Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship
Our clinically oriented, 1-year fellowship is accredited by the ACGME and welcomes applicants who have successfully completed a 4-year residency in general adult psychiatry. We have 2 positions, and graduates are qualified to take the ABPN exam for Certification in the Subspecialty of Geriatric Psychiatry. Our fellows are part of the large educational experience at our dynamic and growing, first-rank research medical center, which annually trains around 1,000 postgraduate residents and fellows in a variety of disciplines.
Our faculty supervisors have completed a geriatric psychiatry fellowship and are devoted full-time to the care of geriatric patients. Our didactic series provides a broad, comprehensive, and evidence-based review of the essentials of geriatric psychiatry. Other educational experiences include monthly psychopharmacology conferences and grand rounds at the Dallas VA Medical Center (in addition to UTSW's psychiatry and geriatric medicine grand rounds), for which fellows have opportunities to present. We offer ample interdisciplinary teaching opportunities with other fellows, psychiatry residents, medical students, pharmacy residents and interns, psychology interns and post docs, and clinicians from other disciplines. Fellows oversee the clinical experience of residents and medical students at the VA and Parkland. Research experience is available for interested fellows as well.
We are a family-friendly program located in the large Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, with a low cost of living and great cultural diversity plus indoor and outdoor recreational activities for a variety of interests.
- Program Overview
Clinical and Research Components
Clinical
We divide the fellowship into two 6-month rotations that begin July 1. The VA rotation includes inpatient, consults, and outpatient evaluation experience. The outpatient/elective rotation includes seeing psychiatric patients at Parkland’s Geriatric Medicine Clinic, the sleep medicine clinic at the Dallas VA, and the VAMC community living center at Bonham. The continuity clinic is a year-long, half-day clinic providing opportunity for longitudinal follow-up. Ample time is in the schedule for special projects ranging from literature reviews to clinical research.
Research
Fellows can explore a self-selected area of clinical or basic research in which one or more of the fellowship faculty are expert.
Supervisory and Patient Care Responsibilities
- Supervise residents and medical students on the VA rotation
- Communicate patient-care issues directly to the rotation site supervisor or designated covering physician
Procedural Requirements
- Attend and participate in didactics, teaching conferences, Grand Rounds, and national conferences
- Maintain all medical records adequately
- Fulfill all competencies outlined in the fellowship goals and objectives
Didactic Components
- Geriatric Psychiatry Fellow Didactics (weekly)
- VA Grand Rounds (monthly)
- VA Psychopharmacology Conference (monthly)
- Psychiatry Grand Rounds (on select Wednesdays at noon)
- Geriatric Medicine Grand Rounds (weekly while on outpatient rotation)
Evaluation
- Supervisors at each training site evaluate trainees with regular verbal feedback in addition to standardized formal evaluation with the ACGME milestones
- Formal feedback session with the Program Director occurs semiannually
- Clinical Experience
Our multiple training sites offer diversity in patient populations across all continuums of care. Our association with geriatric medicine and sleep medicine clinics provides unique experiences for our fellows, in addition to treating patients in settings such as:
- Inpatient care
- Outpatient care
- Nursing home consultation and visits (e.g., at the Community Living Center, a VA nursing home in Bonham)
- Consultation-liaison services (e.g., at the Dallas VA Medical Center)
- Neuropsychology clinic
- Evidence-based psychotherapy
In our strong multidisciplinary, team-based approach to caring for our patients, fellows work closely with a variety of disciplines to provide high-level care.
- Application Requirements
Prepare Packet
- Application
- Photo
- CV
- Personal statement
- Official medical school transcript (sent directly to UT Southwestern)
- Copy of medical school diploma
- Copy of residency training program diploma
- Copies of USMLE Step I, II, III score reports
- ECFMG certificate
- Visa status
- Three letters of recommendation
Mail Packet
Department of Psychiatry
UT Southwestern Medical Center
5323 Harry Hines Blvd
Dallas, TX 75390-9070Additional Information
We must receive the completed application before we will interview (we conduct virtual interviews).
Please note that as part of the application and interview process for a potential fellowship position in our program, we are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and you would need to meet ACGME requirements for matriculation in our program.
Upon graduation from our training program, most of our graduates seek board certification. The process of board certification is separate from training and has additional requirements. Some board organizations require completion of all your education in an ACGME-accredited training program. Please contact the appropriate certifying board to understand your eligibility for board certification before accepting (if offered) a fellowship position at our institution.
- Faculty
Director of Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship
Medical Director, Geriatric Psychiatry Service, Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Jake Tobolowsky Professorship in Psychiatry, in Memory of Helen B. Tobolowsky and in Honor of Dr. David M. Tobolowsky
Director, UT Southwestern Neurocognitive and Geriatric Psychiatry Program
Attending Psychiatrist, UT Southwestern Neurocognitive and Geriatric Psychiatry Program
Attending Psychiatrist, Parkland Health & Hospital System
Jose Garcia, M.D., Professorship in Internal Medicine
Program Director, Geriatric Medicine Clinic, Parkland Health & Hospital System
Attending Psychiatrist, Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Medical Student Psychiatry Site Director, Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical CenterAssociate Faculty
Attending Physician, Geriatric Medicine Clinic, Parkland Health & Hospital System
Clinical Psychologist, Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Attending Physician, Geriatric Medicine Clinic, Parkland Health & Hospital System
- Fellows
Cassandra Jones, M.D.
Residency: University of Texas Southwestern
Allison Popovich, M.D.
Residency: University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
- Alumni
Emma Dahmer, 2024
Anshumaan Maharaj, 2024
Hassan Kanani, 2023
Lessley Chiriboga, 2022
Michael Li, 2022
Karen Duong, 2021
Anne Johnson, 2018
Ashley A. Woolbert, 2018
Medhart Gurigus, 2018
Izabella De Abreu, 2017
Cameron Blake Culver, 2016
Ramakarishna Veluri, 2015
Carolyn J. Floyd, 2015
Claire Williams, 2013
Tania Amin, 2013
Mary (Molly) Camp, 2012
Muhammad Qamar, 2009
Shafqat Rizvi, 2009
Sudhanshu Nene, 2008
Rubina Shakil, 2008
Haroon Siddique, 2008
Najeeb Ranginwala, 2007
Robert Staton, 2007
Olayemi Faniran, 2006
Deepika Bhargava, 2005
Robert Garrett, 2005
Hicham Ibrahim, 2004
Umar Latif, 2004
Kip Queenan, 2004
Hassan Almaat, 2003
Mary Bret, 2003
Ikechukwu Ofomata, 2003
Bhavin Parikh, 2002
Cheryl Tapp, 2002
Nasir Zaki, 2002
Rajbir Bakshi, 2001
Aaron Van Wright, 1997