Bhumi Patel
Since she was in grade school, Mountain Top native Bhumi Patel knew she wanted to be a doctor. The idea first came to her when she would accompany her grandparents to various medical appointments. She said, “My grandfather had COPD. My grandmother, who still lives with us, has diabetes and high blood pressure. Seeing their doctors’ interactions with them made me interested in medicine. I was also fascinated by all the medical equipment.”
During high school, Bhumi volunteered at Geisinger Wyoming Valley. One of her favorite tasks was providing company to the elderly patients. As part of her senior graduation requirement at Crestwood High School, she also volunteered in the hospital nursery. “I found the best part of my day was being in the nursery comforting and rocking infants. That’s when I realized pediatrics was for me,” she said.
At Wilkes University, Bhumi studied biology and took part in many campus activities, but was especially fond of Women Empowered by Science, a monthly enrichment program for fifth-grade girls. “The program included a two-week summer camp. In addition to various science experiments, we held activities like ‘House MD,’ where, like the TV show, the girls were asked to work through a patient case,” she said.
Bhumi said she is very family-oriented and she loves northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA), so when it came time to choose a medical school she was happy to apply to one close to home. “Also, as I was researching other schools, it struck me how much I wanted to be a part of something new, like Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. I liked the longitudinal integrated clerkship (LIC). I thought the LIC was a good introduction to medicine and lets me see different fields every day. I also liked that I could do my third-year rotations close to home, in the South Campus region.”
While in her third-year rotations, Bhumi said she particularly enjoyed her rotation at Pediatric Associates of Kingston in the office of Jeffery Kile, MD. “My future plans are to stay in the state for residency and to eventually be in private practice here in NEPA,” she said.
During high school, Bhumi volunteered at Geisinger Wyoming Valley. One of her favorite tasks was providing company to the elderly patients. As part of her senior graduation requirement at Crestwood High School, she also volunteered in the hospital nursery. “I found the best part of my day was being in the nursery comforting and rocking infants. That’s when I realized pediatrics was for me,” she said.
At Wilkes University, Bhumi studied biology and took part in many campus activities, but was especially fond of Women Empowered by Science, a monthly enrichment program for fifth-grade girls. “The program included a two-week summer camp. In addition to various science experiments, we held activities like ‘House MD,’ where, like the TV show, the girls were asked to work through a patient case,” she said.
Bhumi said she is very family-oriented and she loves northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA), so when it came time to choose a medical school she was happy to apply to one close to home. “Also, as I was researching other schools, it struck me how much I wanted to be a part of something new, like Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. I liked the longitudinal integrated clerkship (LIC). I thought the LIC was a good introduction to medicine and lets me see different fields every day. I also liked that I could do my third-year rotations close to home, in the South Campus region.”
While in her third-year rotations, Bhumi said she particularly enjoyed her rotation at Pediatric Associates of Kingston in the office of Jeffery Kile, MD. “My future plans are to stay in the state for residency and to eventually be in private practice here in NEPA,” she said.
