Geisinger Commonwealth receives its second ‘It’s On Us’ grant from Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Education

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) has received its second “It’s On Us” grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Education in the amount of $30,000. The grant program, launched in 2016, provides colleges and universities with funding to establish programs ranging from campus-wide training for students, faculty and staff to institutional campaigns to raise awareness and understanding of the reporting process and resources available to and rights of survivors of sexual violence.

Geisinger Commonwealth will use its $30,000 grant to provide Title IX training to Geisinger’s 637 resident physicians and fellows, as well as School of Medicine learners, and to create an online Title IX training program for all Geisinger learners and employees. Title IX is the federal civil rights law that protects people from discrimination based upon sex in educational programs that receive federal financial assistance. 

“We are proud of our school’s longstanding tradition of respect and inclusivity for everyone,” said Steven J. Scheinman, MD, GCSOM president and dean and executive vice president and chief academic officer at Geisinger. “We are grateful to Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration for recognizing how important training and awareness programs are to maintaining our welcoming culture.”

“At Geisinger Commonwealth, Title IX means we take proactive steps to preserve our supportive environment so that everyone can thrive. Our first It’s On Us grant was used to develop programming specifically aimed at medical and graduate students. Now, with this second grant, we have the opportunity to expand the message,” said Jackie Ghormoz, MSW, CSW, GCSOM assistant dean of students and associate Title IX coordinator.

“The #MeToo movement is a reminder of the prevalence of sexual assault in communities of all demographics,” Education Secretary Pedro A. Rivera said. “The It’s On Us PA campaign is helping Pennsylvania schools lead their communities in directing the conversation on how we can prevent assaults and harassment from infecting our campuses and communities.”

The It’s On Us PA statewide campaign was launched by Governor Wolf in 2016, and was built on the momentum of the national It’s On Us movement championed by President Obama. The state initiative invites everyone to take the It’s On Us PA pledge and play a role in ending sexual assault. There were 39 schools selected for grants in 2018.

About Geisinger
Geisinger is committed to making better health easier for the more than 1 million people it serves. Founded more than 100 years ago by Abigail Geisinger, the system now includes 10 hospital campuses, a health plan with more than half a million members, a research institute and the Geisinger College of Health Sciences, which includes schools of medicine, nursing and graduate education. With more than 25,000 employees and 1,700+ employed physicians, Geisinger boosts its hometown economies in Pennsylvania by billions of dollars annually. Learn more at geisinger.org or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.