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 (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 central and northeastern Pennsylvania. Founded in 1915 by philanthropist Abigail Geisinger, the nonprofit system generates more than $8 billion in annual revenues across 163 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 is conducting more than 1,400 clinical research studies. With more than 27,000 employees, including 1,800 employed physicians and 5,200 registered nurses, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers, having an estimated economic impact of $16.8 billion on the state’s economy. In 2024, Geisinger joined Risant Health, a nonprofit charitable organization created to expand and accelerate value-based care across the country. Learn more at geisinger.org or follow on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Elizabeth Zygmunt
Director, Media and Public Relations
Office: 570-504-9687
On Call: 570-687-9703
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