Program Overview
Individualized Training in Multiple Clinical Sites
The UNC Fellowship in Geriatric Medicine has been training fellows in the care of older adults since 1988. Our fellows have pursued careers in academics, research, and clinical practice in a variety of settings, and many have gone on to combine their geriatrics training with additional subspecialty training, such as Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Cardiology, Nephrology, and Oncology.
The UNC Fellowship in Geriatric Medicine is tailored to the goals of each fellow, and can be structured to last from one to three years, depending on the career interests of the fellow. In addition, Internal Medicine residents who wish to pursue a research-based career in Geriatric Medicine may decide to follow the research pathway of fellowship training as outlined by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Applications for additional training years are submitted to the division chief and program director in the winter of year one of training.
Year One
The first year of training is the core clinical year of training. In addition to caring for a continuity panel of patients at UNC Geriatrics Clinic at Eastowne and at one of two local continuing care retirement communities, fellows rotate through a variety of clinical settings, including the inpatient service at UNC Hillsborough, PACE, Inpatient Hospice, subacute rehabilitation, and a variety of outpatient subspecialty clinics. The first year of training also includes year-long training in quality improvement through a mentored QI project. Fellows receive didactics on core geriatrics topics weekly as well, in addition to sessions on wellness and medical education.
Year Two
The second year of fellowship training is for fellows interested in building skills as clinical investigators, clinician educators, or administrators. The second year is personalized to the interests of the fellow: time can be allocated to a research or quality improvement project, projects in medical education, or training in medical directorship. Fellows spend their remaining time continuing independent clinical work at UNC Geriatrics outpatient clinic and CCRCs.
Year Three
The third year of fellowship training generally allows for more in-depth qualitative, quantitative, or health policy research pursuits, and many fellows have used the three-year fellowship to earn a Masters in Public Health from the Gillings School of Public Health or a Masters in Clinical Research. Fellows spend their remaining time continuing their clinical work at UNC Geriatrics clinic and at CCRCs.