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The Alumni of the Year award is presented yearly to alumni who recently have made a significant contribution through service in their community, profession, family or church. Recipients are selected from nominations made by LM alumni, Alumni Association, faculty, board of directors and other friends of LM.
JARED NISSLEY, MD '03
Recipient of the 2024-25 LM Alumnus of the Year Award, JARED NISSLEY, MD ‘03, is a physician with Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health in Family Medicine. He is a graduate of Eastern University, the Penn State College of Medicine, and the Lancaster General Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program.
He has come to love family medicine because of how it is oriented toward helping patients achieve overall health. Dr. Nissley’s medical interests include HIV care, addiction, and improving health care access for the uninsured and underinsured. He shares, “most of all, I appreciate the privilege of being part of peoples’ lives during some of their most joyful and difficult moments.”
He also is an instructor in the family medicine residency program, and finds that to be an exciting and stimulating place to work alongside bright and inspiring minds.
Street Medicine
He worked collaboratively with family medicine residents the past few years to launch a street medicine practice. What started as volunteer work a few times a month has grown into something Jared and his team of 3 (includes a nurse practitioner and nurse) do 2-3 days a week. “As it became clear the need was much bigger, it became a formal program and a larger part of my job over the past year. That means seeing folks and taking services to parks, day centers, community meals and soup kitchens, and shelters. We try to provide a consistent presence where people can expect us and they can get physical or mental health support.”
Caring like Christ
Jared went to college for biology, but it wasn’t until after college, during a year of service with Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM) in the West Bank, Israel, that Jared started thinking about how to integrate his interests in science and caring for others into career where he could focus on the whole person as a family physician.
“LM was a very important part of my journey,” related Jared Nissley ’03. “I learned that God cares about our spiritual wellness and also our wellness as human beings. I also learned that Jesus wants his followers to work toward a world that reflects the values of his kingdom.”
“I eventually chose a career as a family doctor because I thought it was a way to live out those values.” Jared wanted to be a loving presence for people in difficult circumstances. “Family medicine as a discipline advocates for the most vulnerable members of society, which I find especially Christ-like.”
He credits LM with writing skills that have served him well in college and as a doctor. “Looking back it seems that almost every year I had a teacher that helped me to be a better writer,” Jared said. “I took some demanding college courses, but those teachers who challenged me certainly helped me succeed.”
Some of the teachers I remember most fondly would be Mr. Dietzel, who I had for English and as a Millstream (student newspaper) advisor. Jared shares, “He was the first one who really critiqued my work, and pushed me to excellence. The same was true for Mrs. Wenger, and the U.S. history course I took with her.”
Friendships & Broader Perspective
“More important than anything I learned at LM were the friendships I developed there. The classmates that I met at Kraybill and LMH remain my closest and most trusted friends. The friends I found were the reason I looked forward to school each day.”
Another thing he really appreciated about LM, was to be able to, “see the world from a broader view than just my speck of Lancaster County. That set me on a lifelong learning journey, helping me to appreciate that the world is bigger than my own views and how others experience the world. I think it was from chapel, spiritual input, courses, ethos of the faculty that had wide ranging experiences beyond Lancaster and emphasis service or knew others that looked different than them that they imparted with on us.”
Medicine has provided opportunities for Jared to meet people from diverse cultures and backgrounds, both abroad and in Lancaster County, as he works with a diverse population. “I would say that the joy I found in learning about other cultures back in high school is something I still value today,” Jared said.
Lifelong Learning
“When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with my wife, Bethany, and our kids, watching baseball, and reading. I try to reach 40-50 books a year.”
His kids keep him curious. He shared, “My son is 6 and is very into the outdoors/natural world, so he is pushing me to learn things about the natural world. He wants to fish, hunt, and bird watch, so I am re-learning old hobbies and getting to learn some new ones.”
In addition, the residency students he teaches also push him to keep learning, “I can’t hide behind a topic I don’t know about, so I have to be on my toes to keep learning. I enjoy that about my work. I have also developed a willingness to say ‘I don’t know’, and then try to figure it out together.”
He thinks it’s important that being a lifelong learner is embedded in the LM curriculum, because “We are in a rapidly changing world. The biggest skills that are needed are responding to ideas, quickly assessing the solution, and then thinking creatively about solving problems. Things I learned about in physics, chemistry, and history have been helpful in having the ability to take different ideas, develop your thoughts, and discuss them with colleagues. Those are skills that I use on a daily basis. The world will look different in 10 years, so you have to be able to engage and do so in a moral way and reflect God’s values.”
Join Us to Honor & Celebrate
This year, our Alumni of the Year presentation will be held during our World Changers Gala to recognize Jared Nissley and honor the life of Frank Albrecht, the other alumni of the year. Come celebrate LM and show your support for our young world changers. To learn more about the event and register for the Gala click the link below.
