Geisinger College Leader Completes Prestigious Fellowship Program

Valencia P. Walker, Geisinger Colleges’ vice dean for health equity and inclusion with Julie Byerley, president of Geisinger College of Health Sciences, dean of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine and chief academic officer.

Valencia P. Walker, M.D., M.P.H., Geisinger College of Health Sciences’ vice dean for health equity and inclusion, recently completed the prestigious Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) fellowship program at based at the Institute for Women’s Health and Leadership at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia.

The ELAM leadership development program was specifically created for senior faculty with great potential to attain executive leadership positions within academic medicine. Acceptance into the ELAM fellowship is determined through an annual competitive and rigorous selection process. 

  • Act with integrity and authenticity
  • Spread joy with your work
  • Act with empathy and respect
  • Listen to truly understand
  • Work collaboratively and uplift others
  • Stretch and challenge others positively
  • Support, encourage and exude optimism
  • Recognize and celebrate others’ strengths
  • Commit to lifelong learning

ELAM fellows undertake an institutional action project meant to lead organizational change at their own institutions in areas such as education, professional development, research or quality improvement. For her project, Dr. Walker chose to create “Candid Convos” at Geisinger and assist in promoting a culture of psychological safety and professionalism. “The opportunity to participate in ELAM transformed my thinking about leadership, and I look forward to using what I gained from the experience to make a positive contribution at Geisinger,” she said.

Geisinger Celebrates Growth at Commonwealth Day Event

Geisinger will honor its past and embrace its future as it celebrates its growing College of Health Sciences.

At its third annual Geisinger Commonwealth Day on Sept. 30, Geisinger College of Health Sciences will celebrate its growth as an integrated college with schools of nursing and medicine and a School of Graduate Education poised to launch new programs. The day is dedicated to “honoring the past and embracing the future,” and this year attendees will learn just how far the college has moved to advance its five-year strategic plan, Drive to THRIVE.

“Part of honoring our past is acknowledging how important the community is to our future,” said Dr. Byerley, president of Geisinger College of Health Sciences. “We’re happy to share that our strategic plan has been expanding opportunities for local students and growing programs that will meet the changing needs of our neighbors. This year we have an important milestone to celebrate. With the Class of 2024, our medical school has surpassed 1,000 alumni. That should be a source of pride for our neighbors. And speaking of increasing access and care in our region, our college has expanded its residency programs and introduced new programs in the Northeast.” 

“We’ll also spotlight our research accomplishments, especially the MyCode project which passed 350,000 enrolled participants in September,” she said. “With paired DNA sequence and health data currently available for nearly 230,000 of these participants, MyCode is the largest healthcare system-based study of its kind in the United States.” 

The community is invited to tour the Medical Sciences Building, including the school’s Simulation Center and historical displays, and learn about current research.  

Geisinger Commonwealth Day will be celebrated Monday, Sept. 30, from 1 – 5 p.m. at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, 525 Pine St., Scranton. Register at go.geisinger.edu/geisingercommonwealthday.