Geisinger Commonwealth names second cohort of ‘Abigail Geisinger Scholars’

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) has announced that 10 new doctors-in-training have committed to staying in the region to practice medicine by becoming part of the innovative Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program. Abigail Geisinger Scholars pay no tuition in exchange for an obligation to work at Geisinger once they finish residency.

“I am pleased to announce the 10 students who comprise our second cohort of Abigail scholars,” said Steven J. Scheinman, MD, GCSOM president and dean and executive vice president, Geisinger. “These students are obviously brilliant but, more importantly, they are devoted to our region and have promised to care for this community in the future. Because of their commitment, they will have no medical school tuition debt. We can think of no better way to bolster the pipeline of high-quality physicians serving our communities.”

Jaewon Ryu, MD, Geisinger president and CEO, said the program helps the community, not only by ensuring medical school graduates are able to remain in the region, but by encouraging them to pursue their dreams without having to make financial calculations based on student-loan payments. “Medical school debt is a big problem. Part of making health easier for our communities is to make it easier for future physicians to serve those communities. One way we can do that is by easing the financial challenges of medical education and encouraging students to commit to serving our communities in return for the investment we make in their education,” he said.

The program selects students through a competitive application process. Selection criteria includes demonstrated financial need, academic merit, diversity and predictors of whether the applicant is likely to stay in the region Geisinger serves.

The second cohort of Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program recipients are:

MD Class of 2023

• Caroline Bandurska, Freeland
• Connor Barry, Mountain Top
• Tyler Bogaczyk, Williamsport
• John Coulter, Mountain Top
• Luis Devia, Hellertown
• Rachel Evans, Clarks Summit
• Matthew Parry, Clarks Summit
• Rebecca Petlansky, Auburn
• Syed Qadri, Drums
• Raymond Stemrich, Sweet Valley
  
  

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.