Geriatric Medicine Research Training
The Division offers a range of research training opportunities designed to prepare the next generation of clinician-scientists and interdisciplinary investigators in aging and geroscience. The Pitt Integrated Clinical and Geroscience Research Training Program (T32) provides structured pre- and postdoctoral training that bridges clinical, translational, and biological approaches to aging. Trainees engage with research across core themes while gaining hands-on experience through individualized mentoring, formal coursework, and collaborative research. With access to extensive NIH-funded resources and expert faculty across medicine, biology, and public health, trainees develop the knowledge and leadership skills needed to advance the science and therapeutics of aging.
Complementing the T32, the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System’s Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) offers two nationally recognized postdoctoral fellowships. The Special Fellowship in Advanced Geriatrics prepares interdisciplinary clinician-investigators to lead research in health services, clinical rehabilitation, and translational aging science, with an emphasis on improving care for older Veterans. The Fellowship in Medication Safety and Pharmacy Outcomes, offered in partnership with the VA Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion and Pharmacy Benefits Management Services, trains pharmacists in geriatric pharmacoepidemiology, medication safety, and quality improvement. Together, these programs cultivate a diverse and collaborative research community dedicated to promoting healthy aging and improving outcomes for older adults.
Pitt Integrated Clinical and Geroscience Research Training Program (T32)
The Pitt Integrated Clinical and Geroscience Research Training Program (T32) develops the next generation of investigators equipped to bridge clinical, translational, and biological approaches to aging. By uniting scientists and clinicians across disciplines, the program prepares trainees to lead innovative studies that reveal the mechanisms of aging and translate discoveries into strategies that extend healthspan and independence.
At the University of Pittsburgh, trainees engage directly with cutting-edge investigations in drug discovery, energetics, late-life functional phenotypes, and diversity of risk within aging. These integrated research themes provide a dynamic platform for translational and reverse translational studies that connect molecular insights to clinical outcomes. Trainees benefit from access to extensive NIH-funded infrastructure, a vibrant collaborative culture, and mentorship from highly experienced, well-supported investigators across medicine, biology, public health, and behavioral science.
Training Structure
The Pitt T32 offers two primary tracks:
- A2–3-year postdoctoral program for physician investigators and research fellows.
- A2–3-year predoctoral program integrated with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine’s Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) and available to select predoctoral students pursuing multidisciplinary aging research.
Training is grounded in five core areas of competence:
- Clinical, translational, and biology of aging research methods
- Collaborative team mentoring and leadership
- Professional and career development skills
- Topical expertise in geroscience and aging
- Responsible conduct of research
Trainees pursue individualized career development plans supported by formal coursework, thematic seminars and workshops, and integrated mentoring teams that include both clinical and basic science faculty. Structured oversight and continuous feedback ensure steady progress toward professional independence.
Program Goals
The overarching mission of the program is to build a cross-disciplinary and translationally oriented workforce poised to advance the science and therapeutics of aging. Specific goals include:
- Delivering rigorous, individualized training that builds foundational and advanced skills in aging research.
- Assembling multidisciplinary mentoring teams that guide research from concept to publication.
- Fostering collaboration across scientific domains to bridge mechanisms of aging with clinical application.
- Addressing high-priority areas identified by the NIH for training in aging and geroscience.
For more information about this T32 program, please contact Elena Loedding (enl44@pitt.edu)
Affiliated T32 programs:
Training in the Epidemiology of Aging
Population Neuroscience of Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease (PNA)
VA Pittsburgh Advanced Fellowship in Geriatrics
The Advanced Fellowship in Geriatrics (AFiG), housed within VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System’s innovative Technology Enhancing Cognition and Health Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, is a nationally recognized, two-year program designed to empower the next generation of leaders in geriatric research, healthcare education, and clinical innovation. To learn more, view the official recruitment video.
Fellows spend 75% of their time completing scholarly activities (training and scholarly projects) with a goal of developing and implementing at least one scholarly project related to an area of specific focus (e.g. geriatric research, education and/or clinical innovation) and work closely with mentors and other GRECC faculty and staff to develop a fellowship experience that aligns with their individualized short- and long-term goals. Fellows spend the remaining 25% of their time in clinical care (for fellows with a clinical background) and/or activities supporting clinical care (for non-clinician fellows). The fellowship features focused curricula with competencies focused on caring for older Veterans, concentrated scholarship, and professional and leadership development, and a structured mentoring model designed to ensure success throughout the program.
Fellows must be U.S. citizens who have an interest in aging and can be clinicians or non-clinician scientists.
The fellowship does not confer board eligibility in geriatrics.
Applications are tentatively due the first Sunday of January each year for a July 1 start date, and applications are also accepted on a rolling basis.
For more information about the program, eligibility or how to apply, send an email to VHAPTHAdvancedFellowshipinGeriatrics@va.gov.
VA Pittsburgh Advanced Fellowship in Geriatrics, Specialty in Medication Safety and Pharmacy Outcomes
The Medication Safety and Pharmacy Outcomes (MSPO) specialty track within the national Advanced Fellowship in Geriatrics (AFiG) at VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System is a two-year, postdoctoral pathway designed for pharmacist–investigators committed to advancing medication safety, geriatric pharmacotherapy, and health system improvement. Conducted in collaboration with the Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP) and VA Pharmacy Benefits Management Services (PBM), this track provides an enriched environment for pharmacists to integrate clinical expertise with rigorous training in pharmacoepidemiology and outcomes science.
For more information regarding the Medication Safety and Pharmacy Outcomes specialty track, eligibility or how to apply, send an email to vhapbmmedsafefellowshiprecruitment@va.gov.