Penn State Health, College of Medicine recognize accomplishments of staff, faculty and students

Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine have staff, faculty and students who consistently show their dedication to their work and studies by earning accolades outside of their regular duties. To recognize these accomplishments, Penn State Health has compiled the following list of awards and appointments from May 1 through Sept. 30, 2024. Photos may be available upon request.

APPOINTMENTS

• McClendon named chief learning officer at Penn State Health. Penn State Health has appointed Wesley Payne McClendon, an internationally recognized transformation and learning leader, as vice president and chief learning officer. McClendon has more than 30 years of leadership development and learning experience, most recently as chief transformation officer, diversity, equity and inclusion, for Diversity Atlas in Melbourne, Australia. He applies a global leadership lens for learning and innovation to develop and align business, people and operations strategy to solve enterprise-wide challenges.
• Eckert appointed chair of the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine. Jill Eckert assumed the role of chair of the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine on Aug. 1 after serving as interim chair since July 2022. Throughout her tenure, Eckert has served in various leadership roles within the organization, including residency program director for 13 years, vice chair of education for 10 years, graduate medical education and faculty senate.
• Raman named permanent chair of Department of Urology. Jay Ramanhas assumed the role of chair of the Department of Urology at Penn State Health. Dr. Raman was named the interim chair of the newly created department in 2021. Throughout his 16 years with Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and the College of Medicine, Raman has distinguished himself as a respected clinician, researcher, educator and leader in the field of kidney and prostate cancer.
• Goodyear named to trauma society board. Sunny Goodyear, trauma outreach coordinator and clinical nursing instructor at Holy Spirit Medical Center, has been named to the Board of Directors of the American Trauma Society Pennsylvania Division. The society promotes trauma prevention and mitigation through education and advocacy. Goodyear’s three-year term on the board lasts into 2027.
• Wright appointed to Pennsylvania Department of Health committee. Tonya Wright, chief of the Division of Academic Specialists in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, has been appointed to the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee. The panel aims to enhance medical and social care for pregnant and postpartum individuals, working to prevent and eliminate pregnancy-related deaths and complications.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

• Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Neuroscience Critical Care Unit earns gold-level Beacon Award for Excellence. Milton S. Hershey Medical Center’s Neuroscience Critical Care Unit has been recognized with a gold-level Beacon Award for Excellence by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. The award recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with the association’s Healthy Work Environment Standards. The gold designation is the highest of the three Beacon Award levels a hospital unit can receive.
• Milton S. Hershey Medical Center earns prestigious Emergency Nurses Association Award. Milton S. Hershey Medical Center has received the Emergency Nurses Association 2024 Lantern Award, recognizing the excellence of its caregivers in incorporating evidence-based practice and innovation. Milton S. Hershey Medical Center earned Lantern Awards for both its pediatric and adult emergency departments.
• Penn State Health hospitals earn milestone recognition from vascular testing accrediting agency. The Intersocietal Accreditation Commission has recognized Milton S. Hershey and St. Joseph medical centers for their long-term commitments to improving patient outcomes and safety. Milton S. Hershey Medical Center received the accrediting agency’s Gold Milestone recognition for achieving and maintaining vascular testing accreditation for at least 30 years. St. Joseph Medical Center received the Silver Milestone recognition for maintaining accreditation for 25 years.
• Penn State Health honored for disability and veterans inclusion. Penn State Health has received two national awards for its disability inclusion efforts and commitment to veterans. The health system earned a place on the Disability Equality Index and is named one of the “2024 Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion” in the nation. This is the second time Penn State Health has received this recognition. Penn State Health also has been named a 2024 VETS Indexes Recognized Employer for its commitment to veterans and the military-connected community.
• Hampden Medical Center recognized for maternal and newborn care. Hampden Medical Center has been honored with the Pennsylvania Perinatal Quality Collaborative Inaugural Designation Award from the Jewish Healthcare Foundation. The hospital received bronze recognition for its efforts in improving care for substance-exposed newborns by implementing best practices and data-driven improvements in maternal and newborn care.
• Lancaster Medical Center’s weight management program earns national accreditation. Lancaster Medical Center has earned Comprehensive Center accreditation from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program. This means the hospital’s Comprehensive Weight Management program meets top standards for both patient safety and quality.
• Children’s Cancer Cause awards Children’s Hospital Survivorship Program. Children’s Cancer Cause has awarded the 2024 Survivorship Champion’s Prize to the Penn State Health Children’s Hospital Survivorship Program. This $10,000 prize is given annually to a group, program or institution that makes significant strides in providing lifelong health care for childhood cancer survivors. The selection committee praised the Children’s Hospital for its exemplary model of transitioning patients to long-term care after treatment, engaging primary care providers, utilizing telemedicine and serving a large rural community.
• Lancaster Medical Center receives testing accreditation. Lancaster Medical Center earned a three-year vascular testing accreditation from the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission, covering peripheral venous, peripheral arterial, extracranial cerebrovascular and visceral vascular testing. This accreditation assures patients of the center’s consistent quality care and commitment to continuous improvement.
• Vrana named one of AAMC’s four national distinguished teachers. The Association of American Medical Colleges has honored Kent Vrana, PhD, the Elliot S. Vesell Professor and emeritus chair of the Department of Pharmacology at Penn State College of Medicine, with the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award. This accolade recognizes outstanding contributions to medical education and underscores Vrana’s extensive and impactful career in academic medicine and scientific research.
• Rizk named Hershey Medical Center 2024 Physician of the Year. Milton S. Hershey Medical Center leaders and employees named pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Elias Rizk the 2024 Physician of the Year as part of the National Doctors’ Day celebration. The annual observance recognizes the contributions physicians make to improve the lives of their patients and communities. Dr. Cristy French of the Department of Radiology and Dr. Sean Mahase of the Department of Radiation Oncology received honorable mentions.
• Calaitges, Campbell named among nation’s best vascular surgeons. Newsweek has named Dr. John G. Calaitges and Dr. Joseph J. Campbell, both vascular surgeons at Holy Spirit Medical Center, to its list of America’s Best Vascular Surgeons 2024. The list was compiled using physician performance data from Medicare.
• Trauma Team at Holy Spirit Medical Center earns ACS recognition. Holy Spirit Medical Center’s Trauma Team has been named a Surgical Quality Partner by the American College of Surgeons (ACS). This recognition highlights the hospital’s participation in ACS’ quality programs and the hospital’s ongoing commitment to delivering the highest quality trauma care to the community.

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