Jing Ran Chen
  • Medicine
  • Class of 2023
  • Brooklyn, NY

Johnny Chen of Brooklyn and other Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine students raise awareness and funds for Gift of Life

2017 Apr 6

On April 2, Johnny Chen of Brooklyn and several other Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (Geisinger Commonwealth) master of biomedical sciences students participated in the 22nd annual Gift of Life Donor Dash in Philadelphia.

Gift of Life is a nonprofit organ procurement organization (OPO) that coordinates the recovery and distribution of organs used in transplants throughout eastern Pennsylvania. More than 12,000 people took part in either the 5k or 10k race benefiting the 5,400 individuals in the eastern Pennsylvania region waiting for an organ transplant.

Franklin Ochieng, of Philadelphia, chair of the student health and wellness group, created a Geisinger Commonwealth team to raise both awareness and donations for Gift of Life. Members of the team in addition to Ochieng included Geisinger Commonwealth students Johnny Chen, Sierra McCloud, Michael Scharf, Maria Yilma, Janette Pham and Fatimah Washington, as well as employees of the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute/Hepatitis B Foundation, and medical professionals from local Philadelphia hospitals.