Graduates

“The geriatric fellowship at UConn helped me achieve the clinical training I needed in geriatrics and allowed me to start a career in an academic setting which was my goal. Being a UConn fellow gives you the opportunity to attend research conferences as well as getting involved in many projects with the faculty which I found very supportive. I am now working with the Yale geriatrics group where I cover nursing homes, out patient clinic and next year the ACE unit in the hospital. I also will have the opportunity to teach medical students, interns and residents.”

Dr. Leen Bakkali
Yale School of Medicine

"Diverse curriculum with well balanced clinical and research time. Exposure to multiple rotation sites and varied settings for patient care gave me a well rounded experience that served me well in my current practice as a clinician and educator. Faculty members are available and willing to help with research ideas, clinical dilemmas and most importantly for mentoring fellows."

Dr. Ann Datunashvili
Clinical Instructor in Medicine
Yale-New Haven Geriatric Services, P.C.

“My fellowship at UConn was pivotal in my career. Most importantly, it trained me well to take care of frail elderly patients. Before the fellowship, the prospect of caring for a 90 year old patients with 12 medical problems and 15 medications was daunting; after the fellowship, it was comfortable. The fellowship also trained me well in academic skills such as teaching, presenting, and critically evaluating the literature. Finally, the wonderful professional contacts I made at Connecticut have been sustained and cherished in the 18 years since graduation.”

James T. Pacala, M.D., M.S.
Associate Professor & Distinguished University Teaching Professor
Department of Family Medicine and Community Health
University of Minnesota Medical School

“The Geriatrics Fellowship at UConn was instrumental in launching my career as a clinical researcher. The program provided me all the necessary components to become successful: mentorship, opportunity, and multidisciplinary collaboration. I continue to work with my mentors at UConn and it is clear that the faculty remain committed to their trainees throughout their careers.”

Dr. Rebecca Boxer
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Case Western Reserve University
Departments of Family Medicine and Internal Medicine

"I am a Geriatrician today because of the role models that I ran into at the UConn geriatrics program. I was all set to be an endocrinologist fellow at UPenn, and then due to visa issues took up a fellow position at UConn as an interim plan. I realized that Geriatrics was what I had been looking for, but had not acknowledged it to myself, until I worked with the bunch at UConn. I was a life defining moment to me."

Chandini Sharma, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Geriatrics Section
Department of Internal Medicine
OU School of Community Medicine
Tulsa, OK

“I’m confident the fellowship faculty left lasting marks on both my professional and personal life. High on that list of fellowship experiences that left an impact were teaching sessions that Gail Sullivan provided on “Learner Centered Learning.” These were small group sessions where Gail facilitated discussion about how to be better teachers. Those talks stuck with me throughout my career and as a result I’ve been fortunate enough to have received some teaching awards.

Another big impact the fellowship had on me was an improved understanding of research methods and how to scrutinize the literature. While performing research has not been central to my career, the ability to critique and effectively interpret research is something I do on a daily basis ...

I would highly recommend this fellowship to others.”

Dr. Scott T. Shreve
National Director, Hospice and Palliative Care
Department of Veterans Affairs
Associate Professor of Medicine
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine

“The finishing touches I received from the UConn Center in Aging was the best decision I ever did for my career of choice and I would repeat it if ever I have the chance ... I was reminiscing about my training the other day, wondering how much I have learned how to learn at UConn.

While most of my colleagues mention 1 or 2 mentors, I can name easily at least 10: Jim Judge, Patrick Coll, Gail Dalsky, Gail Sullivan, Karen Prestwood, Mary King, Kamal Shoukri, Bob Dicks, Roy Erickson, Henry Schneiderman, and so forth. These people shaped me to be much better ...

I am a proud Geriatric Huskies graduate forever.”

Dr. Roger Ven Torres, C.C.D.
West Allis Primary Care Physicians, S.C.
Director Hickory Park, C.R.L.
Director Acute Care for the Elderly
Aurora West Allis Medical Center

“I am on the Medical Staff at Roger Williams Hospital in Providence ... we have satellite offices in various “elder-rich” places like ALFs and Senior Centers ... I love the Assisted Living ... because it is a mix of independent, assisted, dementia-specific assisted, and nursing home care. My fellowship opened up these worlds of patient care outside the realm of hospitals and clinics ... My real love is hospice and palliative care, and my interaction with Sue Keefe set my feet firmly on that path ... I especially love working with a true interdisciplinary team, and this is another skill that I got my first taste of during my fellowship. I tip ... my hat to Alison Grover, my clinic preceptor whose keen brain and holistic approach to patient are still an inspiration to me ... and who cannot but love Henry Schneiderman and his amazing quest of academic excellence and ongoing personal support of the students he has mentored ... One of those people I’d like to be when I grow up.”

Jennifer Ritzau, M.D.
Staff Physician, Roger Williams Hospital
Assistant Medical Director, Home and Hospice Care of Rhode Island

“The variety of clinical experiences and faculty overseeing these sites are top rate. The weekly lecture series allows the fellows to develop some areas of interest in geriatrics and are great for your CV when applying for jobs.”

Dr. Michelle Eslami
Clinical Professor of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics
David Geffin School of Medicine, UCLA

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