Geisinger College of Health Sciences

scranton – Holding aloft the Geisinger Blue Umbrella, newly appointed President and Dean Julie Byerly, MD, MPH, announced the founding of the Geisinger College of Health Sciences. The college serves as an “umbrella” institution that brings together the Geisinger School of Medicine, School of Nursing, and Graduate School of Education under one entity. In addition, the new entity will expand the Geisinger School of Nursing from a diploma-granting to a degree-granting institution and oversee the associate degree in nursing. The new organizational structure paves the way for future health professions programs to serve our region.

“Geisinger Commonwealth Day is a celebration we created to celebrate our past and embrace our future,” said Dr. Byerly. “There was no better platform to celebrate this next step in the life of local medical and health education by bringing together our founders, community and health system leaders.”

Dr. Byerley Geissinger pointed out that Commonwealth is the name of the School of Medicine – and the school’s commitment to its founding mission has not changed. “Our school is focused on serving our community, providing opportunity and growth for local students, and using our research team’s findings to improve health and well-being.”

Dr. Byerley said the new structure will allow for an interprofessional learning experience and create greater collaboration and cooperation with the Geisinger Research Institute. “It’s a win for our students and our scientists,” she said. “Our community will reap the benefits of an integrated, collaborative approach to educating the healthcare teams of the future.”