Johns Hopkins Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship
The Johns Hopkins Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship is a one-year, ACGME-accredited, clinical fellowship whose mission is to train the next generation of national experts in geriatric psychiatry. Clinical rotations include inpatient geriatric psychiatry, long-term care, consultation-liaison, palliative care, and innovative outreach experiences to home-bound elderly in coordination with geriatric medicine, as well as longitudinal outpatient care in several geriatric psychiatry and memory clinics. All fellows have dedicated time for scholarship and opportunities for teaching, and receive individualized mentorship from our dedicated faculty.
Welcome from Fellowship Director
As the population of older adults continues to increase, the number of older individuals needing psychiatric care has been steadily increasing as well. About 14-20% of adults over age 65 have significant mental health and/or substance use disorders. In addition, incidence rates for cognitive disorders and dementia increase markedly after age 65 and are often accompanied by neuropsychiatric symptoms. As a result, the need for specialists and leaders in the field of geriatric psychiatry has never been greater.
The Johns Hopkins Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship is an ACGME-accredited, one-year, clinical fellowship that provides advanced training in the psychiatric assessment and treatment of older adults with mental health symptoms. Started over 40 years ago by nationally known geriatric psychiatrist, Dr. Peter Rabins, the mission of the Johns Hopkins Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship is to train and prepare the next generation of experts in geriatric psychiatry who will become the innovative community and national leaders needed to guide the field in the years to come. Graduates of the fellowship have gone on to assume positions of leadership both in academic medicine and in community practice.
The fellowship is an integral part of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Fellows benefit from being part of the lively intellectual life of the department, which has strong connections with the departments of neurology, general internal medicine and geriatrics, and from engagement in the wider Johns Hopkins Medicine community.
Geriatric Psychiatry is a shortage specialty and it is a very rewarding career path, with tremendous opportunity for career growth for the future.
We welcome your interest in the Johns Hopkins Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship.
Susan W. Lehmann, MD
Johns Hopkins Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship Director
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The fellowship includes clinical rotations in inpatient geriatric psychiatry, long-term care, consultation-liaison, palliative care, and innovative outreach experiences to home-bound elderly in coordination with geriatric medicine, as well as longitudinal outpatient care in several geriatric psychiatry clinics, the Hopkins Memory and Alzheimer’s clinic, and the Young Onset Dementia and Parkinson’s dementia clinics. Clinical rotations emphasize skill development in collaborative team practice in various settings in addition to implementation of current knowledge regarding best practices in the care of complex patients, including telehealth, telementoring, and quality improvement.
All fellows have dedicated time for individual scholarship and opportunities for teaching medical students, residents, and community clinicians. Fellows receive individualized mentorship from our dedicated faculty to develop personal areas of interest as well as career guidance.
The fellowship prepares trainees for the ABPN advanced board certification in Geriatric Psychiatry.
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The Geriatric Psychiatry fellowship has a robust didactic schedule with weekly meetings with the fellowship director and other faculty following a comprehensive syllabus covering key geriatric psychiatry topics. In addition, fellows participate in a weekly Geriatric Psychiatry/Neuropsychiatry lecture series run by the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry and monthly Geriatric Psychiatry clinical case conference for all members of the Division. Fellows are encouraged to attend the weekly Department of Psychiatry Grand Rounds and weekly Department of Psychiatry Research Conference speaker series. The Fellowship participates in a virtual national fellowship trainee seminar geared for geriatric fellows in medicine and psychiatry, as well as the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry national virtual journal club for geriatric psychiatry fellows.
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Number of positions
The Johns Hopkins Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship Program has two fellowship spots each year.Eligibility
Completion of an ACGME-accredited psychiatry residency program. Applicants who are citizens, permanent residents, or are on a J-1 visa may be consideredTimeline
Applications are accepted beginning March 1 through December 31 of each calendar year. This generally corresponds to the spring of the PGY 3 psychiatry residency year through the first half of the PGY 4 year. Upon review of application materials, candidates are invited for virtual interviews with the fellowship faculty. Offers for admission are made on a rolling basis until both spots are filled. The fellowship year follows the academic calendar and begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 of each academic year.Required application materials
There is no centralized Match for geriatric psychiatry fellowship programs. All materials should be sent by email to Dr. Susan W. Lehmann, Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship Program Director, at [email protected].The following application materials are required:
- Curriculum vitae
- Personal statement
- 3 letters of recommendation, one of which must come from the psychiatry residency program director
Core Faculty
Contact Us
For further information or any questions regarding the Johns Hopkins Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship Program, please contact the Fellowship Director:
Susan W. Lehmann, MD
[email protected]
410-955-3917