Since she was small, Dr. Maureen Dale always wanted to be a doctor. At age four, her physician father started teaching her to ‘read’ chest x-rays. Even though she considered other careers along the way, medicine has always been the frontrunner.
After completing both her undergraduate studies and medical school at the University of Virginia, Dr. Dale came to UNC-Chapel Hill. Here, she completed a Residency in Internal Medicine followed by a Fellowship in Geriatric Medicine.
Currently, She is an assistant clinical professor in the division of geriatric medicine. Dr. Dale is also the Director of the Geriatric Fellowship Program. For her, the most rewarding part of her work is building relationships with patients and their families. As she says, “I love getting the opportunity to hear about their lives from one visit to the next.”
When the Division of Geriatric Medicine moved the geriatric inpatient service to UNC Hillsborough in 2016, Dr. Dale played an integral role in that transition. She calls that a very gratifying achievement. “The service we created provides high-quality, patient-centered care. Our team continues to work together to find new ways to provide better care and improve our patients’ experiences.”
To facilitate better care for older adults, Dr. Dale constantly seeks to develop knowledge and skills in geriatric medicine. As a result, Dr. Dale received a Geriatrics Academic Career Award (GACA) from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in April 2023. This award will help her continue leading health care transformation to better serve older adults.
Although geriatricians play a very important role in the care of older adults with complex medical problems, geriatricians are currently in short supply. Dr. Dale hopes that this shortage will spur a greater focus on geriatrics in undergraduate medical education and more interest in geriatric medicine fellowships.
Learn more about the Geriatric Medicine Fellowship
Learn more about Geriatric Service and at UNC Hospitals Hillsborough