The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education staff celebrated National Match Day on March 21, when they learned that 47 new resident physicians will join their residency programs. Held annually on the third Friday in March, medical students around the globe simultaneously learn where they will train for the next three to seven years. Participating in the celebration, first row, from left, are Michelle Grochowski, graduate medical education coordinator; Eileen Howells, designated institutional administrator; and Lisa Mann, graduate medical educational coordinator; and second row, Russell Day, graduate medical education workforce operations, training, and development specialist; Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO; Meagan Coleman-Derenick, director of GME assessment and evaluations; Dr. Jumee Barooah, senior vice president of education and designated institutional official; Brian Ebersole, vice president of academic affairs and associate designated institutional official; Najla Figueroa, graduate medical education administrative assistant, and Xiomara Smith, clerkships coordinator.

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education welcomed 47 new resident physicians into residency programs on National Match Day for aspiring doctors on March 21.

The National Resident Matching Program’s Match Day is held annually on the third Friday of March. Medical students nation- and worldwide simultaneously learn at which U.S. residency program they will train for the next three to seven years. It is one of the most important and competitive processes in the medical school experience.

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education looks forward to Match Day each year as it learns which medical school graduates will continue their training in its Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited residency programs. The Wright Center is one of the largest U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-funded Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Consortiums in the country, with more than 190 physicians in training.

The Wright Center matched residents in the following regional programs: Internal Medicine Residency (32) and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency (9). Two resident physicians were also welcomed into the new Internal Medicine-Geriatrics Integrated Residency and Fellowship Pathway, commonly known as the Combined Med-Geri Pathway, and four residents will join the new Family Medicine – HealthSource of Ohio Residency Program, a collaboration between The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education and HealthSource of Ohio in Hillsboro.

The Wright Center is one of 14 training sites across the country approved by ACGME to offer the unique Med-Geri Pathway Program, which provides an alternative route for training geriatricians by integrating the clinical experiences and competencies required of a geriatrics fellowship across the internal medicine residency.

The innovative Family Medicine – HealthSource of Ohio Residency Program focuses on training family medicine physicians in rural settings with an emphasis on caring for underserved populations. Residents will gain hands-on experience in patient care at Ohio’s largest Federally Qualified Health Center, which serves more than 85,000 patients annually. Through this immersive training, the program aims to strengthen the rural health care workforce and improve access to high-quality whole-person primary health services.

The Wright Center will also retain three physicians in training who will complete the Geriatrics Fellowship Program in June. They will join the Internal Medicine Residency Program.

The new resident physicians will begin their program on July 1. All together, incoming residents hail from 12 countries: 15 from the United States, 15 from Pakistan, four from Egypt, four from India, two from Canada, and one each from Georgia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.

The Wright Center received 5,835 applications and interviewed 433 candidates, or about 7.42% of the applicants. The National Resident Matching Program makes residency matches, using a mathematical algorithm to pair graduating medical students with open training positions at teaching health centers, educational consortia, hospitals, and other institutions across the U.S. The model considers the top choices of both students and residency programs.

“Match Day is one of the most exciting days of the academic year and a celebration to welcome our new residents,” said Jumee Barooah, M.D., senior vice president and designated institutional official at The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education. “For the residents, the day represents the culmination of years of hard work and perseverance that began at an early age.

“For The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, it marks another milestone in meeting our mission 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.”

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education was established in 1976 as the Scranton-Temple Residency Program, a community-based internal medicine residency. Today, The Wright Center is one of the nation’s largest HRSA-funded Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Safety-Net Consortiums. Together with consortium stakeholders, The Wright Center trains residents and fellows in a community-based, community-needs-responsive workforce development model to advance their shared mission to provide whole-person primary health services to everyone, regardless of their insurance status, ZIP code, or ability to pay. To date, The Wright Center has trained 1,056 graduates.

The Wright Center offers ACGME-accredited residencies in four disciplines – internal medicine, family medicine, physical medicine & rehabilitation, and the combined med-geri pathway – as well as fellowships in cardiovascular disease, gastroenterology, and geriatrics.

A board-certified internal medicine physician and deputy chief medical officer of The Wright Center for Community Health received an Everyday Hero Award from the Pennsylvania Medical Society in March.

Dr. Erin McFadden was nominated for the award by colleagues who highlighted her tireless efforts to deliver high-quality whole-person primary health services that are accessible to all and educate the next generation of physicians.

The Pennsylvania Medical Society’s Everyday Hero Award acknowledges physicians who are often “the unsung heroes of our communities, tirelessly working to improve lives and inspire hope,” according to the organization.

Soon after joining The Wright Center as a physician and member of the internal medicine residency program faculty in 2020, Dr. McFadden emerged as a leader. As the COVID-19 pandemic spread, she participated in a statewide effort to assist personal care, assisted living, and skilled nursing facilities in Northeast Pennsylvania with pandemic care. She later headed an outpatient infusion center at The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton, providing monoclonal antibody treatment for patients with severe COVID.

Additionally, Dr. McFadden spearheaded the expansion of The Wright Center’s community health centers, including the Scranton Counseling Center location, which opened in April 2021, and the North Scranton location, which opened in July 2023. She serves as the medical director for both The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton and The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton Counseling Center.

She’s also been at the forefront of The Wright Center’s efforts to strengthen the physician workforce pipeline, serving as co-regional director of medical education for A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona – a unique program where students spend a year on campus in Mesa, Arizona, and then three years in clinical rotations at The Wright Center and other community health centers across the country. So far, more than 30 doctors have graduated from the program, which began in August 2020. Several of these doctors have chosen to stay in Northeast Pennsylvania to pursue medical residencies with The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education.

The Pennsylvania Medical Society was founded in 1848 by 61 representatives of medical schools and county medical societies across the state to promote community health, relieve suffering, and advance medical knowledge. That goal continues today, as it and its members advocate for physicians and their patients, educate physicians through continuing medical education, and provide expert resources and guidance to help physicians navigate challenges in today’s ever-evolving health care system. Visit www.pamedsoc.org to learn more.

The Wright Center for Community Health is participating in a multi-year grant awarded to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) to improve access to whole-person primary health services for people with co-occurring mental health conditions and substance abuse disorders.

The Wright Center is one of multiple primary care sites in Pennsylvania participating in the five-year project to promote the use of collaborative care, an evidence-based model that enhances the coordination of behavioral health services in primary care settings. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded DHS $4 million in funding for the project, which will be facilitated with assistance from the UPMC Center for High-Value Health Care, a nonprofit research organization that is housed within the UPMC Insurance Services Division.

The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education and the American College of Physicians’ Pennsylvania (PA-ACP), Eastern Chapter, gave away more than 60 bags of nonperishable food and seasonal clothing items during their second annual Spring into a Day of Giving Pop-Up Food Pantry on March 14 at Weston Field in Scranton.

More than 100 members of the community also picked up information about dental and behavioral health services available at The Wright Center; “Bags of Warmth” containing cozy socks, a winter hat, gloves, and more; doses of Naloxone, a life-saving medication that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose; information about health insurance; and other community resources from representatives of Lackawanna County and Scranton City government.

“With food prices rising, we know there are many individuals in our communities who are finding it harder to feed their families,” said Gerri McAndrew, director of development and relations for community outreach and co-director of The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement. “We also brought our community health workers to provide information about other kinds of help we can provide – including transportation to and from doctor appointments, assistance with utility bills and housing, and applying for health insurance.”

This was the second time The Wright Center and PA-ACP collaborated to host a pop-up event at Weston Field. Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, serves as governor of the PA-ACP, Eastern Chapter. Staff from The Wright Center, along with resident and fellow physicians from The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, joined members of the PA-ACP, Eastern Chapter, to volunteer at the event.

“I think this event was bigger and better this year,” said Channel Kearse, an outreach coordinator with the city of Scranton who also participated in last year’s event. “I’m glad we can participate and let people know that the help they’re getting here is available year-round.”

For Dr. Sunny Kumar, an Internal Medicine resident physician at The Wright Center, participating in the event and meeting community members reminded him of the work he did back home in Pakistan.

“My dream is to serve the community, not just as a doctor but as a volunteer,” Dr. Kumar said. “Helping people in the community has always been important to me, and I’m happy to be involved in this work in Scranton, which has become my home.”

The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement (TWCPCE) will hold its third annual charity golf tournament on Monday, May 19, at the Glenmaura National Golf Club in Moosic to support underserved and under-resourced individuals throughout Northeast Pennsylvania.

The captain-and-crew Dr. William Waters Golf Tournament will feature a shotgun start at 10 a.m., following registration from 8:30-9:45 a.m. The driving range opens at 8:30 a.m.

Dr. Wright also helped start the region’s first medical school, now known as Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, where he served as interim president and dean. The medical school – the first to open in Pennsylvania in more than 40 years and the first to be located in Northeast Pennsylvania – developed out of a forward-thinking conversation among Dr. Wright and several members of the residency program’s board of directors.

“Dr. Robert Wright is truly a visionary leader who has had a profound impact on graduate medical education and the delivery of affordable, high-quality whole-person primary health services in the communities we serve,” said Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education. “We are honored to deliver our mighty mission every day in his name, and we are thrilled that our charity golf tournament will afford him the recognition he so richly deserves by highlighting and celebrating his countless contributions to the health and welfare of our region.”

Dr. Thomas-Hemak and Mary Marrara, co-chair of TWCPCE and secretary of The Wright Center for Community Health Boards of Directors, serve as co-chairs.

TWCPCE aims to improve the health of our communities through education, advocacy, and patient-centered services that help individuals overcome food insecurity, homelessness, limited access to educational opportunities, a lack of financial resources, and other factors that can affect an individual’s health and well-being. TWCPCE’s team and volunteers hold community outreach activities, including nutritious food distributions of nonperishable items and fresh produce, coat and winterwear giveaways, back-to-school distributions of backpacks and classroom supplies, health fairs, blood drives, and other special mission-driven projects.

Last year’s charity golf tournament raised nearly $41,000. The tournament is named after the late William M. Waters, Ph.D., the vice chair of The Wright Center for Community Health’s Board of Directors and co-chair of TWCPCE. He passed away on July 21, 2022.

The entry fee for golfers is $275 or $1,100 for a foursome, which includes a golf cart, green fee, lunch, and beverage service on the course, followed by a 3 p.m. cocktail hour and 4 p.m. dinner. Tickets for the dinner only are $100.

Prizes will be awarded for closest to the pin, longest drive, and a special prize for a hole-in-one: a 2025 Honda CR-V, courtesy of Matt Burne Honda, an event sponsor. The Prescription Center is the tournament’s presenting sponsor; other sponsors include PNC Bank, Pennsylvania Paper & Supply, Hospice of Sacred Heart, Christ the King Parish, and The Kearney Family Fund.

Various sponsorship levels, starting at just $300, are still available for the tournament. For sponsorship details and inquiries, go to TheWrightCenter.org/golf-2025 or contact Holly Przasnyski, TWCPCE director and board coordinator for TWCPCE and The Wright Center for Community Health, at [email protected] or 570-209-3275.

The third annual Dr. William Waters Golf Tournament, in support of The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement (TWCPCE), is Monday, May 19, at Glenmaura National Golf Club. This year’s tournament will honor The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education’s namesake founder, Dr. Robert E. Wright. The tournament committee includes, front row from left, Dr. Erin McFadden, deputy chief medical officer of The Wright Center and medical director of The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton and Scranton Counseling Center; Gail Cicerini, board member, TWCPCE; Mary Marrara, co-chair, TWCPCE Board, and secretary, The Wright Center for Community Health Board; Dr. William Dempsey, chief population health value-based care officer of The Wright Center and medical director of The Wright Center for Community Health Clarks Summit; Michael Ruane, and Deborah Kolsovsky chair, The Wright Center for Community Health Board; second row, Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO, The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education and co-chair, TWCPCE; Gerard P. Joyce; former state Senator Bob Mellow; Natalie Gelb; Pete Danchak; Ken Okrepkie, treasurer, The Wright Center for Community Health Board; and the Honorable Chris Doherty, former Scranton mayor. For more information about this year’s tournament, visit TheWrightCenter.org/golf-2025.

The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement (TWCPCE) will help Lackawanna County residents struggling to pay utility bills, thanks to an $8,000 grant from Scranton Area Community Foundation. Participating in the ceremonial check presentation, from left, are Kenneth Okrepkie, Scranton Area Community Foundation Board of Governors; Laura Ducceschi, president and CEO, Scranton Area Community Foundation; Holly Przasnyski, director, TWCPCE, and board coordinator, TWCPCE and The Wright Center for Community Health; Kathleen Doyle, co-director, TWCPCE, and director of patient- entered services and outreach at The Wright Center for Community Health; and Cathy Fitzpatrick, director of grants and scholarships, Scranton Area Community Foundation.

The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement (TWCPCE) will help Lackawanna County residents struggling to pay utility bills, thanks to an $8,000 grant from the Scranton Area Community Foundation.

TWCPCE advances The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education’s mission — to improve the health and welfare of our communities through responsive health services and the sustainable renewal of an inspired, competent workforce that is privileged to serve — by assisting the region’s most vulnerable populations, including those experiencing poverty, homelessness, food and housing insecurity, limited access to education and job opportunities, transportation barriers, social isolation, and other challenges.

To help connect patients with resources at The Wright Center and across the region, community health workers (CHWs) gather information about patients’ non-medical factors such as income, education level, employment status, housing quality, neighborhood environment, and access to health care that can influence health outcomes.

In fiscal year 2023-24, screenings revealed that 515 patients at The Wright Center faced utility bill-related hardships. The majority – 347 – needed assistance with electricity bills.

“Energy costs have traditionally been a more significant burden for low-income households, which typically spend a far larger percentage of their gross income on utility bills compared to higher-earning households,” said Holly Przasnyski, co-director of TWCPCE. “In Lackawanna County, many residents live in older, less energy-efficient homes, which increase utility bills, especially during the winter.”

Thanks to the generous grant from the Scranton Area Community Foundation, TWCPCE can assist up to 133 low-income households in Lackawanna County with one-time payments of up to $200 for electric bills. The Wright Center’s CHWs and other staff members will complete screenings to identify patients who need utility bill assistance and can refer them to other community agencies for additional support.

“We’re thrilled about the grant because it’s a new resource for our patients,” Przasnyski said. “While other resources, like the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, exist, they tend to be selective, limited, and difficult to access.”

Guided by a board of patients and local professionals, TWCPCE organizes community initiatives, such as food drives, clothing closets, school supply giveaways, and transportation assistance to and from doctors’ appointments. For more information, visit TheWrightCenter.org.

The Scranton Area Community Foundation is on a mission to enhance the quality of life for all people in Northeastern Pennsylvania through the development of organized philanthropy. With over $100 million in assets under management and more than 365 charitable funds, Scranton Area Community Foundation has served as a steward, grantmaker, charitable resource, and catalyst for change since 1954. The Foundation leads various initiatives, including Women in Philanthropy, the Center for Community Leadership and Nonprofit Excellence, NEPA Moves, NEPA Thrives, and the NEPA Animal Welfare Collaborative. Additionally, the Foundation hosts and facilitates NEPA Gives and the NEPA Learning Conference. The Scranton Area Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax-exempt organization confirmed in compliance with National Standards of U.S. Community Foundations. More information about the Scranton Area Community Foundation can be found at www.safdn.org.