Geriatric Medicine Fellowship

The HonorHealth Geriatric Medicine fellowship is committed to improving the health and well-being of all geriatric patients within the HonorHealth community. The principles of an Age-Friendly Health System that focuses on the 4M framework of medication, mentation, mobility and what matters are integral to the fellowship’s mission of ensuring that all older adults receive individualized high-quality care. Graduates of the HonorHealth Geriatric Medicine fellowship program obtain the skillset needed to build this essential framework within any community in which they choose to practice. The community focus of our program is in keeping with HonorHealth’s vision to be the partner of choice as we transform healthcare for our communities.

The HonorHealth Geriatric Medicine fellowship is designed to train family medicine and internal medicine physicians to become excellent geriatric clinicians, educators, and leaders in the community with an awareness of the societal need for geriatricians who practice high-value, cost-effective medicine.

Geriatric medicine fellows

Fellowship Director

Jessica Berdeja, MD
Fellowship: Stanford University Medical Center, Geriatric Medicine
Residency: Banner University Medical Center, Family Medicine
Medical School: University of Arizona

Application information

HonorHealth’s Geriatric Fellowship training program participates in the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).

The fellowship is open to graduates from either family medicine or internal medicine. The HonorHealth Geriatric Medicine Program uses the J-1 Visa program sponsored by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). HonorHealth does not sponsor H1-B visas for graduates of international medical schools. Graduates of Canadian medical schools must also use the J-1 program. Incoming J-1 visa fellows are required to obtain their J-1 visas before their training.

Download application
  • If you are a current resident and will be graduating from an ACGME-accredited residency, we participate and fill positions through the National Resident Matching Program's (NRMP) Medical Specialties Matching Program. Please complete your application through ERAS.
  • If you are a current resident who missed the Specialties Match or are a current practicing physician who graduated from an ACGME residency and is interested in entering our fellowship program "off-cycle" not the traditional start in July, please download and complete our application. Email your completed application to geriatricsfellowship@honorhealth.com
  • If you are a foreign medical school graduate interested in our program, please provide the following documentation via email: geriatricsfellowship@honorhealth.com
    • Current CV displaying strong interest in geriatric medicine (i.e. applicable research, recent or current work experience)
    • Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certification.
    • Proof of successful completion and passing of Steps 1 - 3 of the U.S Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE).
    • Summative evaluations of prior medical school and residency training.

Training and curriculum

The geriatric medicine fellowship is a one-year fellowship that is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and will aid the physician to become certified in the subspecialty of geriatric medicine.

For certification in Geriatric Medicine physicians must:

  • Be board-certified in internal medicine or family medicine
  • Have satisfactorily completed a graduate medical education fellowship training in geriatric medicine
  • Hold a valid, unrestricted and unchallenged license to practice medicine
  • Pass the Geriatric Medicine Certification Examination

Our curriculum for clinical education and professional development is organized to align with the program's overall goals and includes both inpatient and outpatient experiences. Fellows will develop a plan of self-learning to gain progressive autonomy. Fellows will also demonstrate the ability to teach and serve in a leadership role.

Core rotations

  • Geriatric Psychiatry
  • Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
  • Cardiology
  • Neurology
  • Geriatric Clinic — Our Geriatric Clinic is nationally recognized as guided by an essential set of age-friendly, evidence-based practices in geriatric care
  • Inpatient Geriatric Trauma — National publication: Practices Guidelines: Geriatric Trauma Management
  • Long Term Care
  • Multidisciplinary Clinic
  • Post-Acute Care
  • Wound Care
  • ENT

Elective rotations

  • Urology
  • Infectious Disease
  • Hematology Oncology
  • And more

Scholarly activity

  • Dementia Simulation
  • Journal Club
  • Geriatric Clinical Conference
  • Case Presentation
  • Quality Improvement (QI) Project
  • Didactics Curriculum
  • Community/Peer Lectures

Rotation sites

Take a look at our various rotation sites.

Primary Clinical Site: HonorHealth Scottsdale Thompson Peak Medical Center

Participating Sites: HonorHealth John C. Lincoln Medical Center, HonorHealth Medical Group – North Phoenix, HonorHealth Heart Care - Osborn, HonorHealth Medical Group Neurology, HonorHealth Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation – Glendale, Quail Run Behavioral Health, Acacia Health Center at Sagewood, Phoenix VA Health Care System, Hospice of the Valley

Fellowship graduates

Meet the fellows who graduated from our program
 

Faculty

Jessica Berdeja, MD; Monica Chaung, MD; Erik Maskin, DO; Kari Johnson, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC, Hartford Scholar; Paul Stander, MD; Shawn Abreu, MD; Alan Tenaglia, MD; Amber Hennenhoefer, DO; Rama Kunkle, DO; Todd Levine, MD

Additional resources

Contact us

If you have questions or would like to learn more about the HonorHealth Geriatric Medicine Fellowship program, please contact:

Email: GeriatricsFellowship@honorhealth.com