Student Musculoskeletal Society leadership

Mark A. Seeley, MD, is a board-certified, fellowship-trained pediatric orthopaedic specialist. His clinical interests include pediatric and young adult hip reconstruction, pediatric sports medicine, pediatric trauma and upper/lower extremity deformity. Dr. Seeley is also associate program director for orthopaedic surgery and associate professor of surgery at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. Dr. Seeley earned his medical degree from Thomas Jefferson University. He completed his residency in orthopaedic surgery at the University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers, and a fellowship in pediatric orthopaedics at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He is certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. In his personal life, Dr. Seeley enjoys basketball and woodworking.

 

Mark Mandel graduated in 2015 from the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State University with a degree in both finance and Spanish. As a result of Mark’s thesis publication, he graduated with distinguished honors in finance as well. As an undergraduate at Penn State, Mark was recruited to join the cheerleading team, where he found a passion outside the classroom, and eventually earned the position of team captain during his senior year. Following graduation, Mark returned to Tandigm Health, an innovative healthcare startup where he had previously interned during the company’s infancy. While working directly with the company’s CEO, Dr. Anthony Coletta, Mark learned about the healthcare terrain and furthered his knowledge of patient care. This inspired him to redefine his path and to pursue a career as a physician. As a first-year medical student, Mark’s interest in health and fitness prompted his involvement with the Pediatricians Prescribing Play project, a HRSA-funded project focused on combatting childhood obesity specifically in the low-income population. Mark participated in the Summer Research Immersion Program and has ongoing research projects in the field of pediatric orthopaedics. In his leisure time, Mark enjoys playing guitar, going on hikes with his dog, listening to live music and traveling.

 

Michael Pheasant graduated from Misericordia University in 2016 where he earned his bachelor's degree in biology with a minor in chemistry. Michael was recruited as part of the inaugural football team at Misericordia and earned four varsity letters as both quarterback and halfback while helping to build the program. While at Misericordia, Michael served as student government president overseeing the executive board and over 40 clubs and organizations on campus. Following his graduation from Misericordia in 2016, Michael received his master's degree in biomedical sciences from Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. As a medical student, Michael continues his leadership roles, serving as a student ambassador and as a executive board member for several clubs. Michael participated in the Summer Research Immersion Program and continues his research in joint replacements. Michael enjoys fly-fishing, mountain biking and spending time with his family.

 

Wyatt Keck attended The Pennsylvania State University where he earned his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology. During his time there, he was actively involved with Penn State’s THON and helped raise money for the Four Diamonds to continue its fight against pediatric cancer. Upon graduating, he pursued his master’s degree in biomedical sciences at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) and joined the MD Class of 2022 the following year. While at GCSOM, Wyatt has taken on several leadership roles, serving as a student ambassador and co-president of the REACH-HEI Health Explorers Program. Wyatt also participated in research over the summer, conducting a systematic review on the current applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning in orthopaedic spine surgery. Additionally, he has collaborated with the school's director of Marketing and Communications to create the first-ever website for the GCSOM's Student Musculoskeletal Society. In his free time, Wyatt enjoys going to the gym, bowfishing, hiking and spending time with family.

 

Bradley Garcia graduated summa cum laude from Ursinus College in 2017 with a bachelor of science degree in health and exercise physiology. Bradley played division 1 lacrosse at then nationally ranked Stony Brook University for two years before finishing his collegiate career playing division 3 lacrosse at then nationally ranked Ursinus College. While at Ursinus College, Bradley participated as a member of multiple clubs, the Phi Epsilon Kappa Honor Society, and local community volunteer organizations. As a medical student, Bradley serves as a student ambassador, as an executive board member on several clubs, volunteers with local community organizations and is a volunteer assistant coach for the men’s varsity lacrosse program at Marywood University. Bradley participated in the Summer Research Immersion Program and continues his research in pediatric orthopaedics. Bradley enjoys playing/coaching sports, volunteering in the community and spending time with his family and friends.

 

Born in Busan, South Korea, Jino and his family moved to Philadelphia when he was seven years old. After graduating Upper Dublin High School near Philadelphia, he attended Cornell University where he majored in biomedical engineering and played the middle linebacker position on the Cornell Sprint football team. During his two gap years between college and medical school, Jino took an interest in research working as a laboratory technician at the University of Pennsylvania, conducting CRISPR-Cas9 meditated gene editing, and at Thomas Jefferson University, investigating the effects of NSAIDs on skeletal health. At GCSOM, Jino is currently studying polysubstance abuse tendencies to address the drug abuse epidemic and helping develop a medical app to combat childhood obesity. In his free time, Jino enjoys playing basketball, traveling and hoping that Carson Wentz can stay healthy for a full season.

 

Erik Gamarra grew up in the suburbs of Northeast New Jersey and attended Rutgers State University – Newark Campus. Always knowing he wanted to pursue a career in medicine, Erik became an EMT during his senior year of high school and worked as a scribe in the emergency department (ED) throughout his undergraduate education. Like many others, a personal injury sparked Erik’s interest in musculoskeletal medicine. He took time after college to recover and worked as a patient care technician in the ED prior to being accepted into GCSOM. Erik has helped facilitate programs offered by the Student Musculoskeletal Society (SMS) such as the Casting Workshop at GCSOM’s Girls in Science Event held by REACH-HEI and the Center of Excellence (COE) as well as the Free Osteoporosis Screening held at the Geisinger Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine Office.