Training Program: Geriatrics Track

Rollin Wright, MD, MA
Director, Geriatrics Track

• Why geriatrics?
  • The 65 and older crowd consumes more health care than any other age group.
  • Clinicians in almost every medicine subspecialty and health care setting take care of older adults every day.
  • The presentation, management and pathophysiology of disease often differ significantly in older adults.
  • And, today’s primary care physicians and subspecialists need to be better prepared to anticipate and manage their complex needs.

The Geriatrics Track provides future subspecialists and generalists with a unique opportunity to enhance their internal medicine training with skill sets and expertise they cannot get anywhere else in the residency program and to position themselves at the cutting edge of health care delivery to a burgeoning older population. Furthermore, the University of Pittsburgh’s Division of Geriatric Medicine is recognized nationally as a leader in geriatrics research and provides residents with a variety of mentoring and research opportunities.

• What makes this track different?


"The Geriatrics Track is what drew me to this residency program.... We take on patients that the other tracks don't; about half are in nursing homes, while the other half are in home care. We follow these patients during our second and third years of residency, and it's sort of like getting to be their PCP. We get to see the full progress of their health, get to know their families, and engage in the discussion of end-of-life issues."

Sing Tsai, MD
Geriatrics Track

The geriatrics track is one of only three such programs in the country. Unique to this program is clinical training that provides more competency and experience in the care of older adults. Through elective time which provides in-depth geriatrics experiences, residents will have the opportunity to rotate through multidisciplinary subspecialty clinics dedicated to the evaluation and management of common geriatric syndromes:

• urinary incontinence
• falls and mobility problems
• mood and cognition disorders
• physical medicine and acute rehabilitation
• hospice and palliative care
• geriatric musculoskeletal and chronic pain management

This close-knit group meets weekly for noon conferences that cover a 2-year core curriculum. The curriculum covers a variety of often board-relevant topics ranging from anemia in geriatric patients to driving while elderly, and from Long Term Care 101 to Name that Dementia. The geriatrics track resident will become familiar and comfortable with care of the older adult across the spectrum of clinical settings, from home-based primary care to acute care of the elderly in the hospital (ACE), from acute care to subacute care in rehabilitation settings, and from primary care and geriatric consultation in an outpatient office to long term care in nursing homes, dementia units, and programs for the all-inclusive care of the elderly (PACE). Geriatrics track residents share a panel of patients that provides continuity experiences in long-term care and home care in years 2 and 3 of their training. Finally, to fulfill the residency’s scholarly experience requirement, residents complete a project in an area of interest related to aging. They receive strong, individualized mentorship throughout the process, with the goal of presenting their work at a national meeting.

• What do graduates do?

Graduates from this program are encouraged to apply to subspecialty fellowships, geriatrics fellowships, or combined fellowships. There is a tremendous need across subspecialties for trainees who have background and experience with unique aspects of the care of older adults. Past graduates have moved on to subspecialty fellowships in geriatrics, hematology/oncology, and palliative care. Some have used the track to gain needed skills and experience for careers in hospitalist and primary care medicine. Others have pursued master’s degrees in public health and policy with the goal of helping to shape health care policy. And still others have used the experience to enhance their expertise in clinician education


• The Department offers several positions in the Geriatrics Track each year. Additional information on this track may be obtained by contacting Dr. Rollin Wright. Please visit our How to Apply page for more information about general application procedures.

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