The Wright Center Deputy Medical Director Recognized as ‘Everyday Hero’

A board-certified internal medicine physician and deputy chief medical officer of The Wright Center for Community Health received an Everyday Hero Award from the Pennsylvania Medical Society in March.

Dr. Erin McFadden was nominated for the award by colleagues who highlighted her tireless efforts to deliver high-quality whole-person primary health services that are accessible to all and educate the next generation of physicians.

“Erin’s unwavering dedication to patient care and medical education exemplifies the very best of our profession,” said Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education. “As an exemplary graduate of our legacy Internal Medicine Residency Program and our noble mission delivered, Erin’s leadership and countless contributions embody The Wright Center’s mission to improve the health and welfare of our communities through responsive, whole-person health services for all and the sustainable renewal of an inspired, competent workforce that is privileged to serve.”

The Pennsylvania Medical Society’s Everyday Hero Award acknowledges physicians who are often “the unsung heroes of our communities, tirelessly working to improve lives and inspire hope,” according to the organization.

Soon after joining The Wright Center as a physician and member of the internal medicine residency program faculty in 2020, Dr. McFadden emerged as a leader. As the COVID-19 pandemic spread, she participated in a statewide effort to assist personal care, assisted living, and skilled nursing facilities in Northeast Pennsylvania with pandemic care. She later headed an outpatient infusion center at The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton, providing monoclonal antibody treatment for patients with severe COVID.

Additionally, Dr. McFadden spearheaded the expansion of The Wright Center’s community health centers, including the Scranton Counseling Center location, which opened in April 2021, and the North Scranton location, which opened in July 2023. She serves as the medical director for both The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton and The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton Counseling Center.

She’s also been at the forefront of The Wright Center’s efforts to strengthen the physician workforce pipeline, serving as co-regional director of medical education for A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona – a unique program where students spend a year on campus in Mesa, Arizona, and then three years in clinical rotations at The Wright Center and other community health centers across the country. So far, more than 30 doctors have graduated from the program, which began in August 2020. Several of these doctors have chosen to stay in Northeast Pennsylvania to pursue medical residencies with The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education.

 Headquartered in Scranton, The Wright Center’s growing network of community health centers in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Wyoming counties, including a mobile medical and dental unit called Driving Better Health, provides affordable, high-quality, whole-person health services to everyone, regardless of insurance status, ZIP code, or ability to pay. Patients typically have the convenience of going to a single location to access integrated medical, dental, and behavioral health care, as well as community-based addiction treatment and recovery services.

To learn more, call 570-230-0019 or go to TheWrightCenter.org.

The Pennsylvania Medical Society was founded in 1848 by 61 representatives of medical schools and county medical societies across the state to promote community health, relieve suffering, and advance medical knowledge. That goal continues today, as it and its members advocate for physicians and their patients, educate physicians through continuing medical education, and provide expert resources and guidance to help physicians navigate challenges in today’s ever-evolving health care system. Visit www.pamedsoc.org to learn more.