Residents
PGY4
Andrea Borba, MD
Undergraduate: University of California, Los Angeles, CA
Graduate school: Master of Science, Global Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Medical school: Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Scranton, PA
Internship: Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital, Transitional Year, Bloomsburg, PA
Clinical interests: General dermatology, procedural and cosmetic dermatology, dermatology in women’s health, medical education
Why I chose Geisinger: Geisinger provides unparalleled education in a warm and friendly environment. I felt welcomed and enjoyed working with the department during my medical school rotation, and since then have felt that Geisinger is like a home away from home.
Hobbies: Painting, yoga, calligraphy, visiting art museums, interior design
Bharath Balu, PhD, MD
Chief Resident
Hometown: Chambersburg, PA
Undergraduate: University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
Graduate school: PhD, Global Health and Infectious Diseases Program, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
Medical school: Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), Akron, OH
Internship: Tower Health Reading, Transitional Year, Reading, PA
Clinical interests: General dermatology, dermatopathology, Mohs surgery, medical education
Why I chose Geisinger: I chose Geisinger for the excellent learning environment with easily approachable faculty, friendly staff and coresidents, and terrific curriculum.
Hobbies: Playing tennis, following Notre Dame football, running and grilling
Andrew Desrosiers, MD
Undergraduate: Williams College, Williamstown, MA
Graduate school: University of Mississippi School of Education, Oxford, MS
Medical school: University of Mississippi School of Medicine, Jackson, MS
Internship: Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital, Transitional Year, Bloomsburg, PA
Clinical interests: Mohs surgery, dermatopathology, medical education
Why I chose Geisinger: The people. I could clearly sense from my interview the friendly and welcoming culture at Geisinger. I knew that the emphasis on continuity clinic would be important for my development in general dermatology. I knew that the strength of the surgery and dermatopathology programs would be key in developing my interest and skills as a resident in those areas. I also appreciated the beautiful rural setting and all of the activities to do nearby.
Hobbies: Weightlifting, golf, Patriots and Ole Miss football, fishing, hiking, mountain biking, cooking
Grace Kosik, MD
Undergraduate: The University of Scranton, Scranton, PA
Medical school: Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA
Internship: Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital, Transitional Year, Bloomsburg, PA
Clinic interests: General dermatology, cosmetic dermatology, pediatric dermatology
Why I chose Geisinger: I chose Geisinger because of the sense of community I felt among the residents, attendings, and all staff — it truly feels like a family. I also felt the continuity clinic, which makes up the majority of our time in clinic, would provide unparalleled experience in patient care and communication, medical decision-making, and developing treatment plans.
Hobbies: Binge-watching TV shows with my husband, snuggling my cat & dog, and cooking/baking
PGY3
Tara Avery, MD
Undergraduate: Penn State University, State College PA
Medical school: Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Scranton, PA
Internship: Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital Transitional Year, Bloomsburg, PA
Clinical interests: General dermatology, pediatric dermatology, dermatopathology, medical education
Why I chose Geisinger: Growing up in Danville meant growing up with Geisinger as my neighbor with many of the healthcare workers as my role models. I chose Geisinger to return to my roots and give back to the community that helped raise me.
Hobbies: Home restoration and renovation, antiquing, cooking, drawing, wheel-thrown ceramics, spending time with my dog
Meghan Hodson, MD
Undergraduate: Siena College, Albany, NY
Medical school: Albany Medical College
Internship: Transitional Year at Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital
Clinical interests: General dermatology, procedural/cosmetic dermatology, dermatopathology
Why I chose Geisinger: I was so impressed by the well-rounded, strong training offered by this program in addition to the kind faculty in the beautiful town of Danville.
Hobbies: Yoga, hiking, baking/cooking, being outside
Blake Richardson, MD
Undergraduate: University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR
Medical school: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR
Internship: Baptist Health, Transitional Year, North Little Rock, AR
Clinical interests: General dermatology, procedural dermatology, medical education
Why I chose Geisinger: I chose Geisinger for the genuinely kind people. The well-rounded program with great dermatopathology and Mohs exposure as well as an emphasis on continuity clinic was icing on the cake.
Hobbies: I love spending time with my wife and kids! When I’m not doing that, I enjoy hunting, fishing, exercise, tennis and the occasional home improvement project.
Amy Wells, MD
Undergraduate: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
Medical school: University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Internship: Massachusetts General Hospital – Internal Medicine, Boston MA
Clinical interests: Pediatric dermatology, medical education, cosmetic dermatology
Why I chose Geisinger: In addition to the fantastic education, the people are why I chose Geisinger as everyone including the attendings, residents, nurses, pharmacists, and front staff are so friendly and supportive that it makes Geisinger a place that I enjoy coming to work and a great environment for learning.
Hobbies: Weightlifting, hiking, travelling, plants/gardening, home decoration
PGY2
Nicholas D. Flint, MD
Undergraduate: Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
Medical school: University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Internship: Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital Transitional Year, Bloomsburg, PA
Clinical interests: Procedural dermatology, medical education
Why I chose Geisinger: I chose Geisinger because of the people, the training and the location. Everyone I’ve met at Geisinger has been incredibly kind and eager to teach. Geisinger derm has a fantastic reputation and a residency program that lives up to that, with resident-run clinic and the best derm-path curriculum in the nation. The rural location is affordable (we bought a house!), has tons of fun outdoors activities, and is just a couple hours from tons of places to visit.
Hobbies: I love spending time with my family and being a dad. I also love photography/videography, video games, audiobooks, skiing, traveling and outdoor adventures.
Michael W. Woodfin, MD
Undergraduate: Lewis-Clark State College, Lewiston, ID
Medical school: University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA
Internship: Spokane Teaching Health Transitional Year, Spokane, WA
Clinical interests: General dermatology, Mohs surgery, medical education
Why I chose Geisinger: Top-tier dermatology training in a beautiful area with plenty of outdoor opportunities. Out of all my interviews, I enjoyed talking with the residents and attendings at Geisinger the most.
Hobbies: Fishing, mushroom hunting, tennis, weightlifting, hiking, anything outside
Arjun Pandya, MD
Undergraduate: Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH
Medical school: Northeast Ohio Medical University, Akron, OH
Internship: Western Reserve Health Education, Trumbull, OH
Clinical interests: Skin cancer
Why I chose Geisinger: The program made me feel at home and welcome. It’s in a rural setting with great opportunities.
Hobbies: Watching sports, reading books, hiking with my dog
Adam Hetzler, MD
Undergraduate: University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
Graduate school: PhD, Nuclear Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
Medical school: Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
Internship: Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital, Transitional Year, Bloomsburg, PA
Clinical interests: General dermatology, dermatopathology, medical innovation, clinical informatics and lasers
Why I chose Geisinger: The attendings, residents, and staff are approachable, thoughtful, and compassionate. Also, Geisinger is a leader in healthcare innovation and clinical informatics.
Hobbies: Skiing, running, hiking, mountain biking, climbing and spending time outdoors. Tennessee football fan — Go Big Orange!
Resident testimonials
There is no place better to train! It has been such a privilege to learn and work here at Geisinger. Every day you are surrounded by very accomplished and intelligent individuals who offer supreme academics and invaluable life lessons.
– Lisa Pfingstler, Derm 2015
All-inclusive. Geisinger Dermatology provides great preparation for the real world. I feel my training was second to none in all aspects of dermatology, including medical dermatology, surgical dermatology, cosmetics, laser treatments, pediatric dermatology, wound care and dermatopathology. I feel the experiences at grand rounds at Geisinger, Penn State and the University of Pennsylvania were invaluable.
– Lindsey Dohse, Derm 2010, Dermpath 2011
I absolutely would train at Geisinger again. It was an opportunity to interact closely with all members of the department. I felt like my education was the priority and the staff was very responsive and kind. I came away from that year with a zest for medicine and patient care that carries on to this day.
– Nate Hanson, Mohs Fellow, 2009
My attending physicians were phenomenally knowledgeable, but also approachable and sincerely interested in teaching. My co-residents were an ongoing source of stimulation, motivation and collaboration. Geisinger Dermatology has created an exceptional environment of excellence, enthusiasm and mutual encouragement.
– Morgan Wilson, Derm 2009, Dermpath 2010
Danville has a small-town feel set in a background of beautiful mountains and fields. There are many trails to explore and places to hike. And if one should desire, there is access to the big city.
– Lauren Taglia, Derm 2015
Rural, beautiful, charming and welcoming. It is a great environment to focus on your training. What it lacks in social and cultural enrichment is easily accessible.
– Chad Thomas, Derm 2005, Mohs 2006