Pennsylvania’s ‘Walk with a Doc’ kicks off in Danville with help from Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine student

On Aug. 25, Emily Grimes, a member of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine’s MD Class of 2024, joined Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn, along with officials from Geisinger and the Pennsylvania Medical Society officials at Hess Recreation Area in Danville to launch ‘Walk with a Doc’ statewide.

Emily, an Abigail Geisinger Scholar and future family physician, is carrying on an effort initiated by Cecelia Strauch, MD ’24, who founded the GCSOM chapter of ‘Walk with a Future Doc’ as a community service project of the Family Medicine Interest Group when she was a second-year medical school student. “I was honored to be part of the kickoff event where I spoke about the importance of connecting with our communities, as well as my own experiences within the program,” Emily said. “I look forward to seeing successful walks across the state, including our GCSOM walk on Saturday, Sept. 25 at 9 a.m. at the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail Olive Street entrance.”

The Aug. 25 event kicked off a series of walks with medical professionals throughout the state during Trails Month in September. After remarks, officials took the first walk of about a mile on a loop trail at the recreation area.

“Participating in the Walk with a Doc program has been such a positive experience for me,” Emily said. “Our chapter of Walk with a Future Doc encourages students to become part of the Scranton community while also promoting healthy lifestyle choices such as walking. As an Abigail Geisinger Scholar interested in family medicine, I plan to work within the Geisinger system and realize these community members could one day be my patients.”

“I am happy to see the Walk with a Doc program get such a high profile with DCNR,” said Jennifer Joyce, MD, professor of family medicine at GCSOM. “The program has had tremendous participation and success in hundreds of cities around the country and has shown improved health results for countless people around the country. I am so proud of our students for founding their own program in Scranton and being able to take part in the statewide kick off.” 

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.