March 30 was National Doctors’ Day – a perfect opportunity to celebrate all the great physicians out there, including those who practice locally.

The annual observance honors the “dedication, skill, and unwavering commitment of physicians in providing high-quality health care to individuals and communities worldwide,” according to the American Medical Association.

The first National Doctors Day was held all the way back in 1933 by Dr. Charles B. Almond in Winder, Georgia. Now it’s observed by health care organizations across the country, offering institutions and patients the chance to express their appreciation for physicians working in all facets of medicine.

At The Wright Center, we take immense pride in our doctors. Since our beginnings in 1976 as the Scranton-Temple Residency Program, we have been dedicated to providing high-quality primary and preventive care to the residents of Northeast Pennsylvania. Today, our doctors uphold a twofold mission: delivering comprehensive, whole-person primary health services to all – regardless of insurance status, ZIP code, or ability to pay – and educating the next generation of physicians and interprofessional health care professionals.

And as a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike, or FQLA, we’ve been able to expand our local network’s locations in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne and Wyoming counties, as well as our Driving Better Health mobile medical and dental unit, that all told serve tens of thousands of patients annually.

Our doctors follow a patient-centric model, with an emphasis on overcoming barriers to care by delivering coordinated and comprehensive services, including primary and preventive care, pediatrics, behavioral health, dental care, infectious disease services, lifestyle medicine, obesity medicine, and addiction recovery services. Through that full spectrum of care, we strive to improve access to care by emphasizing care management of patients with numerous medical needs, as well as through the use of key quality improvement practices, among them health information technology.

Given the topic, I’d like to take the opportunity to boast about some recent accolades we received.

In February, our president and CEO, Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, received the 2025 ATHENA Leadership Award, presented by the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce and sponsored locally by Michael A. Barbetti LLC Certified Public Accountants. The award honors an exceptional individual who has achieved excellence in their business or profession, has served the community in a meaningful way, and has assisted women in their attainment of professional goals and leadership skills. Dr. Thomas-Hemak certainly embodies all of these fine qualities.

Meanwhile, our community health centers in Clarks Summit, Jermyn, South Scranton Wilkes-Barre recently received the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s Patient-Centered Medical Home certificate of recognition. The award recognizes our locations’ commitment to delivering affordable, high-quality, whole-person primary health services through the patient-centered medical home model. In addition to strengthening patient-clinician relationships and enhancing the management of chronic conditions, the patient-centered medical home model also increases staff satisfaction and reduces health care costs. It’s wonderful to receive awards and certifications like these, which reaffirm the first-rate, cutting-edge work our physicians are carrying out every day. It is truly an honor and a privilege to serve the people of Northeast Pennsylvania.

Dr. Usman Rana never considered how decisions made on Capitol Hill could affect the community where he lives and works – until one of those decisions impacted his life.

A federal policy change in 2022 prevented him from completing a geriatrics fellowship at The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Witnessing The Wright Center’s leaders advocate for him and his fellow physicians ignited his passion for advocacy. After transitioning to The Wright Center’s Internal Medicine Residency Program, which he’ll complete in June, Dr. Rana became actively involved with the enterprise’s Advocacy Team. 

Less than three years later, Dr. Rana earned national recognition for his advocacy work at The Wright Center. In February 2025, he accepted the National Association of Community Health Centers’ (NACHC) 2025 Elizabeth K. Cooke Advocacy MVP Award at the association’s Policy & Issues Forum in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes efforts to educate federal and state legislators about community health centers and establish and expand grassroots advocacy efforts at health centers across the country.

“I had no idea what was happening in Washington, D.C., or how it affected health care here in Scranton or across the country,” he said. “I realized that being a voice for your community, colleagues, and patients can work miracles.”

For the past two years, first as a resident leader and now as the resident chief, Dr. Rana has actively engaged in advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill. His work centers on key issues such as securing long-term reauthorization of the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program, increased funding for community health centers like The Wright Center, and expanding access to health care and prescription medications.

In his nomination for the NACHC award, leaders at The Wright Center noted Dr. Rana’s remarkable efforts to continue building a culture of advocacy within the enterprise and the larger community.

“Dr. Rana, The Wright Center’s chief resident of advocacy for public health priorities, is a remarkable physician servant leader in support of our work to enact policy change in our nation’s public health policies. In this role, he is a member of the advocacy committee of our governing board and works closely with The Wright Center’s Advocacy Team,” said Jennifer Walsh, Esq., senior vice president and chief legal and governance officer at The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education. “His passion is helping to elevate the key role that physicians can play in helping to shape federal and state policies to better serve patients, their families, and the communities they serve.”

After receiving his doctorate of medicine from Allama Iqbal Medical College, a public medical college in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, in 2010, he worked as a medical officer there before coming to the United States to complete externships in New York City. He married Dr. Huma Chudhary, a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist in Pakistan, in 2014. The couple worked in the medical field in Pakistan, Kuwait, and the United Kingdom. The married couple had a son, now 10, and a daughter, now 7, before they moved to Scranton in 2022 so Dr. Rana could start his residency at The Wright Center. Since then, the couple has welcomed two more daughters, now 3 years old and 18 months old. As Dr. Rana finishes his medical residency, Dr.  Chudhary is preparing to take her medical licensing exam to begin providing care in the United States.

Dr. Rana has included his family in his advocacy work, bringing them along on a recent trip to Washington, D.C. “They visited some places in the city while I worked,” he said. “It was nice to show them what I’m doing. I think my wife was impressed.” 

On his most recent solo trip to Washington, D.C., to accept the NACHC award, Dr. Rana joined several other leaders from The Wright Center in meeting with legislators on Capitol Hill, including freshman U.S. Representative Rob Bresnahan, who took office in January 2025. He represents Pennsylvania’s 8th District, which includes Lackawanna, Wayne, and Pike counties, as well as most of Luzerne and Monroe counties. 

Dr. Rana said sharing patient stories with U.S. Representative Bresnahan and other federal, state, and local leaders is an effective way to educate them on the role The Wright Center and other community health centers across the country play – not just in providing affordable, high-quality, whole-person primary health services to everyone, regardless of insurance status, ZIP code, or ability to pay, but also as educational powerhouses addressing the growing shortage of primary care physicians nationwide.

His interest in advocacy has also influenced his plan for the future. The 40-year-old plans to stay in Northeast Pennsylvania after graduation to continue delivering care in the community. He also plans to continue sharing stories about his patients, colleagues, and his own experiences in health care.

“Sharing these stories creates an impact that can lead to positive change,” Dr. Rana said. “It’s something that I want to continue to do even after I graduate in June.”

Established in 1976 as the Scranton-Temple Residency Program, The Wright Center is one of the nation’s largest U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration-funded Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Safety-Net Consortiums. Together with consortium stakeholders, The Wright Center trains residents and fellows in a community-based, community-needs-responsive workforce development model to advance their shared mission to provide whole-person primary health services to everyone regardless of a patient’s insurance status, ZIP code, or ability to pay.

For more information abut The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019.