NEPA Vital Signs - Summer Fall 2019 - 17

SUMMER/FALL 2019

hen helping patients adopt
healthier behavior, what's more
effective-telling, or showing? In
2005, Cardiologist David Sabgir, MD, realized
the former wasn't effective in getting his
patients to exercise, so he tried a different
approach: inviting them to walk with him.
That first invitation proved immensely
successful. As the walks continued a new program, "Walk with a Doc" (WWAD), was born.
WWAD is now a global movement with over
500 chapters worldwide. Each chapter is based
on the same foundation, encouraging health
care professionals to regularly walk alongside
the patients and communities they care for.
When I first heard about WWAD, I thought
it would be an excellent way to contribute to
the quality of life of the region. The program
is excellent in its simplicity and sustainability. It has a positive impact on participants'
physical, mental, and social wellbeing. And,
importantly, it forges a personal connection
outside the office setting between the medical and wider communities. All of these
aspects make for a promising initiative for
promoting preventive health and improving
the lives of many. For Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, it supports our
mission to enact collaborative outreach
efforts with the community in our quest to
build a healthier region. As Co-President of
our school's Family Medicine Interest Group,
I felt WWAD and its emphasis on preventive
health and provider-patient relationships
was an especially appropriate initiative to
set into action. So our group and other individuals who came on board started our own
school-based chapter, termed "Walk with a
Future Doc," the first in all of Lackawanna
and Luzerne Counties.
Why walking? Walking is a safe and
accessible form of exercise that has benefits such as stress reduction, weight loss,
and musculoskeletal strengthening. These
factors-especially stress reduction-are
important not only for patients, but also for
health professionals. Zoya Effendi, MD, a thirdyear Chief Resident within The Wright Center
for Graduate Medical Education's Internal
Medicine Residency, shares, "How physicians
deal with stress affects their performance.
Resident wellness has recently been a topic
that has gained popularity in the community."

She adds that walking is one of many ways
resident wellness can be achieved. A recent
study published in the Annals of Behavioral
Medicine shows that doctors and students
who walked and did other easy-to-moderate
exercise regularly had lower stress levels than
those who did not, and studies in Japan reveal
even greater effects when walking in a park
or forest. "Walking does boost our mood and
overall moral, and it sharpens our brains,"
Dr. Effendi says. "I encourage residents and
physicians to take out some time from our
lives and connect with nature."

Our new Walk with a Future Doc chapter is a partnership between Geisinger
Commonwealth School of Medicine and
The Wright Center for Graduate Medical
Education. Students and faculty from the
medical school and The Wright Center
for Graduate Medical Education's residencies will be leading monthly walks on
the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail, or
at Scranton's Backcourt Hoops in case of
inclement weather. WWAD is a completely
free, family-friendly program; people of any
income level, age, ability, or fitness are all

Doctors and students who walked and
did other easy-to-moderate exercise
regularly had lower stress levels
than those who did not, and studies
in Japan reveal even greater effects
when walking in a park or forest.
WWAD also provides the companionship of walking (or rolling, for those using
wheels) with others who share a goal of
improving their health. This adds an extra
layer of encouragement for individuals to
keep up the habit or even take it beyond the
walks. WWAD also includes an educational
component. Before each walk, a medical student or health professional delivers a short
talk about a health topic of their choosing.
During the walks themselves, community
members have the opportunity to ask the
health professionals any questions they
might have-all in a casual setting while
doing an activity together as equals. Community members get to learn more, and the
doctors participating may in turn gain new
patients. The supportive environment gives
everyone a chance to take better charge of
their minds and bodies.
N E PA

VITAL SIGNS

welcome to join in. The first walk will be
hosted in April.
For more information, and to see how you
can get involved with this program, email
cstrauch@som.geisinger.edu or mcgrathb@
thewrightcenter.org.

CECILIA STRAUCH is a medical
student at Geisinger Commonwealth
School of Medicine.

DR. ZOYA EFFENDI is a third-year
Chief Resident within The Wright Center
for Graduate Medical Education's
Internal Medicine Residency.

NEPA Vital Signs - Summer Fall 2019

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