Geisinger Commonwealth names second cohort of ‘Abigail Geisinger Scholars’

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) has announced that 10 new doctors-in-training have committed to staying in the region to practice medicine by becoming part of the innovative Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program. Abigail Geisinger Scholars pay no tuition in exchange for an obligation to work at Geisinger once they finish residency.

“I am pleased to announce the 10 students who comprise our second cohort of Abigail scholars,” said Steven J. Scheinman, MD, GCSOM president and dean and executive vice president, Geisinger. “These students are obviously brilliant but, more importantly, they are devoted to our region and have promised to care for this community in the future. Because of their commitment, they will have no medical school tuition debt. We can think of no better way to bolster the pipeline of high-quality physicians serving our communities.”

Jaewon Ryu, MD, Geisinger president and CEO, said the program helps the community, not only by ensuring medical school graduates are able to remain in the region, but by encouraging them to pursue their dreams without having to make financial calculations based on student-loan payments. “Medical school debt is a big problem. Part of making health easier for our communities is to make it easier for future physicians to serve those communities. One way we can do that is by easing the financial challenges of medical education and encouraging students to commit to serving our communities in return for the investment we make in their education,” he said.

The program selects students through a competitive application process. Selection criteria includes demonstrated financial need, academic merit, diversity and predictors of whether the applicant is likely to stay in the region Geisinger serves.

The second cohort of Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program recipients are:

MD Class of 2023

• Caroline Bandurska, Freeland
• Connor Barry, Mountain Top
• Tyler Bogaczyk, Williamsport
• John Coulter, Mountain Top
• Luis Devia, Hellertown
• Rachel Evans, Clarks Summit
• Matthew Parry, Clarks Summit
• Rebecca Petlansky, Auburn
• Syed Qadri, Drums
• Raymond Stemrich, Sweet Valley
  
  

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.