The Geriatric Psychiatry Clinical Fellowship, based at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry, is a one-year PGY5 program fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Our Division of Geriatric Psychiatry has a national reputation for clinical and educational expertise in late-life mental health, and an international reput
ation as a research leader in late-life mood and cognitive disorders. Fellows completing this program are eligible for the ABPN’s “Added Qualification in Geriatric Psychiatry.”
Philosophy of Fellowship Education:
Fellows are exposed to a complete spectrum of clinical and academic experiences in geriatric psychiatry, geriatrics, and gerontology. In addition to acquiring expertise in using pharmacotherapy and psychosocial interventions to treat older patients with late-life mental disorders, fellows gain experience in understanding the family and environmental systems in which older patients a part. Fellows, under the supervision of faculty, function as the team leaders in all settings with supervisory responsibility for residents, medical students, and professional members of the multidisciplinary treatment team. The importance of continuity of care and transitions of care among clinical settings is stressed. Fellows assess and treat patients in multiple settings (inpatient, outpatient, in-home, consultation-liaison, and nursing home) and gain experience with all modalities of treatment during fellowship. Fellows have the opportunity to work with dedicated mentors in developing research projects and scholarly activities such as quality improvement initiatives and preparation of publications and book chapters. The geriatric psychiatry fellowship is closely aligned with the geriatric medicine fellowship. Geriatric psychiatry fellows graduate from our program with high levels of knowledge about the management of geriatric medical conditions and the effects of these syndromes on psychiatric outcomes.
