Fourth-year medical students at A.T. Still University – School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona participate in a residency readiness boot camp.

A.T. Still University – School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA), a longtime partner of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, is one of five colleges to receive a grant from the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) to support a residency readiness boot camp for fourth-year medical students.

The Wright Center for Community Health has been a training and educational site for ATSU-SOMA since 2020. Today, The Wright Center hosts about 25 second- through fourth-year medical school students from ATSU-SOMA who are completing their education in our clinical learning environments in Northeast Pennsylvania. 

ATSU-SOMA launched a residency readiness boot camp in 2021, according to Dr. Christina Weaver, assistant dean of clinical curriculum, interprofessional education, and simulation at ATSU-SOMA. Students participate in a three-day, immersive training – complete with mock hospital rooms full of equipment – at a hotel near campus in Mesa, Arizona, to better understand the challenges they’ll face in their medical residency. Eight ATSU-SOMA students currently training at The Wright Center will return to the Mesa campus for the boot camp this spring.

“We started this during the COVID-19 pandemic because our students weren’t able to fully participate in clinical experiences right before graduation,” Dr. Weaver said. “Our goal was to bring them some training opportunities, walk them through some procedures, and help boost their confidence as they take the next step to residency.”

Finding ways to better prepare their medical students for residency led ATSU-SOMA to develop Althea, an artificial intelligence-powered “Nurse Chatbot” that simulates encounters a resident can have while on call.  

“The AI nurse will page a student and relate, for instance, that Mr. Jones in Room 103 is complaining of pain,” similar to a message a medical resident might receive while on call, Dr. Weaver said. “Then the student replies, and the AI nurse is conversational via text regarding the patient’s condition, all based on the information we feed it.”

A recent ATSU-SOMA graduate, Dr. Connor Yost, developed the AI chatbot along with Dr. Weaver and Dr. Nicholas Caputo, an ATSU-SOMA faculty member, to help medical students practice a specialized skill before entering residency. The $10,000 AACOM grant will support this new technology, which Dr. Weaver says has the potential for other medical schools to use as well. 

Before launching the grant, AACOM officials visited ATSU-SOMA to learn more about their residency boot camp, she added. Like ATSU-SOMA, AACOM and other colleges of osteopathic medicine recognized how the COVID-19 pandemic affected medical students. In 2022, AACOM established a task force to address critical issues affecting osteopathic medical education, including the transition to residency and residency readiness.

The Task Force’s Boot Camp Action Group developed the Residency Readiness Playbook to guide colleges in building residency readiness boot camps to better prepare fourth-year students for the demands of residency. The playbook identifies critical residency skills and guides the framework’s integration into existing or new capstone activities. Other colleges that received the AACOM grant are Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. 

In addition to training hundreds of resident and fellow physicians from around the world, The Wright Centers for Graduate Medical Education and Community Health host interprofessional learners in a variety of health care fields, including medical students, medical assistants, physician assistants, dentists, and more, to support family-sustaining careers in health care and to meet the region’s needs for primary health services. For more information, go to TheWrightCenter.org. 

Gerard J. Geoffroy, immediate past chair of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Patient & Community Engagement Boards of Directors, was recently selected for City & State Pennsylvania’s 2024 Fifty Over 50 List.

The list celebrates Pennsylvania’s most influential and accomplished leaders across nonprofits, government, business, and media, honoring their exceptional achievements, visionary leadership, philanthropic contributions, and unwavering commitment to driving positive change and enhancing the quality of life throughout the commonwealth.

The multimedia news organization selected Geoffroy, a longtime Jermyn resident and patient of The Wright Center for over 20 years, in recognition of his steadfast advocacy for high-quality, accessible health care, his leadership in health care governance, and his unwavering support for community health centers during his 14 years of service as a volunteer board member at The Wright Center.

Geoffroy joined The Wright Center for Community Health Board of Directors in 2010, once serving on 13 board committees. He served as board chair from January 2020 to June 2024. City & State Pennsylvania also recognized Geoffroy for his instrumental role in transforming the board’s composition, shifting it from being exclusively physician-led to including community members – primarily patients from varied backgrounds – ensuring that patient voices are central to decision-making. Additionally, he played a crucial role in The Wright Center’s transition to a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike in 2019, a milestone that unlocked vital resources for patients and communities and support for the organization.

Geoffroy was also the founding chair of The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement Board of Directors, which was established about four years ago.

His commitment to health care began while caring for his late wife, Anne Dowd Geoffroy, which inspired his ongoing dedication to patient education and quality care.

With more than 40 years of experience in mental health and education, Geoffroy, a Lowell, Massachusetts native, retired as a faculty specialist in counseling and human services at the University of Scranton, where he also served as an adjunct faculty member for 15 years. His extensive experience includes being a school counselor at Delaware Valley Middle School in Pike County, Pace University’s School of Continuing Education in White Plains, New York, and Fordham Preparatory School in Bronx, New York. He also maintained a part-time private counseling practice.

He received a bachelor’s degree in English from Marist College, Poughkeepsie, New York, a master’s degree in counseling from Iona College, New Rochelle, New York, and a master’s degree in public administration from Fordham University, Bronx, New York.

As a nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike and safety-net provider, The Wright Center serves vulnerable and medically underserved populations, regardless of age, ethnic background, ZIP code, insurance status, or ability to pay. It accepts all insurance plans and offers a sliding-fee discount program based on federal poverty guidelines that consider family size and income. No patient is ever turned away due to an inability to pay.

Headquartered in Scranton, The Wright Center’s growing network of community health centers in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Wyoming counties, including a mobile medical and dental unit called Driving Better Health, provides affordable, high-quality, whole-person primary health services to everyone. Patients typically have the convenience of going to a single location to access integrated medical, dental, and behavioral health care, as well as community-based addiction treatment and recovery services. For more information, go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019.

The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement 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 involving patients and communities in transforming primary health services, fostering workforce development, and addressing public health challenges.

Focused on education and advocacy, the nonprofit assists vulnerable populations facing poverty, homelessness, food and housing insecurity, limited transportation, and social isolation. Guided by a board of patients and local professionals, it organizes impactful initiatives like health fairs, food drives, and school supply giveaways. Its annual Dr. William Waters Golf Tournament raises critical funds to ensure access to high-quality whole-person primary health services for everyone.

The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement, a nonprofit subsidiary of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, has been awarded a $15,000 grant from the Central Atlantic Chapter of the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation to support essential initiatives aimed at addressing food insecurity among children and families throughout Northeast Pennsylvania.

The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement 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 involving patients and communities in transforming primary health services, fostering workforce development, and addressing public health challenges.

Focused on education, advocacy, and tackling barriers, the nonprofit organization assists the region’s most vulnerable populations, including those experiencing poverty, homelessness, food and housing insecurity, limited access to education and job opportunities, lack of transportation, social isolation, and other challenges. Guided by a board of patients and local professionals, it organizes community initiatives, such as health fairs, food drives, and school supply giveaways, while its annual Dr. William Waters Golf Tournament generates essential funding to ensure access to high-quality, whole-person primary health services for everyone, regardless of age, ethnicity, insurance status, ZIP code, or ability to pay.

The Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation, as well as the regional Dunkin’ franchisee group, Lufrankton, LLC, which operates 34 Dunkin’ stores in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including six in Scranton, have awarded numerous grants to The Wright Center over the years to help address food insecurity and other community outreach initiatives. Since 2006, the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation has granted over $40 million to national and local nonprofits, supporting programs that combat child hunger — such as backpack and mobile and school pantry initiatives — and creating joyful experiences for pediatric patients and their families through specialized camps, sensory rooms, and art and music therapy.

Two of The Wright Center for Community Health’s primary and preventive care community health centers again received national commendations from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for delivering high-quality, patient-centered care.

The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton, 501 S. Washington Ave., and The Wright Center for Community Health Wilkes-Barre, at 169 N. Pennsylvania Ave., have successfully maintained their NCQA’s Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recognition, a prestigious certification that affirms the two community health centers’ ability to provide the right care at the right time through innovative tools, systems, and resources.

Founded in 1990 with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization committed to elevating health care standards. Through robust measurement, transparency, and accountability, NCQA drives improvements in health care quality nationwide. Its PCMH program, developed in collaboration with organizations such as the American College of Physicians and the American Osteopathic Association, evaluates clinical practices on their ability to operate as medical homes and recognizes those that excel in patient-centered care.

Headquartered in Scranton, The Wright Center’s growing network of community health centers in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Wyoming counties, including a mobile medical and dental unit called Driving Better Health, provides affordable, high-quality, nondiscriminatory 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, as well as community-based addiction treatment and recovery services. For more information, go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019.

A chief fellow of The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program and his program director will have their work published in an upcoming edition of the peer-reviewed journal Catheterization Cardiovascular Intervention.

The project began when Dr. Nischay Shah, one of the chief fellows of The Wright Center’s Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program, treated a patient with monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (MMVT). In this condition, the heart’s bottom chambers beat too fast. This abnormal rhythm can lead to severe issues, such as heart attacks.

“These further tests or treatments didn’t appear to make a difference in preventing death or the return of the abnormal heart rhythm in the select group of patients studied,” Dr. Shah explained.

In November, Dr. Shah and Dr. Pancholy learned their manuscript detailing their methods and findings was accepted for publication by Catheterization Cardiovascular Intervention, an international cardiology journal. A publication date has not been announced.

A dentist at The Wright Center joined the faculty of the NYU Langone Health’s Dental Medicine Postdoctoral Residency Programs and will begin teaching Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) residents at The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton Practice.

Dr. Regan completed the necessary training through NYU Langone Health, along with approximately 275 hours of additional continuing education, to qualify for the faculty position. He will be joining Caitlin McCarthy, D.M.D., a dentist at The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton Practice, who supervised the residency training of both Dr. Regan and Ryan Rebar, D.M.D., a dentist at The Wright Center for Community Health Mid Valley Practice in Jermyn.

Dr. Regan decided to stay and practice dentistry at The Wright Center after seeing the growing need for dental services in Northeast Pennsylvania during his residency. Since opening on Aug. 6, the Wilkes-Barre dental clinic has handled nearly 1,000 visits as of Oct. 30.

“A majority of our patients so far have been waiting months or years for dental care,” Dr. Regan said. “There’s not a lot of dentists locally who accept Medicaid patients if they’re accepting new patients at all.”

In fiscal year 2024, more than 3,400 unique patients were treated at The Wright Center’s dental clinic in Scranton, and nearly 3,400 unique patients visited the Mid Valley dental clinic. All three clinics offer exams, cleanings, X-rays, fillings, emergency services, oral cancer screenings, and denture care to people of all ages, regardless of their insurance status, ZIP code, or ability to pay. To make an appointment, visit TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019.