Geriatrics - Professional Training Programs

Founded in 1983, the Division of Geriatrics at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine is nationally recognized for its state-of-the art clinical programs which provide care for frail older adults as well as its education and training programs for physicians to improve their skills in caring for the elderly. Our multidisciplinary geriatrics team is comprised of 13 full-time board certified physicians as well as specialists in geriatric nursing and social work, who provide care to seniors in the home setting, office, hospital and nursing home.

The Division of Geriatrics is at the forefront of geriatrics education, offering programs at all level of training, including medical students, residents, fellows, and practicing physicians, in a variety of disciplines. They learn to treat a diverse patient population with complex medical, psychosocial, and functional problems in a variety of settings. The Montefiore Einstein Geriatrics Fellowship Program is highly regarded, and has trained a generation of clinicians, academicians and national leaders in the field.

Within two decades, individuals over 65 years are expected to constitute 20% of the U.S. population. This aging trend will raise pressing issues for our society and health care system, requiring a cadre of academic geriatrics faculty engaged in teaching and research to disseminate the precepts of geriatric care. The Division of Geriatrics is dedicated to not only meeting the multifaceted challenges of caring for older adults, but training the next generation of physicians to care for them.

Our Goals

We strive to improve health care for older adults so that they achieve and maintain their maximum level of independence. The Division's mission is built on the following three platforms:

1. Providing leadership and developing innovative patient care models for older adults across the healthcare system: the acute care hospital, ambulatory and homecare services, as well as long-term care settings.
2. Training the next generation of geriatricians, primary care physicians and specialists to understand and provide state-of-the-art geriatric care, emphasizing medical, functional, cognitive and psychosocial assessment.
3. Conducting and facilitating basic, clinical and health services research to advance knowledge and provide interventions to improve the care of older adults. In order to maximize our resources and outcomes, we collaborate with investigators throughout Montefiore and Einstein, the Aging Research Institute and the Resnick Gerontology Center.

Pioneering Research for the Growing Discipline of Geriatrics

The Division of Geriatrics was founded in 1983 by Dr. David Hamerman and was awarded the first National Institute for Aging (NIA) Teaching Nursing Home Award that promoted the concept of interdisciplinary team development and the integration of the teaching nursing home into the academic medical center. In 1989, Einstein was awarded an NIA Aging Training Grant that assembled a core of basic science investigators involved in aging-related research. This endeavor continues today, with a team of more than 20 experts in aging related fields.

Under the leadership of Dr. Laurie Jacobs, Division Chief of Geriatrics from 1995-2009, the Division of Geriatrics expanded its educational programs and clinical research. An AAMC/Hartford Grant in 2001-2003 led to a significant growth in geriatrics medical student educational programs at Einstein. The award of a D.W. Reynolds Foundation Grant in 2006 further enhanced the geriatrics education programming throughout the larger Montefiore and Einstein community. In 2007, six junior faculty members received Geriatric Academic Career Awards from the Bureau of Health Professionals. Additional innovative clinical and research programs include a Comprehensive Bone Center and Elder Abuse and Neglect consult service.