Education - Fellowships
Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship
It is well known that our aging population is growing by leaps and bounds. In the very near future, there will be as many individuals age 80 as children age 5. When one considers that that age span of "older adults" is from 60 to 100 years, it is clear that addressing the diversity of needs across these quite different ages will be a challenge to the field of Geriatric Psychiatry. There is an ever-growing demand for geriatric psychiatrists to provide care for our older population and their families, to consult with our colleagues and affiliated professionals, and to teach, model, and mentor our medical students and residents.
The Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship at the University at Buffalo prepares the fellows to enjoy the fruits of their extended efforts in learning, competence, compassion, and academic excellence throughout their career paths. It has been thoughtfully designed so that fellows can gain knowledge and experience in a variety of elder settings. They also can gain experience with a variety of procedures and subspecialties that are of particular importance to the older populations, such as ECT and TMS, tele-psychiatry, addictions, palliative, end-of-life care (including hospice), ethical and forensic situations and others.
The fellowship also emphasizes the academic development of the fellow. In addition to the clinical experiences, our ACGME-accredited fellowship offers many scholarly options to fellows interested in furthering their academic careers. Fellows are provided with teaching opportunities, both for didactic and clinical education. For those who are interested in research, the fellowship can accommodate those with extensive experience in research, as well as those with less experience. Fellows are also able to participate in leadership activities including participation in students, resident and faculty meetings.
Each fellow's current and future career development is central to the department. After passing the American Board of Neurology and Psychiatry general exams and completing the Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship, the fellows are encouraged to take the ABPN Geriatric Psychiatry certification exam. Previous surveys have shown higher salaries for those who have completed the certification exam successfully. More recently the CMS has designated a special reimbursement code for services rendered by geriatric psychiatrists. The fellows are encouraged to make the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP) their professional home with ever-ready scientific advancements and unrelenting and inspiring efforts to advance the field, politically, collegially and scientifically. The department is also able to support attendance to the AAGP meetings for fellows who are presenting at the conference.
A fellowship in geriatric psychiatry has many rewards, whether a fellow enrolls immediately after completion of psychiatric residency or later during his/her career path. The commitment to lifelong learning, teaching and research of our dedicated, empathic, expert and diverse faculty is exemplary and the fellow will soon feel integrated in their midst.
Here at the University at Buffalo Department of Psychiatry, we continue to be pioneers in the development of elderly dedicated services and suitable environments, respectful of the unique needs of an older population. Fellows with a pioneering spirit for optimal medical-mental health care will be appreciated by older patients, their families and colleagues alike, and our fellowship is designed with this goal in mind.
Marion Zucker Goldstein, MD
Division and Program Director, Geriatric Psychiatry
Updated February 16, 2010