
results, and thus this degree will offer unique opportunities not found in other programs.
The Geisinger Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program received a $2.75 million federal award that will support its expansion. The grant is a collaboration between Geisinger
Graduate Medical Education
and The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education.
Geisinger’s over 500 residents and fellows are on the
Addiction medicine fellows will train at 16 sites across
front lines caring for patients with COVID-19 illness.
central and northeast Pennsylvania, including six counties
Responding to the pandemic required creative solutions as
with drug overdose rates higher than the national average.
many services were reduced or closed during the spring.
This project addresses three federal priorities: combating
The pandemic also forced major adjustments in resident
the opioid crisis, transforming the workforce and expanding
recruitment and selection as in-person visits for interviews
telehealth services.
were suspended nationally. Dr. Michelle Thompson and team implemented virtual tours and Zoom interviews, which ran very successfully. Residency programs also continued to expand as planned without interruption. For example, the Geisinger Lewistown Hospital Family Medicine Residency received federal grant funding of $2.5 million to help build pipeline programs and recruitment and retention strategies to meet better the needs of rural and underserved populations.
The Geisinger Lewistown Hospital Family Medicine Residency recently received federal grant funding of $2.5 million to help build pipeline programs and recruitment and retention strategies to meet better the needs of rural and underserved populations.
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
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Geisinger’s Education and Medical Simulation (GEMS) Center recently received accreditation from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.
Continuing Professional Development Geisinger’s Education and Medical Simulation Center received accreditation from the Society for Simulation in
community, Program Directors community, Preceptors in Undergraduate Medical Education community and the Group on Women in Medicine and Science.
Healthcare, an important recognition of both the excellence
The academy was established to help attract, develop
of the GEMS center and the essential role that simulation
and maintain engagement of highly productive lifelong
plays in patient safety. The accreditors specifically praised
learners who understand the demands of an integrated
Dr. Nicole Woll and her team for creating “rich and high-
healthcare system and workforce are continuously evolving.
fidelity, realistic communication simulations” and for
Geisinger Academy serves as the learning, credentialing and
cultivating “leadership who understand the power of
engagement mechanism to leverage education in achieving
simulation and integration into the healthcare system.”
community health and well-being.
This year, Geisinger’s Faculty Development team held its inaugural Medical Education Grand Rounds session in October. Nearly 100 educators systemwide dialed in for the live session via Zoom. Congratulations to Dr. Robert Cooney, director of faculty development, and Dr. Woll for this successful launch. Education Grand Rounds are a good example of our vision for the Geisinger Academy, which fosters the development of an education community that supports outstanding teaching and learning in the clinical learning environment and classroom. The academy is built around “communities,” including the Relationship-
In October, Geisinger’s Faculty Development team held its inaugural Medical Education Grand Rounds session with Christopher J. Watling, MD, MMEd, PhD, FRCP(C), presenting “Capturing authentic performance: the perils of direct observation.”
Centered Communications
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Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
Each institute lead continues to report within the clinical system to the chief medical officers but also now holds an appointment as chair of a Geisinger Commonwealth Institute, in that role reporting to me as dean and working closely with Dr. Bill Jeffries. The new Geisinger Commonwealth institutes are in effect the departmental home for Geisinger physicians who have faculty appointments. These institute chairs will be responsible for the curriculum in the specialties covered by their institutes. The School of Medicine’s Department of Medical Education will continue its mission of instruction in the basic sciences, formal clinical skills instruction and assessment, medical education and scientific research, curriculum development
Nursing growth
and pedagogical expertise.
Geisinger Lewistown Hospital School of Nursing
The new structure will engage the institute chairs more
continues to offer high-quality education as evidenced
fully in design and delivery of the medical school curriculum
once again by its No. 2 ranking among all nursing programs
and foster integration of the clinical faculty within the
in Pennsylvania. Dr. Rebecca Stoudt, associate dean for
medical school. It will enhance involvement of Geisinger
nursing education; Janet Tomcavage, Geisinger’s chief
physicians in clinical teaching, student advising, curriculum
nursing executive; and Maryann Brown, director of the
development, faculty development and advancement,
School of Nursing, are working to expand its program to
and participation in undergraduate medical education
other sites across the Geisinger system, and to offer online
administration. I am grateful to Dr. Andrea DiMattia, who
courses to allow students to participate asynchronously.
has been invaluable in helping each institute to develop their
They are also exploring the evolution of the current RN
educational infrastructure.
program to an associate’s degree. These efforts will occur in the context of our strong ongoing partnerships with
The institute chairs have embraced this new role with
the many nursing degree programs at other colleges in
enthusiasm. We enjoyed a daylong retreat focusing on the
the region.
role of institute or department chair and substantive topics including curriculum, research and faculty affairs.
Full system alignment
An important level of oversight of education occurs through
Since the integration of The Commonwealth Medical
several councils representing leadership of undergraduate
College into Geisinger 4 years ago, it has been our shared
medical education, graduate medical education and health
view that clinical perspectives inform education and
professions education at Geisinger. The Undergraduate
education strengthens the clinical mission. We have made
Medical Education Council, led by Dr. Jeffries, is the forum
great progress in partnering with clinical leadership, but we
for discussion of issues related to medical student education
continue the work to achieve full alignment. This year we
across Geisinger clinical sites. The Health Professions
took a major step by designating the eight clinical institutes
Education Council, led by Dr. Nicole Woll, brings together
of Geisinger as institutes of the School of Medicine, with
education leadership in medical, nursing, advanced practice,
a status similar to that of academic departments found in
pharmacy and other fields in which students gain clinical
typical medical schools.
experience at Geisinger.
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
17
The Graduate Medical Education Council, led by Dr.
team. The school’s role in the Geisinger Transformation
Michelle Thompson, pre-dates our integration with
project was specified in a charter that has five major areas
Geisinger as it is a function required by the Accreditation
to be addressed. I have asked Dr. Bill Jeffries to serve as the
Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and
accountable lead on the project.
has been in existence for many years. I chair the Executive
The five major areas include:
Education Leadership Team, EELT, comprising the 10 deans
• Maximize structural alignment with health enterprise.
who report to me for educational oversight. And the
This project involves our efforts to integrate the
Education Council joins the leadership of EELT
institutes into Geisinger Commonwealth
and the major educational entities with the
School of Medicine leadership, revise and
institute chairs and clinical leadership of the
streamline faculty appointments, unify
Geisinger system. Together these groups
financial planning and reporting, improve
have been instrumental in forging closer
preparation of faculty and residents
relationships between educational
for their role in teaching and better
and clinical leadership.
organize administration of education programs.
Recently Dr. Christa Martin
•
became the interim chief
Integrate medical
scientific officer at Geisinger,
students into clinical care
overseeing Geisinger’s
mission. This project aims
research unit. Her charge
to create more meaningful
is to bring about greater
clinical roles for students
integration of research
that will maximize the benefit
with education and with the
for learning, the patient, the care
clinical system. We have had substantive and constructive
team and the health system.
discussions with Dr. Martin, who participates in my regular
• Review and revise reimbursement for teaching faculty
meetings with the institute chairs. I look forward to working
time and clinical time. This project will help us develop
with her to promote this additional dimension of integration
proper ways to assign and compensate clinical faculty for
in the coming year.
their teaching roles in the medical school, with an aim to increase efficiency and incentive and reward excellent
Continued evolution
teaching. • Optimize IT infrastructure for education. This project
The clinical system is pursuing the Geisinger Transformation
addresses a critical aspect of our integration with
Initiative. The goal is to make a broad and deep review
Geisinger, our IT platform.
of Geisinger activities, identify opportunities to achieve our goals more effectively and implement meaningful improvements. Geisinger has engaged the consulting firm Deloitte, which has substantial experience in change management in the healthcare environment. Our school
• Optimize space for education. Through this project we will review the needs for educational space within Geisinger to optimize use of space and bring educational functions together in common areas.
was part of that process, through which several important
The scope of this initiative is expansive, and successful
recommendations were developed by Geisinger’s leadership
completion will require the hard work of dozens of us. The outcomes promise a much-improved organization.
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Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
Conclusion: Fulfilling the vision that education transforms healthcare and makes better health easier The goal of this transformation is to realize Geisinger’s strategic vision as articulated by Dr. Ryu: to make better health easier for everyone. This
“...our vision to educate the health workforce of the
vision is congruent with the school’s mission and our
future, leveraging our strengths to be regionally
vision to educate the health workforce of the future,
engaged and nationally relevant.”
leveraging our strengths to be regionally engaged and nationally relevant.
Education at Geisinger
Executive education leadership team (EELT): S. Scheinman
Administration - finance/operations
W. Jeffries I. Castro G. Maloney J. Franceschelli
S. Koerwer N. Woll A. Allison J. Townsend
A. Arvay M. Thompson R. Stoudt
Strategy and innovation Medical education Degree and diploma programs
Graduate education GLH diploma program
Chief academic officer
Medical residents/ fellows Clinical post-graduate programs Certificate-granting health profession postgraduate programs
Nursing student education
Nursing students (other schools)
Education council: EELT Institute leads Nursing Pharmacy Advanced practictioner Research CMOs UME system role Library director GCSOM chair of Dept. of Med Ed Undergraduate Medical Education Committee (UMEC) Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC) Health Professions Education Committee (HPEC)
Continuing Professional Development Committee (CPDC)
Continuing professional development Faculty development
Interprofessional education
Educational programs (healthcare communications and procedural skills simulation) Clinical experiences for health professions degree programs (e.g., PSs, NPs, CRNAs)
Library resources Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
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Reflect
20
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
ction With each passing year we have more to be proud of at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. We have met the challenge of a global pandemic with creativity and resilience. We have continued our upward trajectory with major accomplishments despite the pandemic. And we can look forward to exciting new developments that will continue that trajectory this year and beyond.
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
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I often reflect on the vision of our founders, manifested in the launch of The Commonwealth Medical College and the arrival of our first
2013 – 2018
students 12 years ago. Our founding by the community is unique among U.S. medical schools. Every year our faculty, staff and students have demonstrated our dedication to this community that founded the medical school. We can recall with great pride the tenacity of our early leadership,
Total raised
$25,292,080
faculty and staff (many still here today) and their willingness to plunge so energetically into the hard work of dream fulfillment. We survived the financial challenges of our early years thanks to the stalwart
Original goal
$15,000,000
support of Blue Cross of NEPA and myriad other corporate and personal donors, through whose generosity this school survived and thrived when many predicted it couldn’t. Our Campaign for Scholarships and Innovation was launched in 2013
CSI closes, exceeding goal by
$10 million
with the goal to raise $15 million and closed 5 years later, having raised $23 million. We count the Stanley Dudrick Legacy Society among the great accomplishments of the Campaign for Scholarships and Innovation. Dr. Dudrick, the father of total parenteral nutrition, was deeply committed to our school and our students. A towering legend in the world of medicine, he considered it an honor to teach our students, and had great respect for them and for the profession. The largest gift to the campaign came from noted developer and Scranton native Gerald Halpin, who left the school $5 million in his will. That gift is the driving force behind the renovation of Halpin Hall. We must also acknowledge the generosity of the AllOne Foundation, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation, the Luzerne Foundation and the Moses Taylor Foundation. Together these community philanthropic organizations funded scholarships and provided substantial funding that was critical in launching our Behavioral Health Initiative.
In loving memory of Stanley J. Dudrick, MD April 9, 1935 - Jan. 18, 2020 22
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
From the start, we have innovated. The MD curriculum launched in 2009 was bold and different. Our founding faculty built a program that is remarkable for its emphasis on active learning, community engagement and longitudinal clinical experiences. We were the first medical school anywhere to enroll its entire class in a longitudinal integrated clerkship (LIC). Over time, in response to student feedback, we adjusted the LIC to be a hybrid that incorporated the block model. Accreditors ultimately rewarded our efforts with full accreditation by both the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) and Middle States Commission on Higher Education in 2014, and then 5 years later with full reaccreditation by both agencies for the maximal terms allowed. When in 2017 we accomplished integration with Geisinger, a whole new range of clinical, research and educational opportunities opened up for our students. At the time, however, we lost some of the clinical partners who had been with us from the beginning. Our new Geisinger colleagues immediately mobilized to create capacity to absorb our students within Geisinger sites; thus, an outcome that would likely have occurred over years was implemented in a matter of weeks. While initially requiring some adjustments, the integration has been transformative for the school — and I’m certain that over time it will be just as transformative for Geisinger. Record numbers of our students now pursue research, most in Geisinger’s own remarkable research programs. With each passing year, a growing number of our graduates match to Geisinger residency programs. Hundreds of Geisinger physicians now have faculty appointments at the medical school, and each year more and more of them become actively engaged in teaching our students. We note with pride that 25 alumni are now practicing medicine in our region. Perhaps no initiative illustrates the promise of this integration more than the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program. Our first cohort of scholars will graduate this year and will move that much closer, after residency, to becoming Geisinger physicians. Since they signed on 2 years ago, the program has evolved into a national model for addressing health equity and access by investing in a physician pipeline.
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
23
Abigail Geisinger Scholars
There are now 76 Abigail Geisinger Scholars across the four MD classes. The program is now focused entirely on primary care and psychiatry. This year, for the first time, we have created a direct admissions track for applicants interested in this program, and more than 1,000 candidates have applied for the 45 Abigail Scholar positions. These scholars will experience a curriculum enhanced in content and experiences in all aspects of future-facing primary care. Our School of Graduate Education was founded the spring of 2017 in the wake of initial integration. From its origins in our single master’s program the graduate school now offers six master’s degrees, with more in development. The graduate school led us into the sphere of online learning, which was critical to our ability to respond to COVID. With the restructuring of the MBS program, our MBS enrollment rose in 2020 to 142 despite COVID — an order of magnitude larger than the 2013 charter MBS graduating class of 2010. The Doylestown campus continues to flourish since its founding in 2016 and enrollment in our three new degree programs in partnership with the University of the Sciences continues to grow.
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Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
We take pride in the accomplishments of our Behavioral Health Initiative, growing from discussions that began soon after I arrived in 2012. Among its many accomplishments — with much credit owed to Terri Lacey and Dr. Leighton Huey — are the partnership with the AllOne Foundation to support The Wright Center’s Psychiatry residency program; a range of training programs, including mental health first aid training (in which so many students, faculty and staff have participated), medication assisted treatment training, ongoing community education sessions and the Behavioral Health Certificate program (also known as SPEPC) launching this month; a peer support network for our medical and graduate students; and telepsychiatry services at the Geisinger Community Medical Center Emergency Department.
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
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With all of these shared accomplishments and wonderful forward momentum propelling our future direction, and after much personal reflection, I must tell you that I have decided that this is the year that I will retire. This was not an easy decision for me, but I know it is the right one, and the right time — not just for me but for the School of Medicine and Education at Geisinger. This is my ninth year here, more than two dean half-lives, and with my 8 previous years at Upstate I’ve been doing dean duty for 17 years. And it is healthy for a school to refresh itself with new leadership. I think you all know how much I have loved my work here, have become part of the community here, and love you, our family at the medical school. But the time, I feel, is right. I will confess that having 8 grandchildren can do a lot to broaden one’s perspectives on life. Dr. Ryu and our board have been enormously supportive of me and of the school, and I know they will continue to be. They have started a national search for my successor; I have promised to remain until the new dean arrives — within reason. So, in conclusion, the state of the school is excellent, as is its future. Thank you.
Steven J. Scheinman, MD, the longest-serving dean of Geisinger Commonwealth to date, arrived in 2012 and plans to retire at the end of 2021.
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Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
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Oath
Written by the Class of 2013
Today I commit myself to the calling of medicine. I stand beside my teachers in devotion to the care of the sick, the promotion of health, and the service of humanity. I am privileged to be a part of my patients’ lives. I will abandon my prejudices to walk with them on their journey through life and its pivotal transitions. I will hold sacred the bond with my patients and guard that which is intimately shared. I will collaborate with my colleagues in the best interests of my patients and society. I will strive humbly to admit mistakes, make amends, and forgive others in acknowledgement of our common humanity. I will use my intellectual curiosity to water the seeds I’ve been given and cultivate the growing tree of our medical knowledge. I am grateful for the family and community that have brought me to this day and will honor them in the fulfillment of this oath. I will hold myself to the highest standard, maintaining and furthering the ethics, integrity, and noble traditions of my profession. I will be a doctor, a student, and a teacher beyond the confines of the bedside, in my community and in my daily life. In doing so I will cure sometimes, relieve often, and comfort always.
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | State of the School 2021 – 2022
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