The Weill Cornell Medicine Research Training Program in Behavioral Geriatrics

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Weill Cornell Post-Doctoral Training Program in Behavioral Geriatrics (TPiBG) The TPiBG develops independent investigators capable of conducting patient-oriented research to improve the quality of life and quality of care of older adults. Behavioral Geriatrics is a scientific orientation that integrates social/behavioral approaches with geriatric medicine approaches to study clinically significant and pressing issues of aging (e.g., pain, cognitive impairment, polypharmacy, caregiving, end-of-life medical decision- making, bereavement). The Program, led by Cary Reid, MD, PhD and Holly Prigerson, PhD, accepts both MD and PhD postdoctoral trainees (2/year) seeking careers integrating biomedical and innovative social/behavioral approaches to improve care and care outcomes in older adults. A formal didactic core curriculum covers topics including clinical and psychosocial epidemiology, community-based participatory research, trial design as related to the study of older adults, scientific rigor and reproducibility and role of technology in aging research. Completing the Cornell CTSC Master’s degree or Certificate Program in Clinical Research is mandatory for MD trainees. Trainees participate in monthly “work-in-progress” sessions and a monthly Trainees’ Forum provides instruction in the presentation and publication of results, ethical conduct of research, grant preparation, and helps to build career development skills. Biostatisticians and data entry and management personnel from existing grants are available to assist T32 trainees. The centerpiece of the training is Co-Mentored research in Year 1, culminating in a Year 2 research project for which the Trainee serves as PI under Co-Mentor supervision. Our cadre of experienced and successful core faculty mentors include PI Reid (management of multifactorial pain in later life), Co-PI Prigerson (care of patients and families at end of life), Dr. Ronald Adelman (palliative care), Dr. Mark Lachs (elder abuse), Dr. Sara J. Czaja (aging and technology) and Dr. Monika Safford (healthcare equity), and Drs. Karl Pillemer and Elaine Wethington (social isolation/integration). Trainees are immediately integrated into a large, ”research-ready” network of New York City organizations serving ethnically diverse older adults. Trainee recruitment resources include featuring the program in-person and at annual, research meetings, including the Gerontological Society of America and American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Further strengths include: (1) geriatric and social/behavioral science co- mentorship, (2) well-established infrastructure and flexible, tailored mentorship plans; (3) clearly articulated metrics to gauge progress (published papers, national presentations, funded career awards); and (4) membership in a diverse network of behavioral geriatrics researchers. Institutional strengths include an outstanding pipeline of potential trainees and multiple aging-related Center grants and R01s to support Trainees’ research. The Program produces Behavioral Geriatrics researchers trained in the synergistic disciplines of geriatric medicine and social/behavioral science, uniquely capable of addressing one of the largest challenges to public health – the aging of the population.