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Castro also delivered keynote address at the Pennsylvania Latino Convention

Ida Castro, JD, vice president for community engagement and chief diversity officer at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM), received the Lillian Escobar-Haskins Latino Legacy and Leadership Award. This prestigious honor was awarded to her at the Pennsylvania Latino Convention, where she served as keynote speaker.
 
Castro’s address at the conference focused on Latinos’ present and future contributions to Pennsylvania. She was introduced by Wilton Curiel, a Dominican-born Geisinger physician assistant, who also works with GCSOM’s out-of-school enrichment program, REACH-HEI. Wilton shared his personal journey as a Latino in the United States and why he became a physician assistant.
 
At the conference, Ida was honored with the first-ever Lillian Escobar-Haskins Latino Legacy and Leadership Award. It is given to an individual who exemplifies dedication to improve the status of Latinos in Pennsylvania.
 
In presenting the award, the daughter of Lillian Escobar-Haskins said of Ida, “Your remarkable body of work and commitment to social justice is a legacy. Our Latino communities have been served brilliantly by you. You have advocated for our interests at all levels from local to national. It is an honor well deserved.”
 
Geisinger served as a platinum sponsor of the Pennsylvania Latino Convention, which was held in Bethlehem. The surrounding area of Bethlehem — including Easton, Allentown, Lancaster, Lebanon, York, Harrisburg and Gettysburg — boasts more than 50 percent of Pennsylvania’s total Latino population.
 
In addition to being home to almost one million Latinos, Pennsylvania welcomed the second-largest migration of Puerto Ricans after Hurricane Maria hit the island in 2017. The convention was dedicated to discussing challenges and opportunities for these new Pennsylvanians by providing a platform for data, research and policy agendas.

 

About Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) is a member of the Geisinger family. GCSOM offers a community-based model of medical education with campuses in Danville, Lewistown, Scranton, Sayre and Wilkes-Barre. Geisinger Commonwealth offers Doctor of Medicine (MD) and a portfolio of graduate degrees. The school’s innovative curriculum, focused on caring for people in the context of their lives and their community, attracts the next generation of physicians and scientists from within its region, as well as from across the state and the nation. Geisinger Commonwealth is committed to non-discrimination in all employment and educational opportunities. Visit www.geisinger.edu/gcsom.

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 nonprofit system generates $10 billion in annual revenues across 126 care sites — including 10 hospital campuses — and Geisinger Health Plan, with more than half a million members in commercial and government plans. 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 1,700 employed physicians, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers with an estimated economic impact of $15 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 follow on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.

Ida Castro receives first ever Lillian Escobar-Haskins Legacy and Leadership award 2019
Ida Castro, JD, vice president for community engagement and chief diversity officer at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM), received the Lillian Escobar-Haskins Latino Legacy and Leadership Award. This prestigious honor was awarded to her at the Pennsylvania Latino Convention, where she served as keynote speaker. Seen from left are Norman Bristol Colon, chairman and organizer of the Pennsylvania Latino Convention (PALC); Ida Castro; and Serena Escobar-Haskins, daughter of author and Pa. Dept. of Health policy-maker, Lillian Escobar-Haskins.
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
Elizabeth Zygmunt
Director, Media and Public Relations 
Office: 570-504-9687
On Call: 570-687-9703
ezygmunt@som.geisinger.edu
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