Geisinger Commonwealth announces key academic appointments

William Jeffries, PhD
Vice Dean for Medical Education and Vice President for Academic Affairs

William Jeffries, PhD was named vice dean for medical education and vice president for academic affairs. In that role he is responsible for overseeing medical education at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, including curriculum renewal, assessment of student outcomes and enhancing the alignment of medical school learning with the skills and competencies outlined by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). He was also oversee medical student recruitment and admissions.

Dr. Jeffries is one of the nation’s leading experts in medical education. He served since 2009 as senior associate dean for medical education at the University of Vermont (UVM), responsible for its offices of curriculum, academic affairs, student affairs and admissions. In that capacity, among his many achievements, he oversaw UVM’s complete curricular rewrite that makes the entire curriculum active learning and founded the teaching academy. In his career, he also spearheaded the launch of three branch campuses in three different states. Dr. Jeffries has strong Scranton roots.

He is a graduate (with honors) of the University of Scranton and has many family ties to the area. He holds a Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of the Sciences and did his postdoctoral fellowship in pharmacology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center with Dr. William Pettinger and the Nobel prizewinner, Dr. Alfred Gilman.  He was on the faculty and in leadership positions at Creighton University School of Medicine for 21 years before going to Vermont.

Rebecca Stoudt, DNP, PhD, CRNA
Associate Dean for Nursing Student Education

Rebecca Stoudt, DNP, PhD, CRNA has been named associate dean for nursing student education effective June 9. Working closely with Geisinger nursing leadership, Dr. Stoudt will be responsible for the coordination, oversight and management of the experiences within the Geisinger system of Geisinger nursing students, as well as undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in degree programs at other educational institutions. This includes oversight of educational partnerships, development of innovative curricula, collaboration on interprofessional experiences and assurance of the quality of learning opportunities. Dr. Stoudt will report directly to the chief academic officer.

Dr. Stoudt continues to serve as director of CRNA services. She previously held the position of director of special projects in the Department of Anesthesiology at Geisinger, where she provided leadership in the development and implementation of educational initiatives assigned by service line and executive leadership in collaboration with hospital medical directors and regional chief certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs). She also served as anesthesia representative on system-wide quality and safety initiatives. She received her PhD in nursing education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania; her doctor of nursing practice (DNP) from Chatham University in Pittsburgh; a master of science in nurse anesthesia with a minor in nursing education from the University of Pittsburgh; and a BSN from Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana.

Amy Allison, MPH
Associate Dean and Library Director

Amy Allison, MPH will assume the role of associate dean and library director in September. In that position, she will create, in concert with Geisinger administration and library staff, one health sciences library system that will serve all Geisinger facilities, including all hospitals and the School of Medicine. She will report to the chief academic officer.

Ms. Allison has worked for 11 years at Emory University’s Woodruff Health Sciences Center Library, first as a clinical informationist, then as head of Clinical Informationist Services and finally as associate director of the entire library, where she oversaw all public service points for Woodruff, including four hospital branch libraries, reference, instruction and clinical and research specialty services. She also has teaching experience as a faculty member at Emory, as well as at Mercer University. She holds a master of public health degree from Emory University; a master of library science degree from Clark University in Atlanta; and a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Baylor. She has a long list of presentations, publications and awards.

About Geisinger
Geisinger is among the nation’s leading providers of value-based care, serving 1.2 million people in urban and rural communities across Pennsylvania. Founded in 1915 by philanthropist Abigail Geisinger, the non-profit system generates $10 billion in annual revenues across 134 care sites - including 10 hospital campuses, and Geisinger Health Plan, with 600,000 members in commercial and government plans. The Geisinger College of Health Sciences educates more than 5,000 medical professionals annually and conducts more than 1,400 clinical research studies. With 26,000 employees, including 1,600 employed physicians, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers with an estimated economic impact of $14 billion to the state’s economy. On March 31, 2024, Geisinger became the first member of Risant Health, a new nonprofit charitable organization created to expand and accelerate value-based care across the country.  Learn more at geisinger.org or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.