Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine

Fellows: Geriatric Medicine Fellowship

UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY  Loan Repayment Program For Fellows in Geriatric Medicine at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center:  During the period of fellowship, the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine will pay its geriatrics fellows an amount equal to their monthly student loan payments, up to a maximum of $1,000 per month. Refer to FAQs for more details about this program.

Geriatric Medicine Fellowship

The Geriatric Medicine Fellowship is a one-year program which integrates outstanding, nationally recognized academic and clinical resources. Up to four fellows are accepted each year into the comprehensive program. The fellowship is designed for physicians completing training in Internal Medicine or Family Practice. Training occurs in all settings appropriate for a practicing geriatrician, including inpatient geriatrics and palliative care services at New York Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH), the award-winning Center on Aging, our geriatrics house call program, and a sub-acute and long-term care facility, and an acute care palliative hospital. In addition, residents and interns have the opportunity to work with experts in elder care in an inpatient setting by participating in the Acute Care for Elders (ACE) program, which is our teaching unit for geriatrics. The primary goal of the fellowship program is to train future clinical and academic leaders in geriatric medicine.

Rotations 

Clinical training occurs in all settings appropriate for a practicing geriatrician including: acute hospital, long-term care, patients' homes, hospice, continuing care communities, and ambulatory care practice. During the fellowship, fellows spend an ample amount of time in an acute hospital and long-term care setting. Continuity outpatient and house call sessions continue throughout the one-year of fellowship. Formal didactic experiences include a core curriculum in geriatrics, journal club, fellows' conferences, research seminars, grand rounds (medical and geriatrics) and clinical conferences.

Fellows rotate through the following institutions and sites:

  • NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Geriatrics Consultation Service
  • NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Palliative Care Consultation Service
  • NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Acute Care for Elders Unit
  • Center on Aging
  • The EGL Charitable Foundation Medical House Call Program in Memory of Clara Elizabeth Scheuermann
  • Mary Manning Walsh
  • Calvary Hospital

Sample Block Diagram – Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program

Subject

Duration

Orientation

1 week

Inpatient consult service

12-14 weeks

Palliative care

6-8 weeks

Psychiatry

2 weeks

ACE Unit Teaching Fellow

2 weeks

Long-term care (Amsterdam)

4 weeks

Rehabilitation

3 weeks

Ambulatory

3-4 weeks

Neurology

3 weeks

Hospice (Calvary)

2 weeks

Conference/Boards

2 weeks

Independent Study

2 weeks

Vacation

4 weeks

Research

Fellows have the opportunity to participate in the variety of quality improvement and clinical research initiatives underway within the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine. Individual fellows' research interests are matched with the array of mentors available within the Division and Department to help support the fellows. Fellows also have the opportunity to submit their clinical or research work to national conferences.

Teaching

Fellows are provided ample opportunities to fine-tune their teaching skills via lectures and supervision of medical trainees at all levels in addition to experiences in community health education. Fellows develop an academic portfolio of scholarly activities including core curriculum lectures, case conferences, journal clubs, and quality improvement projects. Formal didactic experiences for fellows include a core curriculum in geriatrics and palliative medicine, journal clubs, psychosocial conferences, research seminars, Medicine and Geriatrics grand rounds and inter-professional clinical case presentations.

Fellows

Kyaw Linn, MD

Kyaw Linn, MD

Medical School: Trinity College Dublin School of Medicine

Residency: The Brooklyn Hospital Center

2022-2024 Integrated Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine Fellow

William McDonald, MD

William McDonald, MD 

Medical School: Emory University School of Medicine

Residency: Yale Primary Care

2022-2023 Geriatric Medicine Fellow

Austin Armstrong, MD

Austin Armstrong, MD

Medical School: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine

Residency: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

2022-2023 Geriatric Medicine Fellow

William Marrero Ortiz, MD

William Marrero Ortiz, MD

Medical School: University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine

Residency: University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine

2022-2023 Geriatric Medicine Fellow

Jeffries

E. Mason Jeffries, MD

Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine

Residency: UNC Hospitals

2022-2023 Geriatric Medicine Fellow

We offer a comprehensive one-year fellowship program in Geriatric Medicine that integrates outstanding, nationally recognized academic and clinical resources. Our program seeks to train exceptional and caring physicians to become future leaders in geriatric medicine. It is designed for physicians completing training in Internal Medicine or Family Practice who have completed their residency in the United States.

Clinical training experiences are offered at the Center on Aging, a state of the art community-based primary care facility; the Amsterdam House, our outstanding academic long-term care affiliated institution with excellent rehabilitation services; and the EGL House Call Program, providing primary care for home-bound older adults. We also offer training experiences in a wide array of geriatric inpatient services - the Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) inpatient unit, the Geriatric Medicine Consult Service and the Palliative Care Consultation Service. In addition, fellowship training includes a strong emphasis on geriatric mental health throughout all fellowship venues.

Fellows benefit from the opportunity to work closely with nationally renowned researchers and clinical specialists in fields of interest to geriatrics. The fellowship focuses on the importance of the multi-disciplinary team with strong interdisciplinary relationships with nurse practitioners, social workers, physicians' assistants, physical therapists, and other health care providers to ensure a complete training experience in geriatric medicine.

Our Geriatrics Medicine Fellowship program participates in the fellowship match through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). However, specialty matches conducted by the NRMP do not provide centralized services for the application process. Geriatrics Medicine fellowship programs participate in the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). ERAS, a service developed by the AAMC, transmits application materials via the Internet to programs in residency and selected fellowship specialties. Candidates must apply to the Geriatric Medicine Fellowship of their choice using ERAS. Program directors review candidates' credentials and, if interested, invite them for interviews. Applicants also are responsible for ensuring that they meet all program prerequisites and institutional policies regarding eligibility for appointment to a fellowship position prior to ranking a program through the NRMP. Please submit a completed application using the ERAS system.

A complete fellowship application includes:

  • All required fields in ERAS
  • Photograph
  • Personal statement
  • 3 letters of recommendation
  • Curriculum Vitae

The selection of fellows from the pool of eligible applicants will be made on the basis of preparedness, ability, aptitude, credentials, communications skills and personal qualities such as motivation and integrity. If a personal interview is desired, you will be notified by electronic mail or phone. Interviews will be held August through December.

Licensure/Immigration Requirements
All fellows must maintain appropriate immigration status at all times. Non-U.S. citizens should contact the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates for application of H1B, O, and Greencard sponsorship. New York Presbyterian Hospital does not currently sponsor H1B visa holders.

*Non-U.S. citizens ONLY may work with a Limited Permit to practice medicine in New York State. Information and an application for a Limited Permit can be found at the New York State Education Department Web Site.

If you have any questions about the training program or the application process, please contact Brittney Parillon, MPH, Fellowship Coordinator, at (212) 746-3539 or via email at bcp4001@med.cornell.edu.

Karin Ouchida, MD
Program Director, Geriatric Medicine Fellowship

Sonal Mehta, MD
Associate Program Director, Geriatric Medicine Fellowship

Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell Medicine New York, NY