Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC)
VA Fellowship in Advanced Geriatrics
Vision Statement
Improving healthcare through advanced training of emerging interprofessional leaders
Mission Statement
VA Fellowship in Advanced Geriatrics aligns closely with Veterans Health Administration (VHA) initiatives to meet the current and emerging needs of Veterans. To aid in attaining the VHA’s mission to provide “exceptional health care,” the VA Fellowship in Advanced Geriatrics broadly targets training in health care education, advanced clinical practice, research, and policy initiatives that improve the health and well-being of our Nation’s Veterans.
Program
The VA Fellowship in Advanced Geriatrics Program offers post-residency, post-doctoral, and post-masters fellowships to physicians, dentists and associated health professions – including but not limited to nurses, psychologists, social workers and pharmacists. Although most Advanced Geriatric Fellowship programs target clinical professions, several programs offer training for non-clinical health care professions.
The fellowship provides unique preparation for future leaders in health care by providing hands-on mentored educational experiences to develop skills in specific clinical areas and more broadly for health care system and health care education system transformation through policy, system redesign and research. Through creative partnerships, use of new technology and innovative educational modalities, this fellowship promotes and fosters the highest standards of leadership, intellectual integrity, research and patient care.
At its core, the program seeks to provide robust educational opportunities for the next cohort of health care leaders and change agents who will continue VHA’s efforts to provide exceptional health care to Veterans.
Eligibility
Have completed an ACGME- or ECCOPT-accredited physician residency program. Physicians whose initial certification is in Internal Medicine, Family Medicine or Psychiatry must also have completed an accredited subspecialty residency in Geriatrics or another subspecialty. Special Fellows are expected to be board certified in their primary specialty and board eligible in their subspecialty by the time of VA Fellowship in Advanced Geriatrics appointment and to meet credentialing and privileging requirements to qualify as a licensed independent practitioner.
- Are not enrolled simultaneously in another accredited physician residency program.
- Have an active, full and unrestricted license to practice in the U.S.
- Are ABMS or ECCOPT- recognized board certified or eligible with demonstration of active pursuit of board certification. Physicians whose initial certification is in Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, or Psychiatry must also be sub-specialty board certified or eligible, with demonstration of active pursuit of sub-specialty board certification.
- Have required Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduate (ECFMG) documentation.
- Citizens of countries other than the United States must possess appropriate visa to participate in this program. U.S. citizens shall receive preference.
- Demonstrate special interest in geriatrics.
- Demonstrate likelihood for embarking on a geriatrics-related career that will be of service to U.S. Veterans receiving care from the VA.
Postdoctoral associated health fellows must meet the following criteria:
- Have graduated from an accredited clinical doctoral program including all required residency or internship experiences that prepare them for eligibility for VA employment. This includes clinical disciplines such as nursing, dentistry, optometry, psychology, podiatry, pharmacy or audiology/speech pathology. Psychology fellows must have completed an accredited doctoral program, including an internship program accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA).
- Have completed one year of post-doctoral clinical training in the discipline, preferably but not exclusively in geriatrics.
- Are not enrolled simultaneously in another accredited post-doctoral program in an associated health discipline.
- Be a U.S. citizen.
- Demonstrate special interest in geriatrics.
- Demonstrate likelihood for embarking on a geriatrics-related career that will be of service to U.S. Veterans receiving care from the VA.
To Learn More and Apply
For more information or to apply for a VA Fellowship in Advanced Geriatrics, click here: https://www.va.gov/oaa/advancedfellowships/advanced-fellowships.asp or to search for job openings in GRECCs, click here: https://www.usajobs.gov
Recent Fellows
These testimonials provide insights into the breadth and depth of fellowship opportunities as well as their many career-strengthening benefits. Indeed, eight of these nine former fellows work for VA:
Eugenia “Mili” Boozer, PsyD, Neuropsychology – Little Rock GRECC
My favorite part of fellowship was the opportunity to work as part of an interdisciplinary team. I was able to contribute my skills in clinical neuropsychology and learn from the perspectives of other disciplines to use a more holistic approach to dementia diagnosis and treatment. I also enjoyed opportunities to teach others about various aspects of neuropsychology. I would recommend this fellowship to anyone seeking a well-rounded experience. They will further their knowledge in clinical skills and research through excellent mentorship. There is a clear emphasis on training and education.
Jacob J. Capin, PT, DPT, PhD, MS, Rehabilitation – Eastern Colorado GRECC
I loved working with an outstanding, interdisciplinary team of healthcare providers and researchers dedicated to improving rehabilitation, aging, and health in older adults including Veterans. There is abundant opportunity to connect with clinicians and scientists approaching research on aging from multidisciplinary and complementary perspectives.
Khalid M. Dousa, MD, Medicine – Cleveland GRECC
I appreciated the opportunity to learn and provide care to the elderly Veteran population. I was impressed with the quality of the fellowship instructional program and considered it a privilege to be a member of the dedicated team. This fellowship enabled me to explore potential novel therapies for bacterial infection. Because of the protected time and support, we were able to advance the project and obtain amazing data. This fellowship has given me the independence I needed to start my research career. I am humbled by the support I received.
Mariu Duggan, MD, MPH, Medicine – Tennessee Valley GRECC
The flexibility of the fellowship allowed me to build a foundation in analytic skills and research methodology and explore many areas of research that affect older adults. The flexibility also allowed me to develop myself through close interaction with strong mentors. The fellowship provides a toolkit to make a greater impact on the care of older adults. It provided a breadth of experiences in research, quality improvement, and education that expanded the opportunities available to me and has allowed me to make contributions in clinical medicine, research, improving health systems, and curriculum development.
Jeffrey P. Johnson, Ph.D., M.S., CCC-SLP, Speech-Language Pathology – Pittsburgh GRECC
I received invaluable research and grant-writing mentorship from several experts in my field, which was instrumental in my successful acquisition of a VA Career Development Award. The fellowship provides advanced training in clinical research outside of traditional academic settings, a rare opportunity in my field and one that I welcomed given my interests and career goals.
Ariela R. Orkaby, MD MPH, Medicine – New England GRECC
After completing residency and fellowship training, the 2.5 years that I spent as a Fellow provided me the opportunity to think deeply about the research questions I was interested in pursuing and offered critical mentorship at a very vulnerable time in my career. The protected time allowed me to work on both completing manuscripts and publishing, as well as learn how to effectively write grants. I most enjoyed the close mentoring that the fellowship offered, which has been invaluable to my career. I believe that the program is best suited to those who are looking for a mentored experience to kickstart their career in aging research. It is not easy to go this path alone, and the mentorship and resources offered in this fellowship are unparalleled.
Dana M. Otzel, PhD, ATC, LAT, Rehabilitation – Gainesville GRECC
I thoroughly enjoyed working with leading scientists Drs. Stephen Borst and Kenneth Heilman, both GRECC researchers. Dr. Borst, now retired, served as my primary mentor on my Career Development Award projects. These experiences led to productive collaborations with Drs. Joshua Yarrow and David Clark. For non-clinician researchers the fellowship offers protected research time to develop proposals – in my case, this led to funded projects and several publications.
