Geisinger Commonwealth to host 10th annual Black Ties for White Coats gala

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) will host its 10th annual Black Ties for White Coats gala on Saturday, Oct. 20 in the Keystone Grand Ballroom at Mohegan Sun Pocono, 1280 Highway 315, Wilkes-Barre.

Each year, GCSOM honors prominent members of the community who embody important aspects of the school of medicine’s founding principles: community, wellbeing and innovation.

This year’s community honoree is Peter Danchak, regional president of the Northeast PA market of PNC Bank. Mr. Danchak serves in leadership roles for a number of community organizations, most notably those dedicated to education. In addition to his energetic support of local medical education, he is co-chair of the Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission, to which he was appointed in 2008, and is a member of the Executive Leadership Council of Pre-K Counts in Pennsylvania. He recently was awarded the Voice for Children Award by The Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children.

The 2018 wellbeing honorees are members of the Saidman family. Bruce Saidman, MD and David Greenwald, MD are partners at Medical Oncology Associates (MOA) in Kingston. Long before the concept of “comprehensive cancer care” was mainstream, MOA dedicated itself to caring as much about the emotional and spiritual effects of cancer as it did about the medical aspects. Through a variety of initiatives designed to support cancer patients and their loved ones, MOA has created an atmosphere permeated with a family — rather than a clinical — feel. Dr. Steven Kafrissen, distinguished life fellow of the American Psychiatric Association (DLFAPA), is a psychiatrist who has been a longtime advocate of people coping with mental illness.

The 2018 innovation awardee is Robert Wright, MD. Dr. Wright elevated the standard of care in the region by bringing medical expertise closer to home. He founded the Scranton Temple Residency Program in internal medicine — now The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education. Then, acting on his dream to see a medical college established in Scranton, he became founding chair of the Medical Education Development Consortium, then founding chair and member of The Commonwealth Medical College (TCMC, now Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine) board of trustees. Dr. Wright served as interim president and dean of TCMC and continues to guide Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine’s development as a member of its community advisory board.

Geisinger Commonwealth’s annual gala raises money exclusively for student scholarships. The black-tie preferred event includes a cocktail reception and silent auction, which begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by a gourmet dinner and dancing to live music by “Into the Spin.”

Reserved seating is $175 per person.  Sponsorships and program advertisements are available.

To become a sponsor, purchase a program ad or to reserve a seat or table, please call 570-504-9065 or visit geisinger.edu/gala.

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.