Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program

In the Charleston, South Carolina, tri-county area, people ages 65 and older will increase to make up about 25% of the population over the next five years (well above the national average).  As the state's tertiary/quaternary care referral center with a Level 1 trauma center, MUSC is committed to meeting the health care needs of this rapidly growing segment of our population.

The Geriatric Medicine Fellowship program is a foundational building block for the institution’s plan to grow and develop a sustainable geriatrics workforce. This one-year fellowship program provides trainees with in-depth experiences that cover the full spectrum of patients, problems, and settings that geriatricians are likely to encounter across a variety of clinical settings. Upon successful completion of the program, fellows may take the American Board of Internal Medicine Geriatric Medicine Certification Exam. 

Program Overview:

• 12 months of clinical experience
• Continuity experiences:
  • UIM Geriatrics Clinic with geriatrics faculty preceptors (1-2 sessions per week)
  • CCRC continuity care at The Village at Summerville
• Block rotations: See below
• Electives: Per fellow interests
• Weekly didactics:
  • Core lectures
  • Journal Club
  • Clinical Case conferences / M & M
• Opportunities for research and other scholarly activities

Block Rotations:

• Geriatrics inpatient consults: 2 mos
• Ambulatory clinic: 1 mo
• Geriatric psychiatry: 1 mo
• Neurology: 1 mo
• Palliative care: 1 mo
• Electives: 1 mo
• Outpatient rehab
• Long term care: 1 mo
• VA rotations: 2 mos
  

Primary Clinical Rotation Sites:

MUSC Inpatient and Outpatient

Primary site, MUSC University Hospital, Charleston, SC
Inpatient and outpatient rotations
Heart of the MUSC System

Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center (RHJVAMC)

One of the most robust VA Medical Centers in US
Long history of collaboration with MUSC for clinical care and GME programs
Located in Charleston Medical District

Village at Summerville

Long term relationship with MUSC Family Medicine program
Active learning site w/ experienced leadership
CCRC site for program

How to Apply:

Applications must be submitted through the Electronic Residency Application System (ERAS).

Completed applications must include the following:

• 3 letters of recommendation (including one letter from the Internal Medicine Training Program Director)
• Current photograph
• United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) transcripts
• Personal statement
• Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) Certificate, if applicable
• Visa, if applicable

For information on applying through ERAS, please visit the ERAS Website. Applications for the upcoming academic year are accepted until October. All applications are reviewed by the Training Program Director. Applicants will be contacted regarding invitation to interview after receipt and review of the completed application. Interviews are scheduled on an individual basis and every effort is made to meet the needs of the applicant. Friday interview dates are suggested to allow for the opportunity to attend our Case of the Week conference as well as explore our beautiful city, sample our rich tradition of great food and restaurants or stroll down one of our wide, sandy beaches.

Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Faculty

 

Amanda Overstreet, DO
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Program Director, Geriatric Medicine Fellowship

Dr. Overstreet completed medical school at the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine and internal medicine residency at MUSC. She then completed a geriatric medicine fellowship and a palliative care fellowship at Mount Sinai in New York City. She returned to MUSC after fellowship training in 2016. Her clinical interests include primary care for older adults as well as outpatient palliative care for patients with serious illness. She is involved in both resident and fellow education, and is excited to see the growth of geriatrics at MUSC.

 

Kelly Graves, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Director of Inpatient Geriatric Consult Service

Kelly Graves, M.D., is a geriatrician and board-certified internal medicine physician specializing in older adults' broad spectrum of care. A native of Chesapeake, Virginia, Dr. Graves earned her medical degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia. She then completed her residency training at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, followed by her geriatrics fellowship training at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, NY. Dr. Graves will be seeing patients 70 years of age and older at University Internal Medicine – Rutledge Tower. Her clinical interests include healthy aging, dementia, and advanced care planning. Dr. Graves joined MUSC in 2021 after completing fellowship. She sees patients for primary care geriatrics and is Director of the Inpatient Geriatric Consult Service.

 

Ilana Stol, M.D.
Affiliate Assistant Professor of Medicine
Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center

Dr. Stol is a native of Pittsburgh and received her undergraduate degree in History and Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh. She received her medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and completed her internal medicine residency at Yale New Haven hospital, where she also completed a geriatric medicine fellowship. She then completed a fellowship in hospice and palliative medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. She is triple board certified in internal medicine, geriatric medicine, and hospice and palliative medicine.

Dr. Stol is the Medical Director of Hospice and Palliative Medicine at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center. Her practice primarily focuses on inpatient and outpatient palliative care consultation as well as inpatient hospice and outpatient geriatric medicine. She is the founder and Medical Director of the VA Geriatric Interdisciplinary Veterans Evaluation (GIVE) clinic focused on geriatric fall prevention.

Her clinical interests include end of life clinician-patient communication, interdisciplinary collaboration in geriatric patient care, and fall prevention in older adults. Dr. Stol also takes an active role in educating medical trainees in multiple levels and specialties, from medical students to fellows.

 

Lauren Visserman, M.D.
ACE Unit Director
Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center

Dr. Lauren Visserman completed medical school at MUSC and completed residency in family medicine at Trident/MUSC, during which she had the honor of serving as chief resident. She worked in outpatient primary care before deciding to return to MUSC for geriatric medicine fellowship. She is currently the ACE (Acute Care for the Elderly) Unit Director at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center. She is very invested in working with trainees to recognize the risks of hospitalizations and transitions of care for older adults.

 

Erin Mashack, D.O.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Co-Medical Director, The Village at Summerville
Director of Continuing Care Retirement Communities, Primary Care

Dr. Erin Mashack is a native of Virginia and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and her medical degree from the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine. She then completed her residency training in family medicine at MUSC, where she went on to complete a fellowship in geriatric medicine. Her clinical interests transitions of care, dementia and other neurocognitive disorders, palliative care, and educating medical trainees. In addition to her role at The Village at Summerville, Dr. Mashack is Area of Concentration in Geriatrics leader for MUSC’s Family Medicine Residency Program. She looks forward to starting her career at MUSC with a focus on working in Skilled Nursing and Long-Term Care, growing her geriatric outpatient primary care clinic, and working with trainees in hopes of inspiring future generations of geriatricians. She recognizes the immense need for more geriatric care in the Charleston area and is excited to be a part of MUSC’s goal of expanding care to this community.

 

Joshua Mixson, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine

Dr. Mixson is a native of South Carolina and received his undergraduate degree in biology and psychology at Wake Forest University. He completed both medical school and internal medicine residency at MUSC. While a resident, he was awarded the “Doctor’s Doctor Award,” voted by his fellow residents in the Department of Medicine and an acknowledgement that fellow physicians would entrust Dr. Mixson with their healthcare and that of their family members. He then went on to complete his geriatric medicine fellowship at MUSC and joined the faculty in 2024. He enjoys working with trainees in both the outpatient geriatric clinic and inpatient geriatric consult service settings. His clinical interests include dementia, delirium in older adults, and frailty in older adults.