Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine medical students hosted the school's 11th annual Turkey Trot 5K/10K in November. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the students planned a virtual race instead of the traditional in-person event. Despite this challenge, student organizers raised more than $10,000 for Friends of the Poor.

A Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine faculty member and two students helped The Black Scranton Project unveil its Black History Month programming by raising the Pan-African Flag at an annual event held at Scranton City Hall.

The 2020 Steamtown Health Fair will go on - virtually. According to student planners, gift bags filled with educational resources and other "goodies" from local health and wellness businesses which will be handed out by participating organizations. Bags will be distributed from Tuesday, Oct. 13 through Saturday, Oct. 17 while supplies last. Please check geisinger.edu/gcsomhealthfair for updates on where to pick up a bag. "While not our typical health fair format, this will still be a fun, free way to learn about health, wellness and the resources that are available to you in the community," said ___ In addition, instead of the health fair's gift basket raffle, GCSOM students have chosen to help promote donations to several local organizations. If you would like to donate to any of these organizations, you may do so by following the links listed below: Bread Basket of NEPA Meals on Wheels of NEPA - You can also text "meals" to 64600 National Alliance on Mental Illness NEPA United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA Follow the event on Facebook for the latest updates. For more information, contact Julia Hendricks at jhendricks@som.geisinger.edu.

A new academic year usually includes a flurry of activities meant to organize and orient new students. At Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM), September typically includes events that fill the Medical Sciences Building lobby with booths, balloons and people. This year, despite COVID-19 restrictions, student planners made sure the annual Community Service Fair went on as scheduled.

On Saturday, March 21, student members of the Dermatology Interest Group at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) will host a free skin-cancer screening from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the school's Medical Sciences Building, 525 Pine Street in Scranton.

Student leaders at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine organized a Day of Service in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The students planned and participated in events for Scranton-area children and youth at Friends of the Poor and Boys and Girls Club. Events included teaching participants the basics of CPR, blood pressure, heart rate and temperature in order to expose them to health indicators in minority populations. The children also learned about Dr. King and created posters regarding their dreams for the future.

Student leaders at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine recently planned and organized the school's second Indigenous/First Nation People cultural bazaar to celebrate is Indigenous/First Nation People Heritage Month, an observance that occurs in November.

Preserving health and having fun were the twin goals of the eighth annual Steamtown Health Fair recently hosted by second-year medical students from Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) in partnership with Scranton Primary Health Care Center. The free, family-friendly event featured free screenings for blood pressure, hearing and mental health. In addition, attendees received information on a variety of health-related topics, from diabetes management to substance use disorder education, as well as education on emotional resilience and organ and tissue donation. All event proceeds were donated to the Meals on Wheels of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Student organizers said 250 people attended or volunteered at the event.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's student organization, Pediatric Outreach Group for Students (POGS), spearheaded an effort to make sure children in Head Start programs and foster care will have gifts to open this holiday season. The students sponsored a Holiday Giving Tree that collected donations for Dunmore Head Start and Lackawanna Family Care for Children and Youth. More than 140 children will receive gifts thanks to the effort.

A group of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) students have dedicated what little spare time they have to mentoring undergraduate students and preparing them to be competitive applicants. Since its founding in 2018, the Pre-medical Mentoring and Advising Program (PMAP) has helped 17 students get into medical school and was recognized by GCSOM students as "organization of the year" for the 2018-2019 academic year, based upon student votes.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) students will host their 10th annual Turkey Trot 5K/10K run in downtown Scranton on Sunday, Nov. 3. Proceeds will benefit the nonprofit charitable organization, Friends of the Poor.

The executive board of the South Asian Society (SAS) at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) organized and led an initiative to educate the GCSOM community on the Muslim observation of Ramadan, a month dedicated to fasting, prayer, reflection and community.

The student leaders of the Primary Care Progress chapter at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) invite the community to gather at the school on Saturday, May 11 to discuss prescription drug affordability with healthcare providers and other community members. The purpose of the event is to provide the community with a way to communicate with providers and policymakers about their challenges in accessing prescription drugs and adhering to recommended medication regimens with the hope that the ensuing dialogue will spark constructive change.

Three Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) students recently helped to plan and organize a First Aid Meet for about 50 scouts from the Northeastern Pennsylvania Council of the Scouts BSA. The annual competitive event was held on March 16 and was co-sponsored by the Council and the Emergency Medicine Interest Group at GCSOM.

On Saturday, April 13, members of the Student Musculoskeletal Society at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM), in partnership with the Geisinger Musculoskeletal Institute, will host a free osteoporosis screening from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.at the Geisinger Musculoskeletal and Sports Medicine Clinic at 3 W Olive Street, Scranton.

On Saturday, April 6, student members of the Dermatology Interest Group at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) will host a free skin-cancer screening from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.at the school's Medical Sciences Building, 525 Pine Street in Scranton

On Sunday, April 7, students from Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine will host the eighth annual ALLEY-OOP FOR AUTISMthree-on-three charity basketball tournament.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) medical students hosted their ninth annual Turkey Trot 5K/10K run in downtown Scranton on Sunday, Nov. 4. The event also featured a Tiny Trot, including crafts, games, face painting and relay races, for children ages 13 and younger. Proceeds benefitted Friends of the Poor's holiday food giveaways. Student organizers reported that 261 runners and walkers participated. Also, a series of fundraisers at local restaurants, a penny war and a Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders event preceding the run helped augment monies raised from race registrations to make the 2018 Turley Trot the most successful to date, with close to $17,000 raised.

Anis Adnani of Pittsburgh, a member of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's (GCSOM) MD Class of 2021, to serve as panelist during an "Interdependence Day Scranton"

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) will host the sixth annual NEPA Trans Health Conference on Tuesday, April 17. Student organizers include Alexa Bolock of Waverly; Brandon Bombar of Scranton; Angie Chang of Thousand Oaks, California; Sarah Heisey of Arlington, Virginia; Kailee Kerr of Tracy, California; Steven Lam of San Jose, California; and Tripti Soni of Boyds, Maryland.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine students have planned and organized the school's ninth annual Turkey Trot, which will take place on Nov. 4. All proceeds benefit Friends of the Poor.

Three master of biomedical sciences (MBS) students at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's Doylestown campus recently served as judges for the Bucks County Science Research Competition held at Delaware Valley University.

A group of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine students planned and organized the school's first Freedom Seder, held on March 12. It is the students' intent to make the Freedom Seder an annual event. Freedom Seders intertwine the archetypal story of the Israelites' deliverance from slavery in ancient Egypt with more modern liberation struggles.

Merly Cepeda of Miami, a master of biomedical sciences (MBS) student at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, recently led a fundraiser to combat childhood cancer.

The Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine chapter of the American Women's Medical Association (AMWA) recently held its annual Rose-A-Palooza to benefit the Women's Resource Center.

Nick Maffetone of New Hope, a master of biomedical sciences (MBS) student at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's Doylestown campus, recently chaired a food drive event. The event was sponsored by Geisinger Commonwealth's Doylestown Graduate Council and the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute. The food drive collected more than $990 in cash and gift cards and 403 food items. The drive benefited the Bucks County Housing Group, which currently serves more than 120 families in Bucks County.

First year medical students at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine donated and packaged baby hats for the Little Hats, Big Hearts project, sponsored locally by Cross Valley Federal Credit Union.

Master of biomedical sciences (MBS) students at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's Doylestown campus recently volunteered at a Hepatitis B screening event. The screening was hosted by the Hepatitis B Foundation, Hep B United Philadelphia and African Family Health Organization in northeast Philadelphia.

Second-year medical students at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, organized the seventh annual ALLEY-OOP FOR AUTISM three-on-three charity basketball tournament. The event will take place on Sunday, Feb. 18 at Byron Recreational Complex at The University of Scranton.

Students at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine organized the school's first Super Science Saturday for Girls, a free event for local seventh- and eighth-grade girls to sample a wide array of scientific disciplines. The girls will get to interact with each other and women doctors, researchers, medical students, graduate students and other professionals in healthcare throughout the day.