Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program

Overview

Our purpose is to train the next generation of geriatricians that can understand the physical, psychological, social, and environmental needs of the aging person. Our trainees become proficient in providing older adults with the best possible care as they transition through various care settings.

The one-year clinical fellowship program focuses on the care of adults aged 65 years and older. Fellows become proficient in caring for patients in the ambulatory, acute, sub-acute, and home settings. Fellows also become skillful at collaborating with an interdisciplinary team of other physicians, nurses, social workers, therapists, and geriatric case managers. Our goal is to ensure our trainees graduate as top-tier clinicians, teachers, clinical innovators, and researchers.

Candidates interested in pursuing an academic career and additional training in geriatric research or medical education are eligible to apply to the Second Year Geriatric Medicine Fellowship program through our affiliation with the Veterans Affairs’ Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Centers (GRECCs). This second year provides additional training under the guidance of expert faculty from the VA Boston Division of the New England GRECC and Harvard Medical School. Geriatrics fellows may apply during their clinical fellowship year.  Find additional information on the VA's GRECC advanced fellowship here.

Alternatively, fellows can pursue a T32 Research Fellowship through the Center for Aging and Serious Illness’s Bridge-The-Gap National Institute on Aging at Mass General Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine. This two-year research fellowship follows the year of clinical training and is directed toward physicians (MD, DO, or equivalent) who wish to prepare themselves for an academic research career focused on improving the lives of older patients and those with complex illnesses. The goal of this fellowship is to train early investigators prepared to move these fields forward through the conduct of highest-quality research. A separate application is required.

For additional information, please contact our program coordinator.

Requirements

Requirements to apply for our ACGME-accredited Geriatric Medicine Fellowship include:

• Applicants must have completed residency in Internal Medicine or Family Medicine successfully and in good standing prior to the start of their fellowship.
• Applicants must be ABIM or ABFM board-certified or board-eligible.
• Applicants must have completed and passed all three USLME steps prior to the start of the fellowship.
• Applicants with H-1B or J-1 visa are accepted; a valid ECFMG certificate for all foreign medical graduates is required.
• The accepted applicant must obtain a full or limited Massachusetts Physician license.

Curriculum

Clinical Experiences

Fellows will learn to expertly care for complex older patients across the continuum of care supervised by Geriatric Medicine faculty from Mass General and affiliated sites.

Block Rotations (4 weeks each)

13 Blocks (Each block = 4 weeks):

• 2 blocks of Geriatric Inpatient Fracture Service (GIFTS) and Inpatient Geriatric Consults at MGH
• 1 block of Interdisciplinary Ambulatory Care at the MGH Geriatric Medicine Clinic
• 1 block of Palliative Care (including inpatient and home-based experiences) at MGH
• 1 block of Specialty Clinics (including Urogynecology, Urology, and Movement Disorders) at MGH
• 1 block of Geriatric Psychiatry at Salem Hospital's Epstein Center for Behavioral Health
• 1 block of Dementia Care Collaborative (including Memory Care Initiative and Caregiver Support Program) at MGH
• 1 block of PACE (Program for All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) at East Boston Neighborhood Health Center
• 1 block of Short-Term Rehabilitation at Spaulding Brighton
• 1 block of Geriatric Evaluation and Management (GEM) Unit at VA Bedford
• 1 block of Community Living Center (CLC) at VA Brockton
• 2 blocks of “Velective” (2 weeks of vacation, 2 weeks of elective)

Longitudinal Rotations (throughout the academic year)

• Weekly continuity primary care at the MGH Geriatric Medicine Clinic
• Monthly outpatient geriatrics consults at MGH Geriatric Medicine Clinic
• Monthly Nursing Home Long-Term Panel
• Quarterly Home Visits

Didactics

The fellowship’s didactic curriculum is designed using a competency-based framework to teach the Curricular Milestones for Graduating Geriatric Fellows proposed by the American Geriatric Society.

Didactic Activities

Weekly activities include:

• Geriatric didactic sessions

  • Geriatric Bootcamp (2 hours on each Friday of July-August)
  • Core Topics in Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology (1 hour on each Friday of September-June)

• Division of Palliative Care and Geriatrics Grand Rounds (1 hour on each Wednesday September-June)

• Department of Medicine Grand Rounds (1 hour on each Thursday September-June)

Fellows also participate in:

• Quarterly Journal Clubs.

• Weekly Complex Case Discussions.

• Bi-weekly Discussions on Health Care Ecosystems.

• Quarterly seminars on:

  • Quality Improvement
  • Clinical Teaching
  • Communication

• Developing poster/abstract to submit at national or local meetings.

• Developing, implementing, evaluating, and presenting a quality improvement project.

• Preparing a presentation under faculty mentoring to give at the Division’s & VAMC Grand Rounds at the end of the academic year.

• Patient-facing education: fellows can prepare a presentation under faculty mentoring to give to a lay audience at the Geriatric Medicine Virtual Town Halland at the MGH Continuum Project’s Prepare For Your Care events.

• Fellows can attend Harvard Medical School’s Annual Review of Geriatric Medicine.

Additional Educational and Professional Development Resources for Our Fellows

• Harvard Medical School Countway Library
• Mass General Treadwell Library
• Mentoring and career advising opportunities within the Mass General Brigham community
• Massachusetts Medical Society membership
• American Geriatric Society (AGS) membership 6 months prior and during the fellowship year including reimbursement for attending the annual AGS conference
• Online access to the AGS Geriatric Review Syllabus (GRS) board certification study guides'
• Online access to the AGS CoCare: Ortho® Educational curriculum

Research Experience

In 2019, Christine Ritchie, MD, MSPH joined the team as the inaugural Minaker Chair in Geriatrics and Director of Research for the Division of Palliative Care and Geriatrics. An expert in advanced illness and multimorbidity, Dr. Ritchie brings a wealth of clinical and research experience to the Division and the Department of Medicine at Mass General. She also established a Center for Aging and Serious Illness (CASI) in the Mongan Institute. The Center is designed to bring together researchers across Mass General who will focus on improving the well-being of older adults and enhancing the lived experience of those with advanced illnesses applying methods from intervention, implementation, population health, and health policy research. The Center partners with Mongan Institute investigators and researchers across Mass General, and the Boston community as a whole, to find innovative solutions to health-related challenges that an increasing number of older adults will face in the years to come.

During the fellowship, there will be various opportunities to get involved in research projects depending on interest. Fellows can discuss interests with the program director and CASI faculty who will help identify feasibility, resources, and mentoring.

There are many different areas in which fellows can get involved with research projects, including:

• Geriatric Oncology
• Ortho-Geriatrics
• Geriatric Cardiology
• Dementia
• Geri-ED

How to Apply

The Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program at Massachusetts General Hospital will be processing applications through the Electronic Residency Application (ERAS) Fellowships system. Only applicants who have completed a 3-year residency in Internal Medicine or Family Medicine at an ACGME-accredited residency program will be considered.

We offer two fellowship positions each academic year through the National Matching Program (NRMP®)

Please submit the following application materials via the ERAS portal:

• Curriculum vitae.
• A personal statement describing the applicant's interest in and commitment to a career in geriatric medicine.
• Three or four letters of recommendation, one of which should be from the applicant's Department Head, Program Director, or Division Chief.
• USMLE transcript.

Timeline

• June-July: Applications are accepted via ERAS®.
• August: Program leadership reviews applications and sends out interview invitations.
• September 1: Application deadline, after which applications will no longer be reviewed. All interview spots are usually filled by this date.
• September – October: Interviews are conducted on Fridays via live video-conferencing. Applicants will meet with our program leadership, faculty, and current fellows. Without exception, no candidates will be interviewed in person.
• Early December: Match results are released. For more information about the Match process, please visit the NRMP® website.

Fellowships and Faculty Contacts

Deborah Lee, MD
Director, Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program

Matthew Russell, MD
Interim Section Chief, Geriatric Medicine

Elizabeth Lindenberger, MD
Interim Division Chief, Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine

Christine Ritchie, MD, MSPH
Director of Research, Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine
Director, Mongan Institute Center for Aging and Serious Illness at Massachusetts General Hospital

Esteban Franco Garcia, MD, AGSF
Medical Director, Geriatric Inpatient Fracture Service (GIFTS)
Quality and Safety Director, Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine

Warren Backman, MBBS

Sevdenur Cizginer, MD, MPH

Julia Gallagher, MD

Kathryn Hanley, MD

Masaya Higuchi, MD, MPH, AGSF

Chuck Pu, MD