Educators and Students

Fellows

University of Pittsburgh Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program
University of Pittsburgh Geriatric Clinical Psychiatry Fellowships
University of Pittsburgh Geriatric Clinical Research Psychiatry Fellowship
UPMC St. Margaret Family Medicine Geriatric Fellowship
John A. Hartford Foundation Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine Fellowship
John A. Hartford Foundation Center of Excellence in Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship

Designated by the John A. Hartford Foundation as a National Center of Excellence in Geriatrics, the University of Pittsburgh offers fellowship training in geriatric medicine and geriatric psychiatry.

University of Pittsburgh Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program

Director	Debra K. Weiner, MD
Associate Director	Elizabeth A. O’Keefe, BM, BCh

Program Highlights Overview and Philosophy Clinical Training Education and Educator Training Research and Research Training Faculty Program Description Didactic Teaching/ Conferences and Interdisciplinary Rounds Clinician Educator Training Clinician Investigator Training Stipend Eligibility Applications Living in Pittsburgh Contact Information	Tour the University of Pittsburgh Visit Pittsburgh

Program Highlights

One-year (clinician), two-year (clinician-educator) and three-year (clinician-investigator) training offered by the Division of Geriatric Medicine Master’s level training in education, research or biomedical informatics (in two- and three- year programs) Faculty includes nearly 30 fellowship-trained geriatricians, most with an MPH and/or additional subspecialty training The University of Pittsburgh has > $220 million in research funding for aging - highest in the US One of the top-ranked medical facilities and medical schools in the country (NIH “Top 10” and U.S. News & World Report’s “Top 15”) Located in Allegheny County, a region with one of the highest proportion of older adults in the country. Fellows live and work in Pittsburgh, a city that is routinely included among the most livable in the country and a major center for research, education, recreation, and the arts

Overview and Philosophy

Designed to train tomorrow’s leaders, the first year provides a comprehensive experience that encompasses the full spectrum of care, from prevention to end-of-life. In addition to teaching state of the art care, however, mentors challenge our fellows to examine the basis of such care and to think creatively about ways in which it might be improved. A second (and possible third) optional year is designed for those interested in pursuing a career in academic geriatric medicine, either as a clinician-investigator or as a clinician-educator. The fellowship is fully accredited through the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and is based at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Upon completion of the program, fellows are eligible for the American Board of Internal Medicine’s Added Qualification in Geriatric Medicine. The program is characterized by many other special features:

Clinical Training

Provided by nearly 30 academic geriatricians trained at an array of premier programs Many are dually trained in geriatrics as well as another subspecialty. This allows them to provide geriatrically-appropriate consultation in areas such as falls and mobility, chronic pain, osteoporosis, dementia, depression, incontinence, and palliative care. Care is delivered by our geriatric faculty across a vertically-integrated system that includes every relevant setting, from ambulatory and acute (including our own hospitalist service) to subacute and long-term, including institutional, PACE, and home. Multiple integrated sites of care: nonprofit, for-profit, VA, faith-based, and non-affiliated Training is based at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, which is annually ranked by US News and World Report as among the nation’s best hospital systems and its best health plans

Education and Educator Training

Division faculty have received local and national teaching awards as well as grants to support the development of innovative educational programs Option to earn a masters degree in either medical education or clinical research Outstanding mentorship through the use of experienced mentors and mentor teams An array of teaching modalities, a learner-centered focus, and opportunities to learn by mentored teaching Second year fellowship training available for those wishing to pursue a clinician-educator career path through the university’s Clinical Educator Training Program

Research and Research Training

Advanced two and three year research fellowship available for those wishing to pursue a clinician-investigator career path through the division’s NIH-funded T32 award, Hartford Center of Excellence or its new VA Special Fellowship training program. Certificate and Masters degrees in Clinical Research with a Concentration in Aging Research through the university’s Clinical Research Training Program Ranging from molecules to societies, the University has one of the nation’s largest and most diverse portfolios of aging research Faculty conducts aging research in nearly every relevant area and in nearly all of the university’s 16 schools. They also collaborate with colleagues at adjacent Carnegie Mellon University and RAND-Pittsburgh. More than a dozen centers of excellence in aging-related research and training, including a “Pepper Center,” a VA GRECC, a Cancer and Aging Center, an Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) and a Late Life Mood Disorders Center.

Faculty

The division's faculty comprises about 30 fellowship-trained geriatricians who participate in training and education. The University faculty includes more than three dozen senior, NIH-funded investigators with projects in virtually every aspect of aging. Faculty, Division of Geriatric Medicine

Program Description

The fellowship offers three tracks: clinician, clinician-educator and clinician-investigator. All three tracks involve extensive exposure to all levels of care in the first year with an emphasis on developing skills in the evaluation and management of the geriatric population

First Year – primarily clinical

Longitudinal experiences
Ambulatory medicine (continuity clinic) – 1 half-day per week Long-term care – 1 half-day per week Home-based care – quarterly visits following initial intensive rotation
Required monthly rotations
Geriatric psychiatry Rehabilitation medicine Palliative care Neurology Inpatient Hospitalist and Consultative Service Geriatric Evaluation and Management Clinic (GEM) Older Adult Pain Management Program Wound Care Ear, Voice, and Swallowing Disorders
Clinical Electives
2 months, according to fellow’s individual interests

First Year Curriculum

Training Sites

UPMC Presbyterian Part of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, UPMC Presbyterian is a large, medical school-affiliated tertiary care center located in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. Fellows spend two 1-month rotations on the inpatient geriatric medicine hospitalist service, where they are responsible for coordinating care with the house staff teams and interacting directly with patients and their families. They will also spend time on the inpatient geriatric consultative service. Teaching, both informal and didactic, of the residents and students is an expected component of these experiences. Fellows also spend a month with the inpatient palliative care consultative service at this center UPMC Senior Care-Benedum Geriatric Center UPMC Senior Care-Benedum Geriatric Center, located at UPMC Montefiore, part of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, is a multidisciplinary ambulatory clinic designed to meet the diverse needs of the older adult population. It provides for primary and consultative medical care, psychiatric care, and social assessment for frail older adults living in the surrounding communities. Specialty clinics--which are directed by geriatricians with relevant advanced training--include continence, mobility and falls, depression, and cognitive evaluation. Fellows have a one half-day per week clinic session either at Benedum or UPMC Senior Care-Shadyside (see below) in which they provide longitudinal and consultative care under the supervision of the faculty. UPMC Shadyside Part of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, UPMC Shadyside is a community-based tertiary care center, located 1.5 miles from UPMC Presbyterian. Fellows spend several weeks on the inpatient geriatric medicine hospitalist and consultative service, where they are responsible for coordinating care with the house staff teams and interacting directly with patients and their families. Teaching, both informal and didactic, of the residents and students is an expected component of this experience. They also have the opportunity to interact with geriatric psychiatry fellows. In addition, the wound care rotation and part of the Neurology rotation is based at this hospital.. UPMC Senior Care-Shadyside Located at UPMC Shadyside, UPMC Senior Care-Shadyside is a multidisciplinary ambulatory clinic designed to meet the diverse needs of the older adult population. It provides for primary and consultative medical care, psychiatric care, and social assessment for frail older adults living in the surrounding communities. Fellows have a one half-day per week clinic session in which they provide longitudinal and consultative care under the supervision of the faculty. Veterans Affairs Hospital, University Drive The Veterans Affairs Hospital, University Drive is the site of the VA Pittsburgh Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Care Center (GRECC). This multidisciplinary collaboration of clinicians, educators, and researchers serves as a focus of geriatric care within the VA setting. The Geriatric Evaluation and Management Clinic (GEM) is based here. Fellows typically spend four to five sessions in the GEM clinic and assume the role as leader in this interdisciplinary team. In addition, fellows spend one month in the neurology clinics here and have the opportunity to be involved with teaching on the inpatient service. H. J. Heinz III VA Progressive Care Center H. J. Heinz III VA Progressive Care Center is a sub-acute and long-term care Veterans Affair Hospital. The Home-Based Primary Care service, which provides comprehensive, interdisciplinary care to home-bound veterans, is based here. Each fellow has a panel of veterans for whom they provide primary care in the home environment. They spend one day every other week making home visits and attending the weekly multidisciplinary team meeting. Fellows also have the opportunity to spend time on the palliative care service here. Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic is part of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Fellows typically spend one month on the inpatient geriatric psychiatry program at the hospital. This program provides comprehensive evaluation and short-term hospitalization for older adults with a range of mental health problems associated with aging. Under the supervision of a geriatric psychiatrist, fellows participate in ward rounds and patient-focused conferences, and work closely with geriatric psychiatry fellows. Long-Term Care Long-term care experiences are available at multiple sites in the Pittsburgh area, including Canterbury Place, Asbury Heights, and Charles Morris Nursing and Rehabilitation Facility. Fellows assume the role of primary care provider for a panel of patients at one of these facilities under the supervision of one of the long-term care specialists in the division. UPMC Pain Medicine The Older Adult Pain Management Program, housed at UPMC Pain Medicine at Centre Commons in Shadyside, provides consultative care and interdisciplinary rehabilitation to older adults with a wide range of chronic pain problems (e.g., low back pain, fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, postherpetic neuralgia, inflammatory arthritides. Fellows will spend two half-days per week during their month long rotation, during which they will participate in an interdisciplinary team of health professionals who work to reduce pain, improve functional status, and enhance physical and mental well-being of older adults living with persistent pain. UPMC South Side – Rehabilitation Unit UPMC South Side, part of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, is a full-service community hospital located a few miles from UPMC Presbyterian. There is a major rehabilitation facility based here where the fellows gain experience in rehabilitation medicine.

Didactic Teaching/Conferences and Interdisciplinary Rounds

Geriatric Medicine core lecture series Division of Geriatric Medicine weekly conference (Journal club, case presentation, Geriatric Grand Rounds) VA conference series (interdisciplinary clinical case conference, topic conference) Department of Medicine Grand Rounds Critical appraisal of the literature Monthly Fellowship meetings Interdisciplinary geriatric medicine-geriatric psychiatry nursing home rounds Interdisciplinary home care rounds “Stump the professor” teaching rounds

Clinician Educator Training (not available to J-1 visa holders)

In the second year, fellows opting for the clinician-educator track will enroll in the Clinical Educator Training Program that leads to a master's degree through a combination of advanced degree coursework and the completion of a thesis. While all fellows will have the opportunity to hone their teaching skills, the clinician-educator path prepares fellows for a career centered in curriculum development, evaluation, and research in medical education.

Clinician Investigator Training

Fellows opting for the clinician-investigator track identify career goals during the clinical year and develop an individual training plan with the advice and support of one or more mentors. Many trainees enroll in the Clinical Research Training Program during their second year. After an intensive nine week summer session focused on fundamentals of research methods, each trainee pursues further didactic training, mentored research and participates in research seminars over two or more years. With support, the trainee is encouraged to develop grant writing skills and compete for multiple sources of pilot funding. Trainees are expected to present their work at local and national meetings and publish two or more first authored manuscripts. This training program is designed to prepare the candidate to be competitive for a research career grant from the NIH, VA or other sources of funding. Limited funding is available for applicants interested in clinician investigator training who are not US citizens or permanent residents.

Stipend

Fellows receive a base salary and benefits appropriate to level of training.

Eligibility

Physicians who have completed an ACGME-approved residency training program in internal medicine or family practice, are board certified or board eligible in one of these specialties, are eligible to obtain a license to practice medicine in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and are committed to a career in academic geriatric medicine are encouraged to apply.

Applications

Application to the University of Pittsburgh Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program is made through ERAS® — The Electronic Residency Application Service. ERAS® is a service that transmits residency applications, letters of recommendation, MSPEs, transcripts, and other supporting credentials from applicants and medical schools to fellowship, osteopathic internship and residency programs using the Internet. For additional information about the ERAS® Fellowship Application Process, click here.

Living in Pittsburgh

When you are not having fun training in geriatric medicine, you can be having fun living in a wonderful city. Pittsburgh is a major center for cultural, arts, and outdoor activities, as well as for historical sites, all of which are easily accessible and affordable. Not surprisingly, Pittsburgh was recently named America’s “Most Livable City” by the Rand-McNally Places Rated Almanac, America’s “Best Arts City” by American Style magazine, and America’s #1 “Urban Adventure Town” by National Geographic Traveler magazine.

Contact Information

For further information, please contact Serena Holliday, Education Coordinator, at: hollidays@dom.pitt.edu

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