Combined, the health system offers enhanced patient access, collaborative innovation, and opportunities for students.
Just a few months before beginning her career as a physician assistant at Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN), Gabrielle Wilby, PA-C, learned the health network was becoming part of Jefferson Health. As a graduate of Thomas Jefferson University, she immediately saw the benefits this would provide to students, organizations, and the people of Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley, and beyond.
“The collaboration between these two great health systems creates better outcomes for clinicians, medical students, and the community,” she says. “I’m happy to see it bringing more accessible care to where I call home.”
Growing up in the Lehigh Valley and graduating from Parkland High School, where she played soccer, Wilby was already very familiar with LVHN. Early in her high school days, she took an interest in both science and health. After a lot of research and shadowing clinicians, Wilby knew being a physician assistant was the career path she wanted to pursue.
Educating the next generation of healthcare professionals
When she was looking for a school to attend, the Health Sciences BS/Physician Assistant Studies MS dual-degree program at Thomas Jefferson University was the perfect fit. The program offers a combined undergraduate and graduate degree that students can complete in just five years instead of the traditional six years.
“As a recent graduate, I value being part of such a comprehensive health system,” she says. “This merger provides students with more opportunities to branch out, connect, and gain experience in diverse settings and specialties. It’s fostering a new generation of well-rounded health care professionals.”
Wilby says the many connections already existing between Thomas Jefferson University, Jefferson Health, and its affiliated partners have given her ample opportunities to visit and study different specialties. Outside of the classroom and clinical rotations, Thomas Jefferson University emphasized teaching professionalism and that helped her tremendously as she prepared to enter the workforce.
Urology was a rotation she’d completed at Thomas Jefferson University, and it was a specialty she really liked. She expresses gratitude to the university for the education she received, both clinically and beyond medical knowledge. She admits it was a challenging program, but learning to rise to meet challenges is an essential part of becoming a physician assistant.
From the Lehigh Valley to East Falls and back
After graduating from Thomas Jefferson University’s East Falls campus, Wilby remained open-minded about where she might find her first position as a physician assistant.
“I considered all my options, knowing I was just starting and needed to gain experience. Finding where I’m at now is the result of so many stars aligning at the right time,” she says. “At LVHN, I found an opening in urology with a surgical specialty at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Muhlenberg.”
In highly innovative fields like urology, where procedures and technologies are rapidly evolving, the partnership between LVHN and Jefferson Health helps ensure they remain at the forefront of advancements and continue to deliver exceptional care.
Improving access, convenience, and clinician relationships
Most importantly, Wilby is excited about the benefits to people seeking care.
She notes that the combined Jefferson Health and LVHN systems will increase access to care and specialists across Philadelphia, Lehigh Valley, and Northeastern Pennsylvania. Delivering high-quality and cost-effective care and managing the health of these communities remains fundamental to the mission.
“Additionally, the merger allows people to build strong relationships among clinicians in the same network,” she says. “I’m grateful to Thomas Jefferson University for the education I received and to LVHN for giving me my first professional position.”
Wilby’s philosophy of care: listen first
Wilby describes her philosophy of care as one that prioritizes listening to her patient’s concerns and working with them to create a personalized treatment plan. Outside of work, she is a member of St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church. She enjoys traveling, reading, tennis, and yoga.
“I chose to enter medicine because it offers the unique opportunity to combine lifelong learning with the ability to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives,” she says. “There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing a patient leave feeling better and more confident in their health than when they arrived. The ability to help others live healthier, fuller lives is what motivates my work in this field.”
About Jefferson
Jefferson is reimagining health care and higher education to create unparalleled value. Jefferson is more than 65,000 people strong, dedicated to providing the highest-quality, compassionate clinical care for patients, making our communities healthier and stronger, preparing tomorrow’s professional leaders for 21st-century careers, and creating new knowledge through basic/programmatic, clinical, and applied research.
Thomas Jefferson University, home of Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Jefferson College of Nursing, and the Kanbar College of Design, Engineering & Commerce, today comprises 10 colleges and three schools offering 200-plus undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 8,300 students.
Jefferson Health, nationally ranked as one of the country’s top 15 not-for-profit healthcare systems and the largest provider in the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley areas, serves patients through millions of encounters each year at 32 hospitals and more than 700 outpatient and urgent care locations throughout the region.
Jefferson Health Plans is a not-for-profit managed healthcare organization providing a broad range of health coverage options in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for more than 35 years.
