Education
The
Fellowship in GERIATRIC MEDICINE
The elderly are the fastestgrowing segment
of the `United States population. Nationally, our health
care system needs more leaders in geriatric medicine. To
help meet this need, the Division of Geriatric Medicine
at the University of Pennsylvania Health System offers a
fellowship designed to prepare physicians for careers in
academic geriatrics.
The Fellowship
in GERIATRIC MEDICINE
Geriatric medicine encompasses preventive,
acute, chronic, and long-term care of elderly patients.
The practice of geriatrics requires an understanding of
both the complexities of agerelated physiology and the interdisciplinary
skills requisite for high-quality care. This fellowship,
which combines clinical and research training, is designed
to prepare leaders in academic geriatrics. Structured experiences
in home care, inpatient consultation, geriatric primary
care, and long-term care take place at the Ralston-Penn
Center, the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Presbyterian
Medical Center, and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Fellows spend approximately 20 percent of
their time the first year and 80 percent of their time the
second year on research. Depending on funding, opportunities
exist for a third year focusing on research. Areas of research
include neuroimaging, metabolic bone disease, sleep disorders,
rehabilitation medicine, Alzheimer's disease, neuropsychiatric
disorders in patients with medical comorbidity, nutrition,
health services research, health policy, and pharmacoepidemiology.
The program can accommodate five new fellows
each year. Fellowship graduates are eligible to take the
ABIM/ABFP-sponsored exam for Added Qualifications in Geriatric
Medicine.
CORE ACTIVITIES
Clinical
Sites include the Veterans Affairs Medical
Center (VAMC), the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
(HUP), Presbyterian Medical Center (PMC), and the Ralston-Penn
Center.
The Ralston-Penn center was established in
1987 to house many of the aging-related activities of the
University of Pennsylvania Health System. Faculty from Geriatric
Medicine, Geriatric Psychiatry, and Gerontologica! Nursing
are all based there and conduct their practices on-site.
In addition, the Center now houses three interdisciplinary
clinical programs: The Ambulatory Geriatric Consultation
Service; the primary care practice in Geriatric Medicine
and the offices of the Truman G. Schnabel In-Home Primary
Care Program, which provides primary care for homebound
elderly.
Inpatient
Care and Consultation Services at the VAMC.
Fellows assist nurse practitioners and housestaff in the
management of primary care patients admitted to the acute
medicine service at the VAMC. Fellows also serve as geriatric
consultants in the hospital, offering geriatric assessment
services, teaching housestaff and students the principles
of geriatrics, and providing other basic inpatient medical
consultation services, such as preoperative evaluations
for elderly veterans.
Inpatient
Services at HUP and PMC
Fellows assist in the management of primary care patients
admitted to the acute medicine service at the Hospital of
the University of Pennsylvania. The Geriatrics Division
also provides consultation services to trauma, psychiatry,
rehabilitation, and orthopaedics.
At Presbyterian Medical Center, the Geriatrics
Division staffs the Acute Care of Elders Unit. Schools of
Medicine, Nursing, Business, Law, Social Work, Engineering,
and Arts and Sciences. The Institute offers Geriatric fellows
funding opportunities for research and access to research
projects and mentorship throughout the University.
The Penn Alzheimer's
Disease Center (ADC) is part of a national
network of 25 centers established throughout the country
by the National Institute of Aging (NIA) to foster understanding
and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The ADC coordinates
research in Alzheimer's disease at Penn by fostering interdisciplinary
activities, training scientists, funding pilot studies,
and recruiting patients. It also conducts educational programs
for students, health care professionals, and caregivers.
The Center of
Excellence on Minority Health, a federally
funded center that promotes research related to minority
health, offers mentorship for individuals from underrepresented
minority groups who wish to enter the health professions.
Apply
online
For More Information
Division of GeriatricMedicine
University of Pennsylvania Health System
Ralston Penn Center
3615 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-2676
Phone: 215-662-4413
Fax: 215-662-4438
