The Wright Center’s annual summer internship program concludes with an Internship Poster Capstone program. Prizes were awarded to the top three vote-getters, from left, Katherine Mena Pereyra, first place; Nathan Cardona, director of scholarly activity, institutional research, and IRB administration at The Wright Center; Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO, The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education; Shane Cegelka, third place; and Noah Lynch, second place. 

The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education hosted 26 high school and college interns over the summer, providing hands-on experience for students following multiple career paths.  

The interns were assigned to several departments, including administration, clinical, finance, legal, and marketing and communications. Their experience was capped off with an Internship Poster Capstone event, which board members, executives, and employees attended to hear students discuss their projects and answer questions about their findings, internship experience, and future plans. 

Attendees at the annual event cast ballots for the scholarly posters. Prizes were awarded to the top three vote-getters: 

• First place: Katherine Mena Pereyra, of American University in Washington, D.C., created the scholarly poster, “Advocacy Coffee Connections: Understanding the Big Beautiful Bill. She was mentored by Aimee Wechsler, director of government affairs at The Wright Center.
• Second place: Noah Lynch of Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, for his research poster, “Increasing the Uptake of PrEP Among Women.” The project focused on educating providers and women in the community about the importance of pre-exposure prophylaxis, commonly known as PrEP, which can significantly reduce the risk of contracting HIV. Melissa Bonnerwith, grants administrator at The Wright Center’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Clinic, was his mentor. 
• Third place: Shane Cegelka, of King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, showcased his poster, “The Importance of Proper Informed Consent in Healthcare.” Cegelka was mentored by Jennifer Walsh, Esq., senior vice president and chief legal and governance officer, and Courtney Kuschke, paralegal, at The Wright Center. 

To learn more about internship opportunities, visit TheWrightCenter.org/internships. 

The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education hosted its annual Internship Capstone Poster Day at its health center in Scranton. Participating interns and the schools they are attending, kneeling from left, are Paige Walsh, University of Pittsburgh; Mya Maus, The University of Scranton; Noah Lynch, Elizabethtown College; Matthew Dombrowski, The University of Scranton; Shane Cegelka, King’s College; and Alexander Franklin, The University of Scranton; seated from left, Rebekah Feinberg, A.T. Still University; Remy Turrell, Wyoming Seminary; Krittika Boruah, Wyoming Seminary; Katherine Mena Pereyra, American University; Jiya Shah, Abington Heights High School; and Patricia McAndrew, King’s College; standing from left, Alivia Minich, Penn State; Leelah Farrell, New York University; Andrew Clark, Duquesne University; Aidan Colleran, Penn State; Thomas Quinn, Penn State; Nathan Micknick, The University of Scranton; Thomas Fiorelli, University of Pittsburgh; Gabriella Staback, University of Denver; Margaret McGrath, Fairfield University; Rina Hanumali, Villanova University; and Minh Bauch, Pratt Institute.

The Wright Center for Community Health joined a national collaborative focused on addressing patients’ social needs alongside their medical treatment.

The Wright Center’s growing network of community health centers in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Wyoming counties provides affordable, high-quality, whole-person primary health services to everyone, regardless of insurance status, ZIP code, or ability to pay. Patients typically have the convenience of going to a single location to access integrated medical, dental, and behavioral health care, making it easier to identify and address health concerns before they become serious. 

Additionally, The Wright Center employs community health workers, who help connect patients to community resources to address basic needs so they can focus on their health and wellness. 

“We have been working to identify ways to develop and improve our health services to better address the needs of our patients,” Dr. Thomas said. “Our acceptance into the collaborative reflects our ongoing efforts to advance an integrated care model that bridges health and social needs.” 

The Collective Action Collaborative will kick off with a virtual session on Aug. 19-20. Since 1995, IHI has sponsored over 50 collaborative projects on several dozen topics involving over 2,000 teams from 1,000 health care organizations.

Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, has been appointed to serve a three-year term on the Partnership for Quality Measurement’s (PQM) Endorsement & Maintenance Committee Advisory Group on Cost and Efficiency.

The federally funded, consensus-based PQM brings together leaders and experts from across the health care spectrum to evaluate and endorse performance measures. Its mission is to ensure that measures are evidence-based, patient-centered, fair, and effective in driving quality improvement nationwide. Dr. Thomas-Hemak will contribute her clinical and leadership expertise to the Endorsement & Maintenance Cost and Efficiency Committee’s 45-member advisory group in evaluating and refining measures that assess total health care spending, resource use, and efficiency, ensuring they drive higher quality, lower cost care, improve value, and promote better use of health services across the U.S. health system.

A quintuple board-certified primary care physician in internal medicine, pediatrics, addiction medicine, obesity medicine, and nutrition, Dr. Thomas-Hemak sees generations of patients at The Wright Center for Community Health Mid Valley in Jermyn, her hometown, alongside her executive leadership. She is recognized nationally for her work in advancing community-based primary health care models, access to care, and interprofessional health care workforce development. 

Guided by a people-over-profit philosophy, Dr. Thomas-Hemak has built The Wright Center into one of the nation’s largest Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Safety-Net Consortiums, shifting physician training from hospitals to community-based health centers and preparing nearly 450 learners each year, many of whom remain to serve locally. She has expanded a network of 13 community health centers and a mobile medical and dental unit called Driving Better Health across Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Wyoming counties, delivering compassionate, high-quality, whole-person primary health services in rural and underserved populations. Under her leadership, The Wright Center has integrated primary care, behavioral health, dental, school-based, and advanced health information services to ensure accessible, coordinated care for all.

Under Dr. Thomas-Hemak’s leadership, The Wright Center has garnered numerous accolades, including designation by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike; a Pennsylvania Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence and Coordination Center for Medication-Assisted Treatment; a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Top 30 Site for National Primary Care Innovations; recognition as both a University of California, San Francisco, Center of Excellence in Primary Care and an American Association of Medical Colleges’ Premier Primary Care Residency; membership in the prestigious 2024 American Medical Association ChangeMedEd Consortium; and leading partner in the Healthy Maternal Opiate Medical Support (Healthy MOMS) program for pregnant women and new mothers with substance use disorder. Following the Patient-Centered Medical Home Model, The Wright Center for Community Health’s Clarks Summit, Mid Valley, Scranton, and Wilkes-Barre locations achieved National Committee for Quality Assurance Patient-Centered Medical Home certification. 

Dr. Thomas-Hemak also leads The Wright Center’s engagement in the Keystone Health Information Exchange and its catalytic role in a public television-based education campaign aimed at accelerating the wide-scale adoption of local, regional, and national health information interoperability.

A founding member of the consortium that established the Scranton-based Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Dr. Thomas-Hemak is the governor for the Eastern Region of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Physicians (PA-ACP), the nation’s largest medical-specialty organization, and is vice president, as well as a founding board member, of the American Association of Teaching Health Centers, which represents community-based Teaching Health Centers that train primary care physicians. She serves on numerous local, regional, and national health care and medical education nonprofit governing boards, cross-sector committees, and workgroups, including HRSA’s Council on Graduate Medical Education, a federal advisory committee that assesses and recommends actions on physician workforce trends, training issues, and financing policies. 

She is also the governing board chair and executive committee member of the Northeast Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center (NEPA AHEC), a member of the National Association of Community Health Center’s (NACHC) New Health Center CEO Affinity Group, Women Leaders, and an advisory board member of the Health Federation of Philadelphia’s Health Center Controlled Network. Additionally, she serves as a board member of the National AHEC Organization; the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine’s Undergraduate Medical Education-Graduate Medical Education (GME) Task Force: GME Growth in Action Group; the Pennsylvania Patient-Centered Medical Home Advisory Council; Keystone Accountable Care Organization; The Institute; and the Center for Health and Human Services Research and Action. 

Dr. Thomas-Hemak has received several prestigious state and national awards for her leadership, mentorship, and advocacy initiatives, including: the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce 2025 Athena Award for career excellence, service, and women’s empowerment; the 2024 Wilford Payne Health Center Mentor Award from PACHC; the 2024 Hometown Scholars Advocacy Award from NACHC and A.T. Still University; the 2022 Elizabeth K. Cooke Advocacy MVP Award from NACHC for her efforts in engaging Congress and expanding grassroots advocacy; and the 2020 Ann Preston Women in Medicine Award from the PA-ACP for advancing women’s leadership in medicine. City & State Pennsylvania has also named her a Trailblazer in Health Care and one of Pennsylvania’s 100 most powerful and influential female leaders.

She and her husband, Mark, have three children, Mason, Maya, and Antoinette. Dr. Thomas-Hemak is the daughter of the late William Thomas and Johanna Cavalieri Thomas, who lives in Archbald.

The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recognized The Wright Center for Community Health for quality and access improvements that enhance patient care.

An Internal Medicine resident physician at The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education presented research at a national conference for cardiovascular innovations.

Dr. Shehroze Tabassum, a first-year medical resident based in Scranton, Pennsylvania, attended the Cardiovascular Innovations meeting in Austin, Texas, in July. At the three-day conference, which focused on state-of-the-art therapy for peripheral, coronary, and structural heart disease, Dr. Tabassum presented research on peripheral artery disease (PAD) mortality trends in patients 25 and older with metabolic syndrome, which is a cluster of conditions that increase the risk of developing heart disease and other chronic illnesses.

“We found a decline in PAD-related mortality among patients with metabolic syndrome,” Dr. Tabassum said. “However, notable disparities persist across demographic and regional groups, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions and further research.”

Dr. Tabassum, a native of Faisalabad, Pakistan, developed an interest in cardiology through a combination of clinical exposure and academic curiosity. 

“It was a pleasure and an honor to represent The Wright Center on a national stage,” Dr. Tabassum said. “Attending a conference with so many like-minded professionals was a great opportunity to exchange ideas, learn from leading experts, and stay updated on the latest advancements in cardiovascular care.”

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education was established in 1976 as the Scranton-Temple Residency Program, a community-based internal medicine residency program. Today, The Wright Center is one of the largest U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration-funded Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Safety-Net Consortiums in the nation. Together with consortium stakeholders, The Wright Center trains resident and fellow physicians in a community-based, community-needs-responsive workforce development model to advance its mission to improve the health and welfare of communities through responsive, whole-person health services for all and the sustainable renewal of an inspired, competent workforce that is privileged to serve.

Dr. Shehroze Tabassum, a first-year Internal Medicine resident physician at The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, speaks about his research project during the Cardiovascular Innovations meeting in Austin, Texas. His project examined peripheral artery disease mortality trends in patients 25 and older with metabolic syndrome. 

Families can enjoy a day of fun and wellness at The Wright Center for Community Health’s children’s fair, part of National Health Center Week. The inaugural event will feature yoga sessions, backpack giveaways, health snacks, face painting, and visits with a friendly therapy dog – offering something for kids and the young at heart. 

The wellness fair is just one of several special events The Wright Center will host or participate in as part of National Health Center Week from Aug. 3-9. Community health centers, such as The Wright Center, are nonprofit, patient-governed organizations that provide high-quality, comprehensive, whole-person primary health services to medically underserved communities, serving all patients regardless of income or insurance status.

This year’s National Health Center Week theme – “60 Years of Improving Our Nation’s Health” – is especially relevant to The Wright Center, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2026.

The Wright Center, one of nearly 1,500 community health centers nationwide, served about 38,300 unique patients in fiscal year 2024-25. Community health centers represent the largest primary care network in the nation, delivering care to more than 32.5 million people annually, or one in 10 people nationwide. Of those served, one in three people live in poverty, and one in five are uninsured, according to the National Association of Community Health Centers, which organizes National Health Center Week.

“National Health Center Week is an important reminder of the critical role that community health centers play in strengthening the delivery of responsive, whole-person primary health services to underserved populations here in Northeast Pennsylvania and across the nation,” said Kara Seitzinger, the executive director of public affairs and advisor liaison to the president/CEO. “We’re excited to host this children’s wellness fair and several other events to celebrate how community health centers like The Wright Center are woven into the fabric of our region.”

The Wright Center’s other National Health Center Week activities include:
● Monday, Aug. 4: 10 a.m.-noon, backpack and school supply giveaway, The Wright Center for Community Health Wilkes-Barre, 169 N. Pennsylvania Ave.
● Tuesday, Aug. 5: 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Community Closet, Wayne County Visitors Center, 32 Commercial St, Honesdale.
● Tuesday, Aug. 5: 6-9 p.m., information table at Scranton’s National Night Out, Scranton High School, 63 Mike Munchak Way.
● Wednesday, Aug. 6: noon to 3 p.m., backpack and school supply giveaway, plus information on health services, and summer safety tips at Scranton Co-op Farmers Market, 900 Barring Ave.
● Wednesday, Aug. 6: 5-7 p.m., information table and backpack and school supply giveaway at Archbald’s National Night Out, A.C. Field, 183 Harrison St.
● Thursday, Aug. 7: noon to 2 p.m., food giveaway, The Wright Center for Community Health North Pocono, 260 Daleville Highway, Covington Township.
● Thursday, Aug. 7: 4-7 p.m., backpack and school supply giveaway, Tunkhannock Health Fair, 5950 U.S. Route 6.
● Friday, Aug. 8: 10 a.m. to noon, backpack and school supply giveaway, The Wright Center for Community Health North Scranton, 1721 North Main Ave.
● Friday, Aug. 8: 3-5 p.m., backpack and school supply giveaway, Carbondale Public Library, 5 N. Main St.