MCWAH Fellowship Program in Geriatrics

Welcome!

Are you interested in caring for older adults?
Do you see yourself in private practice?
Are you a person interested in home visits or nursing home care?
Is an academic career as an educator or researcher your goal?

The Geriatrics Fellowship Program at the Medical College of Wisconsin can get you there!

MCW Geriatrics Program Objectives and Structure
We train physicians in Family Medicine and Internal Medicine to work in the field of Geriatrics and Gerontology.  The population is aging, and the need for Geriatricians is great.  There are many opportunities for physicians to develop their careers in exciting ways that fit their interests!  We tailor our fellowship program to meet the educational and career needs of each physician.  We offer:

• One-year Geriatrics Fellowship
  This program focuses on developing excellence in the area of patient care and medical knowledge.  Research and educational opportunities 
  are available and encouraged, as well.

• Two-year Geriatrics Fellowship
  This program builds on the one year fellowship experience, adding in an emphasis in research and/or education.  This year is created for each individual fellow, according to his or her needs.  Some fellows choose to pursue an MPH or Master's in Epidemiology degree during this time, others have entered our MCW clinician-educator training.  Regardless, there are many opportunities to find your niche!
   
• Medicine-Geriatrics Combined Residency Program
  Our program is a leader in innovative geriatrics education.  We created the first Medicine-Geriatrics combined residency program in the nation.  This has been in place since 2000 and has had great success!  Based upon the model of Medicine-Pediatrics combined residency programs, our combined residency program trains accepts two residents yearly to continue in this four-year program.  These residents incorporate the two specialties together over the four year period.  As a result, there are up to 8 geriatrics trainees (in various years of training) at any given time.  We have a great group of residents and fellows who all work together!

Curriculum 
Patient Care Experience:
Our patient care experiences focus in broadening the scope and depth of your previous training in Family Medicine or Internal Medicine.
There is room for flexibility in rotations based on your needs.  
First year rotations generally include:

• Geriatric Evaluation and Management Unit (inpatient geriatric assessment and treatment/rehab unit at Zablocki VAMC)
• Geropsychiatry consultation rotation
• Home care and hospice home visits
• Palliative Care inpatient rotation
• Rehabilitation inpatient unit
• Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) consultation service
• Community Care for the Elderly (CCE) outpatient center (multidisciplinary outpatient and day center program) 

First year clinic /outpatient experiences include:

• Geriatrics primary care continuity clinic at the Zablocki VAMC
• Mind, mood, and memory clinic
• Geropsychiatry clinic
• Bone health and osteoporosis clinic
• Nursing home continuity experience
• Physical therapy, Occupational therapy, Driver's evaluation assessment, podiatry clinic, ophthalmology clinic, audiology clinic
• Week-long geriatrics assessment clinic/hospital care in collaboration with Geriatrics clinic in Belize (this rotation is overseen by an MCW faculty geriatrician and is optional, availability determined yearly).

We believe we all learn best when learning from each other!  Therefore, all clinical training is supervised by Medical College of Wisconsin faculty and integrates Internal Medicine housestaff and medical students whenever possible.  We work closely with many different disciplines to form effective interdisciplinary teams in patient care.

Core Curriculum Educational Experiences:
We present educational material in various formats.  This allows for various learning styles, and brings in much more interaction and fun!  Some ways we teach (and learn) include:

• Geriatrics Division Journal Club (weekly)
• Geriatrics Division Interest rounds to discuss challenging and interesting patient cases (weekly)
• Interdisciplinary Team rounds with social work, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, psychiatry, pharmacy, nutrition
• On-line mini-courses in various geriatrics topics
• Computerized standardized patient video clips with learning questions
• Participation in a regional telephone forum with other academic geriatrics fellowship programs to discuss interesting cases (monthly)
• Attendance at the Wisconsin Board Review Course and Update in Geriatric Medicine (hosted by our MCW faculty and those at UW Madison)
• Video DVDs covering geriatrics topics from the Wisconsin Board Review Course
• Small group sessions, individual one-to-one time with faculty and the program director
• Geriatrics Fellows' conference (weekly)
• Department of Medicine Grand Rounds (weekly)
• MCW combined fellowship conference (monthly)

 
Core Curriculum topics include:
Many educational topics are covered-- among them are:

• Overview of Geriatrics
• Diabetes in the Elderly
• Depression
• Urinary Incontinence
• Nursing Home Medicine
• Cardiovascular Changes Related to Aging
• Intro to Geriatric Dentistry
• Falls and Injury
• Geriatric Assessment
• Geriatric Health Care Teams
• Economics of Aging
• Infectious Disease in the Elderly
• Delirium
• Drug Therapy in the Elderly
• Dementia
• Metabolic Bone Disease
• Decubitus Ulcers
• Atypical Presentation of Cardiovascular Disease
   

Research Experiences
We offer frequent and wide exposure to research methodologies and opportunities based on the needs and interest of each fellow.  These research experiences include:

•  Geriatrics Research Seminar (monthly)--This seminar highlights ongoing research and scholarship by MCW faculty and guests on topics relevant to the field of Geriatrics.  It incorporates statistica6l analysis, study design, and research methodology.
• Research Methodology and Study Design-- This six week course is offered for all fellows at the Medical College of Wisconsin.  It meets weekly, incorporating curriculum focused on study design and statistical analysis.  This course is offered free through the Medical College of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
• Research topic/project conducted under the supervision of a Research Mentor, selected by the Fellow.  The research activities are tailored to the Fellow's interests and are structured to be able to be completed easily in the available time.
• Month-long research/education block-- a one-month period is set aside for each fellow to develop or continue with a research or educational project or quality improvement project.

 
Second-Year Research/Education Experiences
Interested in an academic career?  Focused training in research and education is offered to those wishing to develop careers as either researchers or clinician educators.  We use faculty throughout the Medical College to meet the goals of each fellow. Opportunities may include:

• MPH, Masters in Epidemiology-- If desired, fellows may continue their training with a research focus during a second year.  Fellows may enroll in course work for advanced degrees.
• Research fellowship--through MCW and UW Milwaukee.  This fellowship can be incorporated with clinical work to give fellows the knowledge they need to begin careers as successful researchers.
• Educational fellowship-- through MCW's educational services department and Dr. Deborah Simpson, Associate Dean of Educational Services.  This fellowship focuses on developing physicians to be teachers and educators.  Educational methods and design, evaluation, curriculum development are among curriculum topics.

Faculty
The faculty of the Fellowship Program in Geriatrics is composed of experienced graduate educators and researchers in the field of Geriatric Medicine.
Current faculty include: Click here to find out more information about faculty and their professional interests.

• Edmund Duthie, Jr., MD Professor of Medicine (Chief of Geriatrics)
• Edith Burns, MD Associate Professor of Medicine (Geriatrics)
• Mary Cohan, MD Assistant Professor of Medicine (Geriatrics)
• Kathryn Denson, MD Associate Professor of Medicine (Geriatrics) Program Director
• Steven Denson, MD Associate Professor of Medicine (Geriatrics)
• Paul Hankwitz, MD Associate Professor of Medicine (Geriatrics)
• Tracy Hoffman, MD Assistant Professor Family and Community Medicine (Geriatrics)
• Thomas Naughton, MD Associate Professor of Family and Community Medicine (Geriatrics)

Fellowship Director
Dr. Kathryn Denson, Associate Professor of Medicine (Geriatrics), is the Program Director of the Geriatrics Fellowship and the Medicine-Geriatrics Combined Residency Program.  She is the Medical Director of the Geriatric Evaluation and Management Unit at Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the Home-Based Primary Care Program at the Zablocki VA, and Horizon Hospice.  Dr. Denson is a graduate of St. Louis University School of Medicine.  She first joined the Medical College of Wisconsin in 1996 where she completed her residency training in Internal Medicine.  She completed her Geriatric Medicine Fellowship at the University of Washington and rejoined the Medical College of Wisconsin in August 2002.  She is board certified in Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine.  Her areas of interest include home and community care and palliative care.

Training Sites
Geriatricians practice in many settings, and your training will reflect that!  Fellows will train at various locations including:

• Medical College of Wisconsin-- the State's only freestanding, private medical school, located on the grounds of the Milwaukee County Regional Medical Center.
• Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital
• Milwaukee Zablocki Veteran Affairs Medical Center
• Clement Manor Nursing Home (focus on residential care)
• Care Age Nursing Home (focus on rehabilitative care)
• Community Memorial Medical Commons (clinics)
• Horizon Home Care and Hospice
• Patient home visits around the Milwaukee area  

Prerequisites
To qualify as a trainee, applicants must demonstrate:

• Completion of a course of study including an MD or DO degree;
• Completion of a graduate medical education program in Internal Medicine or Family Medicine
• Board eligibility to sit for the Internal Medicine/Family Medicine Board Exam

Academic Year
The course of study will run from July 1 through June 30.
Fellows may start on a different cycle, if this fits with the fellow's needs and those of the fellowship program.

Contract & Benefits Information
Fellowship stipends are fixed in accord with all other training programs at the Medical College of Wisconsin.  Please use the following link to access information about the terms, conditions and benefits of employment: http://www.mcw.edu/GME/BenefitsMainPage.htm   

Application Procedure
The ERAS System is generally the simplest way to apply.  However, you may certainly contact us by email or phone to see if there is a position available!

Fellowship Program Coordinator
Kelly Medina 
Fellowship Program Coordinator - Geriatrics
Department of Medicine - Educational Programs
Medical College of Wisconsin
9200 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53226
(414) 805-0437
kmedina@mcw.edu