2023

Dr. Susan Medalie ’10 Finds Inspiration at Muhlenberg — Again

Returning to campus for the launch of “Boundless: The Campaign for Muhlenberg” encouraged Medalie to seek out a new opportunity.

By: Grace Oddo ’22  Thursday, June 15, 2023 11:21 AM

Dr. Susan Medalie ’10 with Director of the Leffell Center for Jewish Student Life Ira Blum ’10 at the launch of “Boundless: The Campaign for Muhlenberg” in November 2021. Photo by Kristi Morris

Sitting in her hotel room after the launch of Boundless: The Campaign for Muhlenberg in November 2021, Dr. Susan Medalie ’10 decided that it was time for a change. 

Several speakers at the launch shared how Muhlenberg inspired them to chase their dreams, land their dream jobs or change careers altogether: “Boundless. That’s one way to describe it,” said Linda Cenci ’75 P’06 at the launch. “Not feeling restricted or contained to one single path, major, area or location. That’s something that should feel very familiar to many Muhlenberg alumni here tonight.”  

Medalie, who studied neuroscience at Muhlenberg, felt that her time at Good Samaritan Hospital in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, was coming to an end — she just wasn’t sure where life was going to lead her next. 

“I really can’t stand change,” Medalie says. “I was comfortable where I was. But that entire weekend of Boundless taught me that there’s more out there for me.”

Medalie completed her residency and was subsequently hired at Good Samaritan in 2018, where she specialized in family medicine and obstetrics. As a faculty member, she also oversaw a cohort of medical students and residents, serving as their mentor and supervisor throughout their own medical school journeys. 

Serving others has always been important to Medalie. As an undergraduate, she was a member of Alpha Pi Omega, the community service fraternity on campus. As an alum, she joined the Young Alumni Council, Board of Associates, Career Services Committee and, most recently, the Alumni Board. She also mentors Muhlenberg students on the premed track. 

Medalie loved her job in Lebanon. She loved her patients. But, Medalie found herself getting restless: “Was this where I saw myself for the next five, 10, 20 years?” she remembers thinking.

After hearing so many inspirational stories from fellow alumni at the launch, Medalie found herself scrolling through Lehigh Valley Health Network job openings. Within minutes, she stumbled upon a brand-new LVHN branch in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, that was in need of a physician specializing in obstetrics. 

“I emailed the recruiter right away,” Medalie says.

Medalie has been in that position since May 2022. Located about an hour northwest of Allentown, Pottsville is a small, rural community where everyone knows each other, and Medalie wouldn’t have it any other way. No day in Pottsville is the same — some days she sees patients in her primary care practice, other days she spends delivering babies, other days are spent taking appointments at the OB-GYN office. 

“It's a much smaller program that is brand new in a community that has never had students or residents,” says Medalie. “So, we get to teach residents how to practice in a small community and build the program from the ground up.”

Given the small nature of the community, no visit to the grocery store or a local community event is complete without running into a patient — and their baby. 

“My favorite part about my job is watching families grow,” Medalie says. “It’s particularly special for families who previously struggled with infertility. Getting to be the person that helps them is so meaningful to me.”

When it was announced that Boundless would be raising its goal to $125 million at Muhlenberg’s 175th anniversary gala on April 28, Medalie was proudly sitting in the audience. “It’s just wonderful that the College was able to elevate the goal,” she says. “It shows how much the Muhlenberg community cares about the school and its future success.”