The Geriatrics Fellowship Program

Welcome to the UC Davis Geriatrics Fellowship Program in Sacramento, CA.  Our innovative fellowship is designed to prepare fellows for excellence in clinical care, teaching, scholarship, research, quality improvement, and health care administration.  Our goal is to mentor fellows toward a leadership role in the field of geriatrics. 

The fellowship takes place at a multitude of sites and settings, and skills gained varies according to the goals of that rotation.  Rotational sites endeavor to integrate essential concepts across core competencies to develop well-rounded fellows.  Settings in which these skills are cultivated include:

• UC Davis Health, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA (Healthy Aging Clinic and UC Davis Medical Center)
• Sacramento VA Medical Center (Acute Care for Elders inpatient consult service, GeriPACT geriatric primary care clinic, multidisciplinary outpatient Geriatrics Consult and Memory Clinics, Home-Based Primary Care, Home Care Coordination, and Hospice and Palliative Care)
• Martinez VA Medical Center (Community Living Center/Center for Rehabilitation and Extended Care, Hospice and Palliative Care)

There is required regular core curricular seminars, journal clubs, and other didactic sessions dedicated to the acquisition of the skills demanded of future geriatrics leaders.  These activities also aim to enhance the fellows’ pedagogical and scholarship skills.  A scholarly project is required of each fellow.  Research skill development is optional but recommended and is fostered through guided mentoring of individual research projects.  Faculty advisors guide fellows at all stages of a project, from defining the question of interest to preparing and presenting the findings.

Teaching medical students, residents, and peers is an integral component of our fellowship program.  Fellows receive special training in the educational pedagogy of clinical teaching in general and specifically as it relates to geriatrics.  Faculty also  work with fellows to optimize their clinical teaching skills.  In addition, administrative skills and quality improvement skills are developed through graded responsibilities in clinical and teaching programs as well as participation in quality improvement projects.  Furthermore, adequate unstructured time is allocated throughout the fellowship for scholarly work.  The optimization of this time, which can be tailored to meet fellows’ individual education goals, can be coordinated in conjunction with the program director.

Fellows are the leaders of tomorrow.  The field of geriatrics is growing and needs a group of passionate and committed leaders to help it grow and develop into a robust medical sub-specialty.  To this end, fellows receive ongoing intense mentoring to help further develop their professional portfolio and leadership skills, thereby equipping them with the requisite skills to shape the field of geriatrics and its future.

Alia Tuqan, M.D.

Geriatrics Program Director

About Us

Mission:

To train expert geriatric medicine specialists who will develop and deliver expert and innovative person-centered care that helps older adults safely navigate and transition through health care systems, maintain independence and dignity, and experience improved quality of life and well-being.

Aims:

1. To train clinically outstanding, curious, and compassionate geriatricians who understand the key principles of geriatric medicine and the health care system and are able to apply them to achieve a high level of quality of care and patient safety.
2. To produce committed leaders who will innovate and provide excellence in clinical care, education, systems design, quality improvement, scholarship, research, and health care administration within geriatric medicine and in the care delivered to older adults.
3. To prepare geriatric medicine fellows for a successful career by balancing life, work, resiliency, and wellness.
4. To uplift diversity, equity, and inclusion within all aspects of the educational and clinical environment in the field of geriatric medicine.

OVERVIEW

We have two positions for academic year 2024-2025.  The positions are filled through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).  Candidates may start their application process through ERAS in June. Applications will be released for review to us beginning July 15, 2023. Interview dates will be in late August through October.

For full consideration, please submit your application and supporting materials by mid-August. Applications completed after that date may not receive a full review.  

Required application components to include in your ERAS application:

• Personal Statement
• Medical school transcript
• USMLE/COMLEX transcript
• Medical school Dean's Letter (MSPE)
• Two (2) letters of recommendation from physicians who have served in a direct supervisory capacity
• One (1) letter of recommendation from either your residency program director or from a division head or department chair

Eligibility

We offer fellowship opportunities for individuals who have completed an Internal Medicine or Family Medicine Residency in the United States or Canada by the time they enter the fellowship-training program. The residency program must be accredited by ACGME or RCPSC/CFPC programs in Canada. Candidates must be board certified or eligible in their respective Boards and must possess a California medical license before the start date of the fellowship program. 

A J-1 visa is required for foreign nationals interested in the UC Davis Geriatrics Fellowship Program. 

SALARY AND BENEFITS

The University provides competitive salaries for fellows.  In addition, the University provides health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance and professional liability insurance, for the fellows (and their family members when appropriate). Fellows receive 20 vacation days a year.

Sacramento and its surrounding region have so much to offer, including restaurants that pride themselves on farm-to-fork cuisine to a variety of outdoor recreation spots to family-friendly events. Here’s a glimpse of what you and your family can expect should you decide to call Northern California your home.

If you have any programmatic or administrative questions, please contact:

Shalynn Harris

Fellowship Coordinator, Geriatrics

shrharris@ucdavis.edu