First Year of Training

During the first year, fellows interested in an academic career will devote greater than 50% of their time learning research skills and methodology, and will develop a research project under the guidance of full-time faculty in the Division. Fellows learn research skills in metabolic, exercise physiology, nutrition, cardiovascular, and rehabilitation biomedical and clinical research in gerontology under the guidance of a mentor. Fellows work directly with faculty mentors in a research curriculum that provides basic training in laboratory techniques and research assays, biotechnology and biochemistry, the principles of exercise and cardiovascular physiology, nutrition, the biology of aging, and the regulation of metabolism and the sympathetic nervous system. All fellows receive direct clinical experiences under faculty guidance in the Geriatric Evaluation and Management Unit, consultation service, Subacute Unit, and in the Geriatric Continuity of Care Clinic, where they develop a patient population for a longitudinal clinical experience in the care of the elderly.

Fellows seeking primarily clinical training in geriatrics have clinical rotations on the Geriatric Evaluation and Management Unit, inpatient consultation service, and long-term care in the Nursing Home, Baltimore VA RECC, and Hospital Based Home Care Program during the first year. All fellows are in the Geriatrics Continuity of Care Clinic one day a week where they learn geriatric assessment, evaluation and treatment, and long-term management. There is training in clinical research methodology and fellows are encouraged to initiate and take electives. In all clinical programs, fellows work with an interdisciplinary team of nurses, social workers, pharmacists, psychologists, psychiatrists, rehabilitation therapists, and dietitians. The longitudinal experiences are continued during the second and third years; this allows fellows to learn clinical care and the management of older patients across multiple disciplines.

Second and Third Year of Training

In the second and third years of fellowship, trainees continue their ambulatory care training one day/week in the Geriatric Assessment Clinic, and follow a panel of patients at the Baltimore VA RECC. There is a rotation on the Geropsychiatry Service, and a second, more independent rotation on the acute inpatient consultation service. Fellows in the two-year program complete all clinical rotations in two years and also have time to complete a clinical research project and take additional electives in geriatric medicine. Fellows in the three-year training program receive their clinical training over the three year period to allow more time for advanced research training in gerontologic investigation which focuses on functional declines in metabolic and cardiovascular performance with aging, and the mechanisms for increased susceptibility to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The research focuses on the pathogenesis of potentially modifiable diseases whose pathophysiology can be altered by physical activity and dietary modification to reduce hyperlipidemia, obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. Research involves interdisciplinary collaborative investigation with gerontologists, endocrinologists, physiologists, exercise physiologists, cardiologists, neurologists, nurses, epidemiologists, dietitians, and psychologists. There is the opportunity to develop research skills in epidemiology and to conduct research with members in the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine. Individuals are encouraged to develop their own research projects with their mentor and embark on independent research in a focused area of gerontologic investigation with support from an interdisciplinary staff. All fellows are encouraged to submit abstracts during the second year of fellowship training in order to develop skills in writing and presenting data.

There is mentored clinical and research training, weekly divisional research conferences and journal clubs. Fellows receive longitudinal clinical training in the outpatient clinic and the long term care nursing home or rehabilitation facility. There is a rotation in geropsychiatry and opportunity for clinical and research electives in neurology, psychiatry, epidemiology, rehabilitation medicine, and participation in the clinical research programs in gerontology in the Schools of Pharmacy, Law, Social Work, Nursing, and Dentistry at UMAB.

In the third year, fellows interested in pursuing academic careers in gerontology learn to write individual research grants and clinical investigator awards. This will enable them to support their research during the early phases of their academic careers so they can develop biomedical skills and independence in the conduct of gerontological research. 

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