As the new dean, Byerley will provide visionary leadership for GCSOM, assuring excellence, innovation, and a focus on learners, patients, and the promotion of health. She will continue to establish GCSOM as a leader in the industry and model the community service mission of the organization.

In addition to her GCSOM responsibilities, as chief academic officer, Dr. Byerley will leverage her experience from a world-class academic and research institution at the University of North Carolina (UNC) to also oversee the management of educational experiences for learners throughout Geisinger, including graduate medical education, nursing, pharmacy, advanced practitioners and other health professions.

She will also be responsible for overseeing Geisinger's world-renowned research environment that includes more than 50 full-time research faculty and more than 30 clinician investigators responsible for groundbreaking medical advancements like the MyCode Precision Health Initiative and more. Geisinger's areas of research expertise span precision health, genomics, informatics, data science, implementation science, outcomes research, health services research, bioethics and participation in hundreds of clinical trials each year.

Byerley has been with the UNC School of Medicine since 2002, serving recently as vice dean for academic affairs where she oversaw the school's educational enterprise and the Office of Faculty Affairs and Leadership Development. Since January 2021 she has served as interim dean of the UNC Adams School of Dentistry.

Byerley earned her bachelor's degree in physics and a teaching certificate from Rhodes College and attended medical school at Duke University. She completed her pediatrics residency and chief residency at UNC-Chapel Hill where she also earned a master's degree in public health with a focus on maternal and child health.


About Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (Geisinger Commonwealth) is a member of the Geisinger family. Geisinger Commonwealth offers a community-based model of medical education with campuses in Atlantic City, Danville, Doylestown, Sayre, Scranton and Wilkes- Barre. Geisinger Commonwealth offers Doctor of Medicine (MD), Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS) and Professional Science Master's (PSM) degrees. The school's innovative curriculum, focused on caring for people in the context of their lives and their community, attracts the next generation of physicians and scientists from within its region, as well as from across the nation. The school also has more than 500 residents and fellows in 31 accredited residency programs and 27 accredited fellowships. Geisinger Commonwealth is committed to non-discrimination in all employment and educational opportunities.

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