MSH Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship | Icahn School of Medicine

RESIDENCIES & FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS

Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship at The Mount Sinai Hospital

The Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is a one-year program designed to train leaders in the evaluation, diagnosis, and longitudinal treatment of geriatric patients with a range of psychiatric problems. As the elderly population continues to grow, there is an increasing need for psychiatrists with expertise in the particular mental health needs of older adults.

Our health system is a world leader in integrated clinical care, education, and research focused on the needs of older adults. During this fellowship, we will prepare you to evaluate, diagnose, and longitudinally treat geriatric patients with a range of psychiatric problems across a diverse range of clinical settings. As such, the fellowship provides our trainees with essential clinical experiences caring for older adults with anxiety disorders, depression, psychosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementias, post-stroke neuropsychiatric conditions, and more. Our one-year Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited fellowship program trains future leaders in the field of Geriatric Psychiatry, positioning our graduating fellows at the forefront of the subspecialty.

You will learn under renowned faculty as you care for patients, teach, develop academic interests, and collaborate with colleagues across the Mount Sinai Health System. Our fellows graduate from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai with advanced knowledge and skills, including:

Phenomenology of psychiatric illness in older adults and how it differs from younger patients
Expertise in geriatric psychopharmacology
Psychosocial aspects of aging including adaptation to retirement, loss, physical illness, loneliness and alienation, and societal ageism
Clinical application of neuropsychological assessments
Immersion in the geriatric psychiatry literature with evidence-based clinical application
Teaching and team leadership skills
Design and implementation of clinical research
Prioritizing the principles of inclusivity in the care of geriatric patients

About the Fellowship

Fellows receive direct clinical supervision from attending physicians on every new case they see. In addition, there are formal meetings for ongoing supervision at each site, as well as multiple chances for informal teaching and supervision throughout the week.

Fellows are given protected time to attend weekly lectures designed for advanced psychiatry fellows. This engaging lecture series covers core topics in geriatric psychiatry, professionalism, humanism, psychotherapy, research, leadership, and career-planning from a wide range of faculty experts. Fellows are also encouraged to attend weekly departmental Grand Rounds and the conferences and seminars given in the Deane Center and the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.

Weekly conferences include outpatient and inpatient interdisciplinary treatment rounds and meetings with the program director. Fellows participate in regular journal club meetings that focus on emerging research in geriatric psychiatry.

During clinical rotations, our fellows’ time is divided into two six-month segments: the first is at The Mount Sinai Hospital and the second is at the James J. Peters Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Throughout the clinical rotations, teaching and mentoring medical students and residents is an expectation.

Fellows have the opportunity to enroll in clinical electives at both sites. Popular elective choices include movement disorders, integrated cognitive health, interventional psychiatry, homeless elder outreach, palliative care, and home visits.

The Mount Sinai Hospital

During your first six months, you will divide your time between the Outpatient Geriatric Psychiatry Clinic, the Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) Service, and the Inpatient Geriatric Psychiatry Unit.

Outpatient Geriatric Psychiatry Clinic: This clinic is home to a multidisciplinary team of dedicated professionals who provide comprehensive neuropsychiatric assessments, psychopharmacology, individual and group therapy, ECT, and patient and caregiver support groups.
Electroconvulsive Therapy Service (ECT): Mount Sinai is one of only a few hospitals in New York City that offers a full range of outpatient ECT. Referrals for ECT evaluation are provided on both an outpatient and inpatient basis. Our team of psychiatrists, anesthesiologists, and psychiatric nurses provides state-of-the-art care for patients with severe mood and psychotic disorders.
Inpatient Geriatric Psychiatry Unit: This 22-bed unit provides care for older patients suffering from neuropsychiatric illness that requires intensive evaluation and treatment. Our attending geriatric psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, and rehabilitation therapists provide comprehensive neuropsychiatric and medical evaluations, and develop the most effective treatment plan for each patient. The inpatient care we provide includes psychopharmacotherapy, individual and group psychotherapy, ECT, and after-care planning.

James J. Peters Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center

The James J. Peters VA Medical Center (JJP VAMC) is a Mount Sinai teaching affiliate and serves U.S. veterans in New York City and surrounding suburbs. JJP VAMC is home to a national center for Alzheimer's disease, a spinal cord injury center; and a specialty PTSD program. Our fellows spend six months in the outpatient geriatric psychiatry clinic and provide geriatric psychiatry consults to the onsite nursing home. During this time, fellows also have the opportunity to work in the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center assessing research subjects.

To be considered for this fellowship, you must have completed (or be on track to complete) an ACGME-accredited or Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada residency in general psychiatry. We evaluate applicants and offer positions on a rolling basis.

To apply, please submit the following materials to Corbett Schimming, MD, at corbett.schimming@mssm.edu: