Rowan-Virtua SOM student named Pisacano Leadership Foundation Scholar

Maduka Gunasinghe, a fourth-year medical student at Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine, has been named a 2025 Scholar by the Pisacano Leadership Foundation, the leadership development arm of the American Board of Family Medicine. Gunasinghe is one of only ten medical students nationwide selected for the highly competitive honor, which recognizes future leaders in family medicine for academic excellence, leadership, communication skills, service, and dedication to high-quality patient care.

The Pisacano Scholarship, valued at up to $28,000, is awarded annually to a select group of outstanding U.S. medical students who plan to pursue careers in family medicine. In addition to financial support, the program provides leadership training and educational opportunities designed to prepare physicians to lead at the community, institutional, and national levels.

“This recognition speaks directly to the mission of Rowan–Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine, which is centered on service, leadership, and improving access to high-quality care,” said Josh Coren, vice dean of SOM Clinical Affairs and medical director. “Maduka’s commitment to family medicine and to caring for underserved communities reflects the values we strive to instill in our students, and we are incredibly proud to see him recognized at the national level.”

The Pisacano Leadership Foundation was established in 1990 by the American Board of Family Medicine in honor of Nicholas J. Pisacano, MD, the board’s founder and first executive director. Dr. Pisacano was instrumental in advancing family medicine as a recognized medical specialty, a movement that culminated in 1969 when the American Board of Family Medicine became the sole certifying body for family physicians in the United States.

Gunasinghe’s path to medicine has been shaped by experiences across continents and communities. He spent his early childhood in Sri Lanka, where limited access to health care during the country’s civil war influenced everyday health decisions. After immigrating to the United States at the age of 9, his family lived in urban New York, rural Oklahoma, and later Rochester, New York, experiences that exposed him to health care disparities across a wide range of geographic and socioeconomic settings.

He earned his undergraduate degree in biomedical sciences, summa cum laude, from Rochester Institute of Technology, where he received the Bruce R. James Distinguished Public Service Award, the university’s highest public service honor, and was selected as a commencement speaker for his graduating class.

At Rowan-Virtua SOM, Gunasinghe has been recognized for his leadership, scholarship, and commitment to humanistic care. He was selected as the 2026 student recipient of the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award, honoring his compassion, professionalism, cultural humility, and commitment to equity. His institutional leadership includes serving as a student representative on the Curriculum Committee, where he advocated for student voices, promoted transparency, and worked with faculty to advance a more supportive and equitable learning environment. He also completed community-focused service through the Area Health Education Centers Program, leading a gestational diabetes project aimed at improving health literacy and reducing cultural and language barriers, and conducted research at the Rowan Integrated Special Needs Center examining psychosocial strain among caregivers of patients with autism spectrum disorder.

Looking ahead, Gunasinghe plans to practice continuity-focused family medicine in medically underserved communities as a National Health Service Corps Scholar, where long-term relationships and dependable follow-up can meaningfully change patients’ lives. He envisions primary care teams that are accessible, trusted, and safe, and that deliver high-value, patient-centered care shaped by both patients’ lived experiences and the thoughtful use of quality metrics to drive improvement. Through mentorship and leadership, he hopes to help cultivate a generation of physicians committed to expanding access, strengthening systems, and ensuring primary care remains a foundation for healthier communities, in keeping with the missions of the Pisacano Leadership Foundation and SOM.