From Campus to Care: Penn State Alumni Shine at Penn State Health

Tara Gardner, chief nursing officer, right, talks with Elizabeth Fromm at the nurses station at Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024.

Every day Penn State alumni bring the energy and passion for helping others from their college days to their roles at Penn State Health. We’re proud to highlight three medical professionals who discovered their callings at Penn State and celebrate their commitment to improving lives and advancing health care.

Tara Gardner ’07, chief nursing officer, Penn State Holy Spirit and Hampden Medical Centers

“I’m blue and white all the way and went to University Park right out of high school, graduating in 2007 with a degree in Biobehavioral Health,” she said. “I wanted to go to med school, but quickly transitioned into nursing, my first love.”

Gardner recommends Penn State Health to Penn State students as a place to find career satisfaction.

“Penn State Health can take you on a path that maybe you weren’t expecting. You can dive in head first and seize career opportunities that help people in need,” she said. “We have great mentorship programs that can really help individuals make those decisions to find a meaningful career.”

Dr. Matt Silvis, professor, Departments of Family and Community Medicine & Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at Penn State College of Medicine; Division Chief of Primary Care Sports Medicine at Penn State Health

A 2002 graduate of Penn State College of Medicine, Silvis enjoys a variety of health care pursuits and leadership positions at Penn State Health.

“As a sports medicine specialist, I enjoy caring for athletes of all ages both on and off the field,” he said. “Working at Penn State has been very rewarding for me throughout my career with opportunities to teach our amazing students as well as engage in impactful research to advance the care of our patients.”

Penn State College of Medicine’s education for medical, physician assistant and biomedical sciences graduate students is world class, Silvis said.

“People deeply care about transferring knowledge to the next generation of medical professionals,” he added.

Visit pennstatehealth.org/careers for career opportunities at Penn State Health.

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