Message from our DIO
Pursue your passion, not just your career
It is always heartening and uplifting to welcome a new generation of physicians to The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education. The journey to becoming a doctor is a long and arduous, filled with excitement and anticipation, but also with tremendous hard work, sacrifice, and growth.
I feel rejuvenated every year during the recruitment process as we interview talented physician candidates for the limited number of positions available in our Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited graduate medical education programs. It gives me great joy to meet young physicians who are ready to take the next step in their careers, to learn about their goals and dreams, and to hear how they envision contributing to the noble profession of medicine.
It is especially meaningful for me to share with aspiring physicians the path I chose to become a doctor. I am a proud and passionate graduate of The Wright Center – a decision that ultimately led to my rewarding career as the Designated Institutional Official of this groundbreaking enterprise.
Our mission at The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education is to improve the health and welfare of our communities through responsive, whole-person health services for all and the sustainable renewal of an inspired, competent workforce that is privileged to serve.
Our history goes back more than half a century. Since 1976, The Wright Center has educated and trained physicians and interprofessional students while providing affordable, high-quality whole-person primary and preventive health services locally – beginning with our predecessor organization, the Scranton-Temple Residency Program. Our humble beginnings included six internal medicine resident physicians training annually. Today, we have more than 780 employees, including nearly 200 resident and fellow physicians.
And now, we are entering an exciting new chapter in that history.
On Aug. 1, 2026, The Wright Center for Community Health became a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), building upon our designation as an FQHC Look-Alike since 2019. This milestone strengthens our ability to fulfill our mission of improving the health and welfare of our communities by expanding access to high-quality, whole-person health services, particularly for people and communities that have historically faced barriers to healthcare.
For our resident and fellow physicians, this designation also creates even greater opportunities to learn within a community health center environment that is deeply connected to the needs of the patients and communities we are privileged to serve. It reinforces the powerful connection between education and service that has defined The Wright Center since its founding.
As one of the nation’s largest Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-funded Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Safety-Net Consortiums, The Wright Center integrates patient care delivery, workforce development, and innovation to be the leading model of primary healthcare in America.
We passionately deliver our mission here in Northeast Pennsylvania at our community health centers and through regional clinical partners that primarily serve patients in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Susquehanna, Wayne, and Wyoming counties. We also extend our reach through national partnerships and learning networks with community health centers and other safety-net organizations across the country.
One of those important learning partnerships is HealthSource of Ohio, where we operate a Family Medicine Residency Program. Our relationship with HealthSource reflects the value of learning alongside community health centers in different regions and understanding how innovative, mission-driven organizations respond to the unique needs of the populations they serve. It also builds upon The Wright Center’s longstanding commitment to community-based training, including our former National Family Medicine Residency Program, a legacy program that helped shape our approach to developing physicians prepared to practice in underserved communities.
Our community health centers and clinical partnerships provide our resident and fellow physicians with hands-on experiences caring for diverse patient populations and addressing the social drivers of health. Through the Patient-Centered Medical Home model, we improve access to care by integrating medical, dental, mental and behavioral health, addiction and recovery, and infectious disease services.
Our commitment to community health extends well beyond traditional primary care. Pennsylvania designated The Wright Center for Community Health as an Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence in 2016 – one of about 50 centers in the commonwealth. Its related Healthy Maternal Opiate Medical Support Program, more commonly known as the Healthy MOMS, involves dozens of committed partner organizations working together to empower women facing the dual challenge of raising a baby while addressing a substance use disorder.
We also offer Lifestyle Medicine, Obesity Medicine, an Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Program, and a Ryan White HIV Clinic, which serves about 500 patients across seven counties. Our 34-foot mobile medical and dental unit, better known as Driving Better Health, further improves access to care by bringing community clinics directly to people where they live, work, study, and play.
By mission and design, we are committed to graduate medical education, patient care, and creating positive change in the communities we serve – locally, regionally, and nationally. As you begin your training journey, I hope you recognize the unique opportunity before you. You are not simply joining a residency or fellowship program. You are becoming part of a movement that connects education, service, and innovation to improve health outcomes and strengthen communities.
The Wright Center is the place for you if you are looking for more than a residency or fellowship – if you want to grow as a physician while using your knowledge and skills to advance the health and welfare of the people we are privileged to serve.
Thank you,
Jumee Barooah, M.D., FACP
Designated Institutional Official
The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education
