Geriatrics Area of Concentration (AOC) for Medical Students

Geriatrics Area of Concentration AOC for Medical StudentsThe goal of the Geriatrics AOC is to promote interest in the effects of age on health and health care, and it is relevant to stud

Geriatrics Area of Concentration (AOC) for Medical Students

The goal of the Geriatrics AOC is to promote interest in the effects of age on health and health care, and it is relevant to students with a broad range of career plans Below are some Geriatrics AOC opportunities that all students are welcome to participate in:

 GEMS (Geriatric Experiences for Medical Students) A year-long series of monthly group meetings and monthly visits with

an assigned older adult Students have the opportunity to learn about the experience of aging, gain interview and

evaluation skills targeted at older adults, and understand how to use health system services on behalf of older adults Geared towards MS-1 and MS-2 students, credit can be received for the MS-2 Clinical Experiences program Minimum participation is at least 3 home visits and 3 group sessions Coordinated by Dr Stephanie Studenski with student help from MS-2s, Peter Kang (kang.peter@medstudent.pitt.edu) & Xiao Wan (wan.xiao@medstudent.pitt.edu)

 Summer Program in Aging Research MSTAR (Medical Student Training in Aging Research) is a federally-funded, 8-12 week, paid research experience for students in the summer following MS-1 Participants develop a research plan with a mentor 6 months prior to the summer program, carry out plans during the summer and present findings at an end-of-summer event Students participate in weekly group sessions and can explore clinical activities and other research settings There are over 50 participating mentors with a broad range of interests This program also sponsors a paid trip to the national meeting of the American Geriatrics Society in May to present your research and network Participants are able to complete the majority of the work required for Pitt’s Scholarly Project The MSTAR program is coordinated by Drs Stephanie Studenski and Charles Reynolds

 Geriatrics Noon Case Series A monthly noontime lunch series of case presentations that provide clinical correlations to the MS-2 organ system curriculum

 Clinical Experience in Geriatrics During clinical rotations you can rotate through a geriatrics selective on several required rotations and take a Geriatrics Elective, which can also be used to complete work on a Scholarly Project in geriatrics An all-expenses-paid summer program in geriatrics funded by the NIH is held annually at Boston University in June and can be accommodated within this elective

 Lunch and Evening Talks The AOC sponsors a series of evening and noon programs that include special topics and visiting speakers The program starts with a welcome event in the early autumn

 Year-long Program in Geriatrics Research Students with a strong interest in aging research can apply for a paid, year-long individualized program that includes graduate coursework and time for research

Requirements for a Certificate of Completion for the Geriatrics AOC

1 GEMS in MS-1 or 2

2 Geriatrics Noon Case conferences in MS-2

3 Scholarly Project related to aging

4 A geriatrics clinical experience

Students completing the AOC will have a letter describing their

accomplishments placed in their official record

Questions? Visit the Geriatrics AOC website on the Zone or

contact:

President: Dave Mendelson,

MS-IV (mendelson.david@medstudent.pitt.edu), Vice Presidents:

Emily Spangler, MS-IV (spangler.emily@medstudent.pitt.edu)

& Cathy Cheng, MS-III (cheng.cathy@medstudent.pitt.edu) or

AOC Coordinator: Stephanie Studenski MD MPH

(sas33@pitt.edu)