Geisinger’s Neuroscience Institute announces vice chair positions

DANVILLE, Pa. – Geisinger recently announced the promotion of four providers to vice chair positions within its Neuroscience Institute.

Clemens Schirmer, M.D. and Jonathan Slotkin, M.D. have been named vice chairs of Geisinger’s neurosurgery department. 

Dr. Schirmer, a professor of neurosurgery and neuroscience at the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, is board certified in neurological surgery and fellowship-trained in interventional neuroradiology and endovascular neurosurgery. He earned his medical degree and a doctorate in medical research from Ludwig-Maximilians University in Germany and at Harvard Medical School. He completed a residency in neurosurgery and a fellowship in interventional neuroradiology at Tufts Medical Center.

Dr. Schirmer serves as the system director for Geisinger’s Comprehensive Stroke Centers and system director of cerebrovascular and endovascular neurosurgery. He is also program director of Geisinger’s neurosurgery residency training program and its neuroendovascular fellowship program. His research interests focus on quality metrics, variation of care, shared decision making, patient-centered outcomes, genomics and biomarkers of stroke, machine learning and data analytics. 

Dr. Slotkin, a clinical professor of neurosurgery at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, is board certified in neurosurgery and fellowship-trained in spine surgery. He completed residency training at The Brigham and Women's Hospital Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and a fellowship in spine surgery at New England Baptist Hospital.

He is director of spinal surgery for Geisinger’s Neuroscience Institute and associate chief medical informatics officer at Geisinger. In this role, he has developed key strategies and solutions to drive digital provider and patient engagement, including the use of mobile device technology. He has specific interest in consumerism in healthcare and digital methods for the measurement of clinical patient outcomes and the improvement of patient experience. He is active in translational research in the arena of biomaterials engineering and spinal cord injuries.

Scott Friedenberg, M.D. and Anthony Noto, M.D. have been named vice chairs of Geisinger’s neurology department.

Dr. Friedenberg, a clinical associate professor of neurology at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, is board certified in neurology, clinical neurophysiology and electromyography (EMG). He earned his medical degree from Temple University and completed a residency and fellowship at Mayo Clinic. He has spent his entire career at Geisinger in various leadership roles, including neurology residency core faculty and director of the EMG laboratory. Dr. Friedenberg developed a streamlined process for evaluating carpal tunnel syndrome and achieved national certification for Geisinger’s EMG laboratories. Since accepting the role of vice chair, he has worked closely with Geisinger providers to improve their practices and measure results. He instituted advanced practitioner screening clinics to improve access and was instrumental in the department’s early pivot to outpatient telemedicine during COVID-19, maintaining access metrics, controlling wait lists and maintaining communication among associates while practicing social distancing. He serves on national committees for the American Academy of Neurology and the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine. 

Dr. Noto, a clinical assistant professor of neurology at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, is board certified in neurology and vascular neurology. He earned his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University and completed his residency and fellowship in vascular neurology at Strong Memorial Hospital. Since joining Geisinger, he has facilitated the growth of the neurohospitalist program, established a separate stroke program and led initiatives in teleneurology that have improved access and standardized the stroke alert process across the system. Since accepting the role of vice chair for acute neurology, he has led quality initiatives that have reduced length of stay, cost of care and readmission rates for stroke patients. He was instrumental in the department’s readiness to use inpatient telemedicine across the system during COVID-19.

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.