Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship

The UNC Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship program is dedicated to training the next generation of geriatric psychiatrists to meet the needs of older adults in North Carolina with mental health and neurocognitive disorders. We aim to cultivate compassionate, culturally-competent, skilled, and empathetic clinicians to provide exceptional care to older adults. We focus on building capability in clinical care, teaching, research, advocacy, and leadership skills.

The UNC Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship program is a one-year, PGY-5, ACGME-approved training program.  We welcome applicants who have completed their four-year general psychiatry residency program and are interested in additional training in the care of older adults.  We are currently accepting one fellow per academic year.  Our fellowship is designed to train clinicians to become educators, leaders, and experts in the field by providing intensive, individualized, and extensive training.

Now accepting applications for the 2024-2025 academic year

Please contact Dr. Amy Abramowitz for additional information at amy_abramowitz@med.unc.edu

“I’ve always enjoyed spending time with older people – listening to their stories, learning from past triumphs and failures, and observing how they navigate challenges.  Through medical training, I always found myself wanting to spend more time with my older patients.  Even when there were changes in their personality and behavior that were painful for families, I saw how agitation and independent could improve with psychiatric intervention.

Becoming a geriatric psychiatrist was a natural choice.  Completing fellowship has allowed me to become part of dynamic field that is finding new ways to diagnose and treat neuropsychiatric conditions.  My work at UNC has focused on dementia, but I have had opportunities to work in different settings and to collaborate with the Departments of Neurology and Division of Geriatric Medicine.  There is a tremendous need for geriatric psychiatrists, which creates tremendous opportunity to teach, lead, and innovate.

Older adults often present with fascinating diagnostic challenges and because they provide an opportunity for a strong physician-patient relationship.  Older adults with mental illness are particularly vulnerable, and I find it to be extraordinarily gratifying to work with this population and advocate on their behalf.  It is a privilege to help people confront the changes that come with aging, partner with their families, and to be part of their journey during this new phase of life.” – Dr. Amy Abramowitz

“I chose to pursue geriatric psychiatry fellowship partly because of an inherent interest in interacting with older adults and pondering some of the specific issues they may face, and partly as a result of the exposure and mentorship I benefitted from as a resident at UNC. Reflecting back now, I realize that as a kid, I always found myself gravitating towards the older adults at family gatherings. I would ask them questions about their lives, ranging from how they had experienced wartime to matters as trivial as whether Kit-Kats were around when they were growing up – and manifold other curiosities. Later, in adolescence, I was confused but fascinated by witnessing some of my older relatives decline in their cognitive function and others seem to thrive and evolve more than ever.

Yet I didn’t consider specializing in a geriatric field until I came to UNC for psychiatry residency and had the opportunity to work with the department’s extraordinary faculty in treating older adults in our dedicated geropsych clinic and inpatient unit. I found gratification in helping to navigate issues like isolation, medical illness, cognitive impairment, and the end of life, while also sharing in the insights, achievements, and adaptability that I saw emerge in older age. Completing a fellowship in geriatric psychiatry rewarded me with a set of experiences, knowledge, and relationships that have allowed me to pursue a varied, meaningful career working with a population I enjoy immensely.“- Dr. Zachary Cohen