Dr. Mary Louise Decker, the infectious diseases medical director at The Wright Center for Community Health, was honored with an award from a national advocacy group for her meaningful, evidence-based hepatitis C and HIV prevention and treatment efforts across Northeast Pennsylvania.

The Community Liver Alliance awarded Dr. Decker the You Make a Difference Award, which honors individuals who have made a meaningful impact in advancing liver health by supporting patients and families, and strengthening communities. She accepted the award at the Community Liver Alliance’s 12th annual You Make a Difference Awards Luncheon on Friday, May 1, at the Kamin Science Center in Pittsburgh.

Under Dr. Decker’s leadership, The Wright Center for Community Health’s Ryan White HIV and Infectious Diseases Clinic has been a leader in HIV testing, treatment, and support in the region. The clinic serves nearly 500 patients across seven counties, providing coordinated, whole-person care at community health centers in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre.

Through her efforts, viral suppression rates among patients receiving antiretroviral therapy improved from 86% to 96%. Gaps in care were reduced to under 10%. Vaccine compliance increased significantly, including a greater than 70% HPV vaccine rate among those eligible and a 50% rise in varicella-zoster vaccination.

Dr. Decker is accepting new adult patients at our community health centers in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. To schedule an appointment, visit TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-941-0630.

A longtime Dunmore dentist is now accepting patients of all ages at The Wright Center for Community Health Mid Valley, 5 S. Washington Ave., Jermyn.

The Wright Center accepts all dental insurance. To ensure high-quality oral care is available to everyone, The Wright Center for Community Health offers a sliding-fee discount program for individuals who qualify under the Federal Poverty Guidelines, which consider family size and income. To learn more or make an appointment, visit TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019. 

Dr. Renee Frank, secretary of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, presents certificates of recognition to, from left, Drs. Timothy Burke, William Dempsey, and Erin McFadden for their outstanding dedication to patient care.

The Pennsylvania Medical Society honored three Wright Center doctors as part of National Doctors Day on Monday, March 30. With a history dating back to 1933, the annual day of observance honors the skill, dedication, and commitment of physicians who care for their communities. 

Dr. Renee Frank, secretary of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, presented certificates of recognition to, from left, Drs. Timothy Burke, William Dempsey, and Erin McFadden for their outstanding dedication to patient care. 

The Wright Center is celebrating its 50^th anniversary in 2026. Founded in 1976, The Wright Centers for Community Health, Graduate Medical Education, and Patient & Community Engagement are a physician-led, community-owned nonprofit and a cornerstone of health care in the region. The organization employs more than 665 professionals – including nearly 200 resident and fellow physicians – and trains more than 200 interprofessional health care learners each year.

In fiscal year 2024-25, The Wright Center served about 38,300 unique patients across its growing network of community health centers in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Wyoming counties, including its mobile medical and dental unit, Driving Better Health. As a nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike and safety-net provider, The Wright Center serves all patients, regardless of insurance status, ZIP code, or ability to pay. No patient is turned away due to an inability to pay. 

Learn more at TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019.

Dr. Jumee Barooah, senior vice president of education and designated institutional official for The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, has been named to a list of female role models across the state who exemplify ambition, creativity, and impact on their communities.

Dr. Barooah leads one of the nation’s largest Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Safety-Net Consortiums, overseeing the training of nearly 200 resident physicians and fellows. She has woven wellness, resiliency, and professional fulfillment into the fabric of graduate medical education, leading the development of a comprehensive wellness curriculum, creating new roles focused on clinician well-being, and championing visionary initiatives.

“Dr. Barooah’s impact is measurable and profound,” said Brian Ebersole, senior vice president of strategic enterprise and ecosystem development at The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education. “Under her leadership, resident confidence and satisfaction have risen sharply, scholarly output has increased dramatically, and The Wright Center has deepened its commitment to trauma-informed, community-based care.”

The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education’s Annual Internship Capstone Poster Day in 2025 was held at its community 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 Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education is seeking high school and college students interested in hands-on experience in a variety of health care-related careers. 

The application deadline for The Wright Center’s paid summer internship program is April 10. For more information or to apply, visit TheWrightCenter.org/internships.

Positions are available in a variety of departments, including administration, clinical, finance, legal, and marketing and communications. There are also several opportunities for technology-savvy students interested in identifying and developing Agentic AI solutions that can help streamline operations and enhance workplace performance. Internships last nine weeks for college students, starting June 8, and seven weeks for high school students, beginning June 22. 

Unique to The Wright Center’s program is that each participant will complete an Internship Capstone Project focused on a particular aspect of what they learned. At the end of the summer, interns gather to share their projects with Wright Center board members, executives, and employees, and to answer questions about their findings, internship experiences, and plans. In 2025, The Wright Center hosted 26 high school and college interns. 

“Health care is among the fastest-growing sectors in the United States, and it offers a wide range of career opportunities,” said Kellie Knesis, vice president of human resources and chief human resources officer for The Wright Centers. “From information technology and finance to operations, administration, education, and marketing, our organization provides a variety of roles through which students can explore exciting careers in health care while gaining valuable experience for their futures.”

The Wright Center is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026. Founded in 1976, The Wright Center is a physician-led, community-owned nonprofit and a cornerstone of health care in the region. The organization brings together The Wright Center for Community Health, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, and The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement under one unified mission. It employs more than 665 professionals – including nearly 200 resident and fellow physicians – and trains more than 200 interprofessional health care learners each year. 

In fiscal year 2024-25, The Wright Center served about 38,300 unique patients across its growing network of community health centers in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Wyoming counties, including its mobile medical and dental unit, Driving Better Health. As a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike and safety-net provider, The Wright Center serves all patients, regardless of insurance status, ZIP code, or ability to pay. No patient is turned away due to an inability to pay.

Learn more at TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019. 

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education welcomed 62 new resident physicians into residency programs on National Match Day for aspiring doctors on March 20.

The National Resident Matching Program’s Match Day is held annually on the third Friday of March. Medical students nationwide and around the world simultaneously learn which U.S. residency program they will train in 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 eagerly anticipates Match Day each year, when it learns which medical school graduates will continue their training in its residency programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The Wright Center is among the nation’s largest U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-funded Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Consortiums, training nearly 200 physicians annually.

The Wright Center matched resident physicians in the following regional programs: Internal Medicine Residency (43), Family Medicine – Scranton (6), and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency (7). Two resident physicians were also welcomed into the Internal Medicine-Geriatrics Integrated Residency and Fellowship Pathway, commonly known as the Combined Med-Geri Pathway, and four residents will join the Family Medicine – HealthSource of Ohio Residency Program, a collaboration between The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education and HealthSource of Ohio in Hillsboro.

The new resident physicians will begin their program on July 1. The incoming residents hail from 14 countries: Pakistan (17), the United States (17), India (7), Jordan (6), the United Arab Emirates (4), Egypt (3), and Canada (1), Georgia (1), Ireland (1), Kazakhstan (1), Lebanon (1), Nepal (1), Nigeria (1), and Turkey (1).

The Wright Center received 11,019 applications and interviewed 574 candidates, or about 5.2% 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.

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education offers ACGME-accredited residency programs 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.

In fiscal year 2024-25, The Wright Center served about 38,300 unique patients across its growing network of community health centers in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Wyoming counties, including its mobile medical and dental unit, Driving Better Health. As a nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike and safety-net provider, The Wright Center serves all patients, regardless of insurance status, ZIP code, or ability to pay. No patient is turned away due to an inability to pay.