Staff

John L. Szarek, BSPharm, PhD, CHSE, is professor of pharmacology, director of clinical pharmacology and vice chair of curriculum. Dr. Szarek serves as education director for simulation. His role in the CSSC is to ensure the integration of basic sciences into simulation scenarios across the four years of the MD curriculum, and to assist in faculty development. Dr. Szarek is one of the leaders for interprofessional education (IPE) and works with other health professions faculty in using simulation in IPE. Dr. Szarek is a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator and completed a master training workshop for TeamSTEPPS.

Kathryn Powell, MA, is the manager of the Standardized Patient Program (SPP). In her role she oversees and administers all aspects of the SPP in the CSSC at Geisinger Commonwealth. She manages the training of all contracted standardized patients, develops and implements standardized patient protocols, training materials, cases, scoring, feedback and assessment. She collaborates with faculty on case development, creates innovative ideas and evaluates program quality and consistency. Ms. Powell serves as supervisor all contracted standardized patients.