Janet Townsend, MD, appointed senior associate dean for Faculty Affairs at Geisinger Commonwealth
After a year-long search, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) is pleased to announce that Janet Townsend, MD, has been appointed senior associate dean for Faculty Affairs. She assumed the role on March 23.
As senior associate dean for Faculty Affairs, Dr. Townsend will oversee the process for appointment, promotion and tracking of faculty members at the School of Medicine. Steven J. Scheinman, MD, president and dean of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine and executive vice president and chief academic officer, Geisinger, said, “Dr. Townsend’s strong relations with clinical leadership will be invaluable as we work to integrate the hundreds of preceptors across the Geisinger system fully into the faculty and to enhance faculty mentoring and advancement.” In this position Dr. Townsend will report to Dr. Scheinman.
GCSOM is grateful to John Arnott, PhD, interim chair of the Department of Medical Education, who chaired the search committee that recommended Dr. Townsend for this role. William Jeffries, PhD, vice president for Academic Affairs and vice dean for medical education, will be initiating a selection process to identify Dr. Townsend’s successor as regional campus dean of the Central Campus.
“I would like to thank Harry Wollman, MD, for his service as interim senior associate dean for Faculty Affairs,” said Dr. Scheinman. “In his nearly three years here he has also previously served as senior associate dean for undergraduate medical education and as interim chair of the Department of Clinical Sciences. I am grateful to Dr. Wollman for his service on our leadership team during this exciting time.”
Central Campus
MH4, Education Department
Geisinger Medical Center
100 North Academy Ave.
Danville, PA 17822
570-214-4874
jmtownsend1@geisinger.edu
About Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (Geisinger Commonwealth) is a member of the Geisinger family. Geisinger Commonwealth offers a community-based model of medical education with campuses in Atlantic City, Danville, Doylestown, Sayre, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. Geisinger Commonwealth offers Doctor of Medicine (MD), Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS) and Professional Science Master's (PSM) 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 nation. The school also has more than 500 residents and fellows in 31 accredited residency programs and 27 accredited fellowships. Geisinger Commonwealth is committed to non-discrimination in all employment and educational opportunities. For more information, visit www.geisinger.edu/gcsom, or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
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 Commonwealth School of Medicine. With nearly 24,000 employees and more than 1,700 employed physicians, Geisinger boosts its hometown economies in Pennsylvania by billions of dollars annually. Learn more at Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Elizabeth Zygmunt
Director, Media and Public Relations
Office: 570-504-9687
On Call: 570-687-9703
ezygmunt@som.geisinger.edu