Support

Physician stipends will be based on years of previously completed ACGME accredited residency training and index rates approved at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Associated Health Fellow stipend rates will be determined by Office of Academic Affairs, depending on the discipline and previous education of the trainee.

Eligibility Requirements

Physician fellows must 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 other subspecialty. Special Fellows are expected to be board certified in their primary specialty and board eligible in their subspecialty by the time of VA Special Fellow appointment and to meet credentialing and privileging requirements to qualify as a licensed independent practitioner.

Associated Health fellows must have graduated from an accredited clinical doctoral program including all required residency or internship experiences. 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). Fellows must also have completed one year of post-doctoral clinical training in the discipline, preferably, but not exclusively, in geriatrics.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. International medical graduates must have required Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduate (ECFMG) documentation.

Program Description

The goal of the Special Fellowship Program in Advanced Geriatrics (SFPAG) is to develop outstanding academic and/or healthcare systems leaders with vision and knowledge in geriatrics who are committed to leading the discipline in the 21st century.

To accomplish this goal, the VA Palo Alto Health Care System Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) is offering a post-residency, two-year advanced geriatric Fellowship. This is a fellowship sponsored by the Office of Academic Affiliations and is offered at eight VA GRECCs across the country. The Fellowship supports post-residency training in geriatrics for a select group of outstanding geriatricians, geriatric psychiatrists, and doctoral level associated health professionals with similar training in geriatrics. This fellowship will provide outstanding opportunities in geriatric research training, interdisciplinary education, and advanced clinical and program administration-learning opportunities.

Program Collaboration and Resources

The close affiliation, collaboration, and proximity between the VA Palo Alto Health Care System and Stanford University and its medical school provide for a strong academic environment rich in aging-related health services research and basic research opportunities. Both the VA and Stanford have multiple nationally recognized programs in geriatrics with access to a team of experts with broad research experience. Research resources and training are available through the Sierra-Pacific Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), the VA Center for Health Care Evaluation (CHCE), Quality Enhancement Research Initiatives (QUERI), the VA Health Economic Resource Center (HERC), the Cooperative Studies Program Coordinating Center (CSPCC), the Stanford Center for Health Policy (CHP) and Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research (PCOR), the Stanford-UCSF Evidence-Based Practice Center (EPC), the Stanford Center for Demography and Economics of Health and Aging (CDEHA), the Stanford Center on Advancing Decision Making in Aging (CADMA), the Stanford Department of Health Research and Policy (HRP) and the Stanford Medical Informatics (SMI) program.

Fellowship Activities

Fellows will complete two years in a personalized and specially integrated curriculum spending at least 75% of their time in research, education and career development. Our training philosophy emphasizes the importance of competence in research methods and geriatrics, and our programs and faculty encourage mastery of such skills. Fellows are expected to develop a scientific research project, publish research results in a peer reviewed journal, present at a national meeting, and participate in grant writing. All fellows will have oral and written presentation opportunities with feedback from faculty to enhance presentation abilities and lead to the publication and dissemination of research results. Collaborative efforts will provide opportunities for productive mentoring relationships leading to the integration and effective dissemination of relevant knowledge and the enhancement of specialized learning.

While the SFPAG fellowship focuses on research, education and leadership development, fellows spend up to 25% of their time engaged in clinical work with older adults. They will serve on multi-disciplinary health care teams which will allow for further development of their geriatrics knowledge and clinical skills.

Curriculum

Our curriculum includes components that will be provided to all SFPAG fellows and components to be customized to the needs and interests of each fellow.

1. A supervised research experience with specific research mentor(s).
2. Training opportunities in basic research, health services research, research methods, educational and evaluative design, and project management.
3. Clinical activities selected to maintain and enhance clinical skills in geriatrics, to enhance opportunities for clinical work to inform research, and to build familiarity with VA clinical organizational structures.
4. An orientation to VA and to content areas of significant interest to VHA including quality improvement methods, leadership skills, and patient safety.

Address all materials and queries to:

Terri Huh: terri.huh@va.gov

Applicants may also contact Dr. Mary Goldstein with further inquiries and questions about the program:

For more information, visit the VA SFPAG webpage.