Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship

The Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) one-year, ACGME-accredited Clinical Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship enables two psychiatrists each academic year to develop clinical geriatric psychiatry practice knowledge and skills, present and write scholarly papers and teach junior trainees.

We expect graduates of our program to become leaders in geriatric psychiatry. To this end, we offer intensive training in diverse clinical and investigative settings, an extensive curriculum of formal didactics, an administrative/leadership experience, expert faculty supervision, scholarly presentation, paper publication and experience educating psychiatry residents and medical students.

Strengths of the Program

• More than 35 years of clinical geriatric psychiatry fellowship experience
• Large, full-time faculty of board-certified geriatric psychiatrists with clinical expertise, training experience and National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-supported clinical research
• Instruction from WCM neurology, neuropsychology, psycho-oncology, psychosomatic medicine and psychiatric consultation-liaison faculty members
• Intensely staffed academic hospital service featuring a 22-bed inpatient geriatric psychiatry unit, clinical geriatric psychiatry research clinic, consultation-liaison service and geriatric nursing home consultation program with primary missions of training and research
• Diverse clinical patient population based in New York City and Westchester County, New York
• Strong relationships with both county- and state-sponsored community facilities and regulatory bodies

Rotations

Each rotation is led and supervised by clinical researchers with extensive clinical experience and strong publication records.

WCM Institute of Geriatric Psychiatry Unit

This service is located at the NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester Behavioral Health Center and consists of a 22-bed acute unit dedicated to the assessment and treatment of geriatric psychiatry inpatients. Fellows rotating in this unit receive supervision from two full-time, board-certified geriatric psychiatry faculty members.

NYP Westchester Division ElectroConvulsive Therapy (ECT) Service

Geriatric psychiatry fellows receive didactic and hands-on technical instruction to administer ECT under the direct supervision of a board-certified WCM geriatric psychiatry professor. This unique educational experience allows residents to treat their own patients with ECT. Fellows may also be credentialed to perform ECT independently once they meet ECT training requirements.

WCM Institute of Geriatric Psychiatry Specialized Outpatient Unit for Older Adults

This academic outpatient program with integrated clinical and research activity facilitates many of our NIMH-supported studies. Fellows treat a diverse group of geriatric outpatients and participate in clinical research studies, supervised by several full-time, board-certified geriatric psychiatrists.

Nursing Home

The WCM New York City Nursing Home provides care for long-term residents, as well as short- and long-term rehabilitation care, and features an adult day care center that serves community residents daily. Geriatric psychiatry fellows see patients collaboratively with a full-time, board-certified WCM geriatric psychiatry faculty member.

NYP Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center Consultation-Liaison Program

Geriatric psychiatry fellows provide consultation and liaison services for elderly patients on medical, surgical, physical medicinal and rehabilitative floors as well as in intensive care units and the emergency room. They are supervised by and receive didactics from full-time WCM consultation-liaison psychiatry faculty members board-certified in psychosomatic medicine. 

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) Psycho-Oncology/Palliative Care 

Geriatric psychiatry fellows develop skills in psycho-oncology/palliative care evaluation and the use of psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacologic approaches to treat geriatric patients in an acute cancer hospital setting. Fellows also provide consultation regarding special problems of geriatric cancer patients, including delirium, capacity assessment, bereavement, geriatric cancer pain management, drug intolerance and drug interactions. The supervising faculty consists of two full-time consultation-liaison psychiatrists experienced in psycho-oncology and palliative care, one of whom is board-certified in both geriatric psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine.

Weill Cornell Geriatric Medicine House Call Program

This rotation is part of a pioneering academic psychiatric outreach service for the homebound elderly, supported by private donations and grants. A multidisciplinary team provides comprehensive medical care for homebound, elderly residents of Manhattan's Upper East Side. Geriatric psychiatry fellows, geriatric medicine faculty members and residents see patients in their homes, gaining exposure to bidirectional clinical training. A full-time, board-certified geriatric psychiatrist provides supervision. 

Application

Important Dates

The WCM Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship Program utilizes a rolling admission policy in lieu of matching. Our one-year, clinical fellowship is offered from July 1 to June 30, with positions typically filled many months prior. In order to have the greatest chance of acceptance, candidates should submit their applications as early as possible, beginning 18 months prior to the beginning of the academic year for which they are applying.

Requirements

To be considered for our fellowship, applicants will have completed (or are on track of completing) an ACGME-accredited general psychiatry residency. Applicants must hold a NYS license or be eligible to apply for NYS license. Foreign nationals on a J1 Visa are welcome to apply (we are unable to support any visa other than a J1 visa).

Download and Complete Application

Complete applications include:

1. A completed  WCM Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship Application.
2. A one-two page essay discussing your interest in geriatric psychiatry, post-graduation career plans, and a current photograph
3. A curriculum vitae including academic honors, awards, publications, presentations, research interests and projects.
4. Three letters of recommendation, including physicians familiar with your clinical work - one of these letters should be from your training director, certifying completion of psychiatry residency training or indicating your current standing in residency training with an anticipated graduation date. Letters of recommendation should be mailed in sealed envelopes with recommenders' signatures written across the envelope flaps. Letters may also be mailed directly from recommenders to us.