New Clinic Directors Proud To Serve Students and Community
Shown at The University of Scranton’s Edward R. Leahy Jr. Clinic for the Uninsured are, from left, Administrative Director Maria L. Vital, Ph.D. G’11, and Medical Director Susan Russell, M.D., family physician for Geisinger and assistant professor at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine.By Joshua McAuliffe, Contributing Writer
The University of Scranton’s Edward R. Leahy Jr. Clinic for the Uninsured reopened recently with an enhanced mission – and two new leaders with decades of combined health care experience.
Medical Director Susan Russell, M.D., and Administrative Director Maria L. Vital G’11, Ph.D., have been tasked with guiding the University and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) students who will staff the clinic, which provides free primary care services to local adults.
Dr. Russell has spent the past decade as an assistant professor of family medicine at GCSOM while continuing to work as a physician within the Geisinger network. Prior to that, she and her husband ran a family medicine practice.
“For me, this is the perfect role because I love teaching, but it’s so much more fulfilling when you’re taking theory and putting it into practice,” Dr. Russell said. “The clinic is going to allow students to have a hands-on experience and practice all the things we’ve taught them in class. It also fulfills part of the mission statement of Geisinger, which is to serve the community. This allows the medical students to understand the plight of those less fortunate than them and provide them with high-quality care.”
It’s a homecoming of sorts for Dr. Vital, who previously served as the Leahy Clinic’s longtime operations manager until it closed in 2020 at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. When she learned the clinic was reopening, she jumped at the chance to return.
“I’m extremely happy to come back,” said Dr. Vital, who speaks five languages. “The clinic is like my baby, because I started there from day one. I love this place and feel very fulfilled here – it’s a part of who I am.”
Drs. Russell and Vital spent the past few months juggling the many responsibilities that came with getting the clinic up and running, from coordinating the roles of the students, to finding local providers willing to donate their time, to getting the electronic records system up and running, to establishing quality parameters for the clinic, to furnishing the space.
The eventual goal – to allow the students to take the reins of the clinic.
“The students are super excited – we’ve had over 80 students express interest in volunteering. They’re ready to give their time,” Dr. Russell said. “And I couldn’t have asked for more from The University of Scranton. The facility is great – it’s so well-cared for.”
“Knowing I can use my experience and knowledge to help our community and our students is so wonderful – it’s a dream,” Dr. Vital added. “I really love working with the students, and I think the model we have here is so powerful and really matches their needs while providing a service to the community. Everyone has the right to quality health care.”
