Geisinger medical students earn national recognition for advancing family medicine

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has selected the college's FMIG as a recipient of its 2026 Program of Excellence Award, which recognizes student-led initiatives that promote the values and impact of family medicine.

The AAFP will formally recognize the group at a conference in Kansas City this summer, highlighting the program as a model for how student organizations can strengthen interest in primary care and expand its reach.

Student leaders Lauren Chu, Michael Howard, Benjamin Iannuzzi, Yajusha Krishna and Theresa Pham say their group's work reflects both the breadth of family medicine and its deep connection to community, including:

• Bringing students closer to family practice by helping them interact with practicing physicians across diverse disciplines to gain information and mentorship.
• Gaining hands-on experience by practicing a range of in-office procedures - from biopsies to contraceptive insertions - alongside physicians and residents and volunteering at the Edward R. Leahy Clinic for the Uninsured.
• Meeting the community through programs like "Walk with a Doc" and a donation drive for a Scranton homeless youth shelter.
• Advocating for the future of primary care by meeting with legislators and physician leaders to better understand policies affecting primary care and to share the perspectives of medical students.

About Geisinger College of Health Sciences
Educating. Inspiring. Leading. At Geisinger College of Health Sciences, we bring innovation and purpose together to educate the next generation of healthcare leaders. As the academic and research arm of the Geisinger family, our college was founded to enhance and improve community health, with a focus on discovery, hands-on learning and applied practice across our system. Today, we offer a research institute, graduate medical education, schools of medicine, graduate education and nursing, and faculty and professional development programs. Visit geisinger.edu/gchs.

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