Commencement featured remarks and congratulations from Wright Center board members Gerard Geoffroy and Harold Baillie, Ph.D.; graduates and program directors as well as executive leadership, including Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, CEO of The Wright Center for Community Health (TWCCH) and President of TWCGME; Dr. Jignesh Y. Sheth, Chief Medical Officer of TWCCH and Senior Vice President of Operations for TWCGME; Dr. Jumee Barooah, Designated Institutional Official for TWCGME; and attorney Jennifer J. Walsh, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for TWCGME.

Local graduates include: Dr. Graham Yeager, Waverly Twp.; and Dr. Matthew McDonnell, Pittston, both of the internal medicine residency program. Other internal medicine residency graduates who plan to stay in Northeast Pennsylvania to practice medicine or continue their studies include Dr. Tapan Buch, who will begin a cardiology fellowship with TWCGME in July; Dr. Prasanthi Limgala, who will join Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton; Dr. Kelly O’Leary, who will practice with Adfinitas Health at Regional Hospital of Scranton; Dr. Fouzia Oza, who is joining Regional Hospital of Scranton as a hospitalist; Dr. Nirali Patel, who will serve as internal medicine physician faculty at TWCGME while also embarking on a geriatrics fellowship tract; and Dr. Muhammad Pir and Dr. Najam Saqib, both of whom will stay in Scranton at TWCGME for cardiology fellowships.

For the past two years, Dr. Brown worked as an outpatient clinician at a private practice in the Cayman Islands. She has worked in a variety of settings in the United States, including community mental health clinics, day/partial hospitalization programming, crisis programming, residential settings, school settings and juvenile detention facilities in Pennsylvania, New York and Delaware. Dr. Brown will see patients at the Wright Center’s Scranton Practice, 501 S. Washington Ave., on Mondays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and its Mid Valley Practice, 5 S. Washington Ave., Jermyn, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. To schedule an appointment, call 570-230-0019.

The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has announced $1.05 million in Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education program funding for The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education. This award supports threepioneering geriatric fellowship positions for the 2020-2021 academic year, as well as four additional positions in The Wright Center’s flourishing psychiatry residency program, in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

“I congratulate The Wright Center on being awarded funding through the Health Resources and Services Administration to create additional training opportunities in the fields of geriatrics and psychiatry. Since its inception, The Wright Center has been committed to the community it serves. The Wright Center’s physicians in training will gain experiences that they will carry with them throughout their careers,” said U.S. Senator Bob Casey, a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the ranking member on the Special Committee on Aging. “As our healthcare heroes work to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, seniors are our most vulnerable population and mental health services are imperative. This additional funding provides a valuable asset to the community that will help The Wright Center serve our most vulnerable population and respond to well documented mental health needs.”

The unprecedented growth rate of Pennsylvania’s aging population, compounded by an undeniable, primary care physician shortage — including the number of doctors who specialize in the physical, mental and behavioral health challenges specific to seniors — presents a significant challenge to countless families in NEPA.

“We appreciate and applaud Senator Casey’s career long support and advocacy for the health and welfare of our nation and our communities, and also his steadfast support of HRSA’s Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education program. We have so much collective work to do when it comes to improving health care delivery for older Americans. We are ready and so grateful for these federal resources to support our related educational workforce development efforts. Our organizational commitment to The Institute of Healthcare Improvement’s “Creating Age-Friendly Health Systems” initiative provides a very powerful curriculum framework to launch our newly-funded Geriatrics Fellowship program this summer,” explained Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, President of The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education and CEO of The Wright Center for Community Health.  

“Given our regional and national shortage of mental and behavioral health providers, the federal support for four additional psychiatry residents is similarly impactful. The Wright Center’s psychiatry residents provide much-needed mental, behavioral and addiction health services in community-based environments, including several regional acute hospital settings and the Wilkes Barre Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center. Increasing our Psychiatry residency training positions from 18 to 22 will expand access to comprehensive mental and behavioral health services for patients and families, inclusive of those in rural and underserved communities,” Dr. Thomas-Hemak added.

Appointments are now being scheduled for The Wright Center’s emerging geriatric service line ahead of its July 1st launch by calling 570-230-0019. The new program has already been recognized by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement as an Age-Friendly Health System Partner for providing a full spectrum of comprehensive, safety-net primary health and support services for seniors. Through individualized care plans developed by a team of providers, now enhanced by the addition of geriatric specialists, The Wright Center serves as a trusted primary health advisor for seniors and their families to support independent living. 

“I’m excited to be part of The Wright Center and further my work in community health. For more than 40 years, the Wright Center has served as an essential community provider, demonstrating an altruistic focus on positively impacting the health and welfare of the community it serves,” Baumann explained. “The Wright Center’s reputation for being responsive to the identified needs of the community through innovative solutions is inspirational to me.

“Lisa is a most welcome addition to our team,” said Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., Wright Center president and CEO. “Her extensive background in advancing initiatives at the local, state and national level, including her successful track record of identifying, soliciting and stewarding funds from government agencies, corporations and foundations, shows she is ideally poised to build on the foundation we have laid as we continue to grow within the communities we serve and expand into new regions.”   Baumann earned her master’s degree in health administration from the University of Scranton and her bachelor’s degree in dietetics from Indiana University. She and her husband, Dr. Christopher Baumann, reside in Scranton.

“I’m honored to join The Wright Center and apply my extensive financial management background to its crucial mission of positively impacting the health and welfare of the community it serves,” Daniels explained. “Through fiscal rigor and meaningful accountability, I look forward to supporting the Wright Center’s continued growth in our region as it expands its reach to the medically underserved of the area.”

“Ronald’s impressive background and demonstrated success in growing financial sustainability and improving existing systems shows he is positioned to help us build on our successes while identifying new avenues for continued prosperity for the good of our community,” said Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., Wright Center president and CEO.  

Daniels earned his master’s in business administration degree in finance from the University of Scranton and his bachelor’s degree in accounting from The Pennsylvania State University. He and his wife, Sheri, reside in the North Pocono community.