Duke educators and administrators manage and direct the University’s FD~AGE programs. Our theme-based mini-fellowships are lead by faculty and staff members who have specific expertise in the program area.

Mini-fellowship faculty members mentor and guide participants during mini-fellowships and follow-up activities. They are available to conduct on-site, education consultation visits at participant home institutions. While on-site, our experienced educators and leaders meet with local stakeholders to offer additional mentoring and educational sessions.

Our team is committed to using the mini-fellowships as a launching pad for developing curricula and improving the work of clinician educators in their home institutions.

Mini-Fellowship Faculty and Project Leaders

• Harvey Cohen, MD – Principal Investigator
• Mitch Heflin, MD, MHS – Program Director, co-PI
• Sandro Pinheiro, PhD – Education Director
• Emily Herbert - Program Coordinator
• Rick Sloane - Analyst
• Gwendolen Buhr, MD (Long Term Care)
• Heidi White, MD (Long Term Care)
• Katja Elbert-Avila, MD (Palliative Care)
• Toni Cutson, MD (Palliative Care)
• Anthony Galanos, MD (Palliative Care)
• Jennifer Gentry, MSN, GNP, ANP, APRN BC PCM (Palliative Care)
• Kimberly S. Johnson, MD, MHSc (Palliative Care)
• James A. Tulsky, MD (Palliative Care)
• Karen Alexander, MD (Cardiology)
• Arati Rao, MD (Oncology)

Advanced Fellowship in Geriatric Medicine and Clinical Education

• Rajani Potu, MD (2005-2006)
• Victoria Walker, MD (2006-2007)
• Virginia Wright, MD (2007-2008)
• Arati Dixit, MBBS (2008-2009)
• Mamata Yanamadala, MBBS (2008-2009)
  

Harvey Jay Cohen, M.D.

Dr. Harvey Jay Cohen serves as a Professor of Medicine; Interim Chairman, Department of Medicine; Director, Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development; Chief, Division of Geriatric Medicine at Duke University Medical Center; Associate Chief of Staff for Geriatrics and Extended Care; and Director of the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) of the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. Dr. Cohen was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, and received his undergraduate (Brooklyn College) and medical (SUNY-Downstate) education in New York City. He trained in internal medicine and in hematology/oncology at Duke University Medical Center.

In the late 1970's, Dr. Cohen helped initiate the Geriatric Fellowship program at Duke and subsequently helped formulate and become Chief of the interdepartmental Division of Geriatrics. In 1982, he assumed the role of Director of the Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development. In addition, he led the successful effort to establish the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center at the VAMC in Durham. Upon its initiation in 1984, he became Director of that program as well. Under Dr. Cohen’s leadership, the Duke geriatrics program has consistently been ranked in the top five in the country.

Dr. Cohen has published extensively with over 250 articles and book chapters on the topics of geriatrics and hematology/oncology, with special emphasis on aspects of cancer and immunologic disorders in the elderly and geriatric assessment. Dr. Cohen is a Fellow of The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and served as President of the Society in 2000-2001. He was named winner of the Freeman Award for 1998 and the Kent Award in 2004 by GSA. He was a member of the Board of Directors of The American Geriatrics Society from 1987; served as president from 1994-95; and Chairman of the Board from 1995-96. In 2005, he was named winner of AGS’s Dennis W. Jahnigen Memorial Award.

Dr. Cohen has been a pioneer in the establishment of programs to train physician-scientists in geriatric medicine and in the establishment of geriatric oncology programs, and is recognized as one of the leading U.S. academic clinical investigators in geriatrics. In 1997, he was elected to membership in the American Association of Physicians, one of few geriatricians have been so honored. Dr. Cohen served as Chairman of the National Institute on Aging Board of Scientific Counselors from 1999-2003. He is President of the International Society of Geriatric Oncology. He serves on the advisory and review panels for a number of foundations, including the John A. Hartford Foundation, Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, American Federation for Aging Research and as a Senior Fellow of The Brookdale Foundation.

Mitchell T. Heflin, MD, MHS

Dr. Heflin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics. He earned his MD from the University of Virginia and completed his residency in internal medicine and fellowship in geriatrics at Duke University. He is a Senior Fellow in the Aging Center at Duke and serves as Co-Principal Investigator and Program Director for the Reynolds FD~AGE Program. He is also Associate Program Director for the Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program. He has interests in clinical education in general geriatrics for medical students and residents, evidence-based medicine and appropriate prescribing.

Sandro O. Pinheiro, Ph.D.

Dr. Pinheiro is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics. He serves as Education Director for the Reynolds FD~AGE Program. He completed his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Adult and Continuing Education at Michigan State University. Dr. Pinheiro has been working in medical education for more than ten years, directing faculty development activities for clinical and basic science faculty. His educational competencies are in the areas of adult learning, curriculum design and evaluation and qualitative inquiry. His research interests focus on medical education and the assessment of change in the teaching practice of clinical teachers.

Gwendolen Buhr, MD, MHS

Dr. Gwen Buhr is an Associate in Medicine in the Division of Geriatrics and has served as the Medical Director at The Forest at Duke Retirement Community. Dr. Buhr completed her medical training at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, an internal medicine residency at Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro, North Carolina, and a fellowship in geriatric medicine at Duke University. Following her fellowship, Dr. Buhr was Medical Director and Attending Physician with Physicians Eldercare in Winston Salem, North Carolina (2004). Dr. Buhr is a member of The American Medical Directors Association (AMDA) and was the recipient of its Quality Improvement Award in 2003. She now serves as the Secretary/ Treasurer for the North Carolina Division of AMDA. Dr. Buhr also is a member of other medical societies including the American Geriatrics Society, the American College of Physicians, and the Christian Medical and Dental Association. Dr. Buhr is licensed by the North Carolina Board of Medical Examiners.

Heidi White, MD, MHS, CMD

Dr. Heidi White is currently Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Geriatrics, a senior fellow in the Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development and Medical Director of Croasdaile Village Retirement Community in Durham, North Carolina. Dr. White graduated from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, completed her residency in internal medicine at The Jewish Hospital of St. Louis at Washington University and came to Duke University’s School of Medicine for fellowship training in geriatric medicine. She is particularly interested in teaching long-term care to medical students, internal medicine residents and geriatric medicine fellows. Dr. White is currently working toward a Master of Education degree at North Carolina State University. She has led the faculty effort to develop the Advanced Course in Long-term Care for geriatric medicine fellows and is directing Duke’s mini-fellowship in long-term care education. Her research interests include interventions for the prevention of cognitive and physical decline in older adults.

Katja Elbert-Avila, MD

Dr. Katja Elbert-Avila is an Associate in Medicine and a Clinician-Educator in Geriatric Medicine. After graduating from University of Michigan School of Medicine, Dr. Elbert-Avila completed her internship, residency in internal medicine and fellowship in geriatric medicine at Duke University. She is the course director for the mini-fellowship titled “A Taste of Palliative Care.” Dr. Elbert-Avila is a second-year medical student selective in palliative care and is responsible for the palliative care curriculum for geriatric fellows. Dr. Elbert-Avila’s research interests include end-of-life care/palliative care in geriatrics, education in geriatric medicine and palliative care and the assessments of educational outcomes.

Toni Cutson, MD

Dr. Toni Cutson is an Associate Clinical Professor in Community and Family Medicine in the Division of Geriatrics. Her research interests include palliative care and hospice end-of-life care. As Medical Director of Duke Health Community Care and Hospice, Dr. Cutson is working to improve hospice care delivery programs. She is exploring factors that influence the utilization of end-of-life care among patients and families. Her additional interests include long-term care and rehabilitation of the elderly patient (e.g. amputation and Parkinson Disease).

Anthony Galanos, MD

Dr. Anthony (Tony) Galanos is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics. After graduating from the University of South Alabama School of Medicine, Dr. Galanos completed his internship and residency training in internal medicine at the University of Texas. He went on to complete his fellowship in geriatric medicine at Duke University. He is a Senior Research Fellow in Duke’s Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, and an Associate Faculty Scholar in the Duke Institute on Care at the End of Life. He is Medical Director of the Geriatric Medicine Associates and the Duke Palliative Care Consult Service. Dr. Galanos is a lecturer in the Program of Resident Education to Promote Awareness and Respect at the End of Life: Depression and Delirium in the Dying Patient (PREPARE).

Jennifer Gentry, MSN, GNP, ANP, APRN BC PCM

Jennifer Gentry is an Adult Nurse Practitioner in the Department of Medicine, Geriatric Division and Palliative Care Service. She received her MSN Adult/Geriatric Nurse Practitioner degree from Duke University School of Nursing. She has experience teaching learners of all disciplines including medical students, undergraduate and graduate nursing students in the classroom and at the patient bedside. Ms. Gentry’s professional interests include palliative care, communication, ethics, symptom management and care of the frail elder in the acute care and nursing home setting. She is associated with the Duke University School of Nursing and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing as a clinical preceptor and lecturer. She has also participated in collaborative research projects with the Duke University School of Nursing.

Kimberly S. Johnson, MD, MHSc

Dr. Kimberly Johnson is an Associate in the Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics. After graduating from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Dr. Johnson completed her internal medicine residency and fellowship in geriatric medicine at Duke University. Her teaching activities include quarterly lectures on evidence-based medicine and spirituality in medicine and end-of-like care. She is a preceptor for geriatrics fellows in long-term care and assisted living, and is an attending physician in geriatric medicine and palliative care inpatient services.

James A. Tulsky, MD

Dr. James Tulsky, Professor of Medicine at Duke University, directs the Center for Palliative Care. He has a longstanding interest in doctor-patient communication, particularly in the context of end-of-life care. Dr. Tulsky is a recipient of the Robert Wood Johnson Generalist Physician Faculty Scholars Award and of the VA Health Services Research Career Development Award. Most recently, he was given the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest national award given by the White House Office of Science and Technology for early career investigators. Dr. Tulsky earned his B.A. at Cornell University and his MD at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago.

Karen Alexander, MD

Dr. Alexander is an Associate Professor of Medicine/Cardiology at Duke University and faculty in the Duke Clinical Research Institute, Outcomes Research and Assessment Group. Dr. Alexander received her B.A. from Dartmouth College and M.D. from Duke University. She completed residency in Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital from 1992-95. She returned to Duke for Cardiology Fellowship and joined the faculty at Duke in 1998. Her active research projects include (1) characterizing heterogeneity in elderly populations with CV disease by incorporating geriatric assessments in outcomes research, and (2) determining variation in care delivery and its impact on outcomes in the elderly. She has coauthored the chronic coronary artery disease section of ACCSAP Geriatric Cardiology Module, and several book chapters regarding diagnostic testing, and heart disease in the elderly, along with recent manuscripts looking at aspects of current ACS care in the elderly. She is currently a member of the writing group for the AHA Consensus Paper on Acute Cardiac Care in the Elderly. She is Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the Society of Geriatric Cardiology for which she also serves on the executive board and is the current Treasurer. In addition to her academic responsibilities, Dr. Alexander is a non-invasive cardiologist at Duke and enjoys caring for many elderly patients in the clinics and on wards.

Arati Rao, MD

Dr. Raois an onco-geriatrician with dual fellowship training in medical oncology and geriatrics. Her research focuses on pharmacotherapy of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in the elderly. She currently leads two clinical trials ongoing at the Duke University Medical Center looking at dose dense therapy in elderly AML patients as a way to overcome drug resistance. At the present time, she is also studying the metabolism and mechanisms of resistance to nucleoside analogues in elderly AML patients. She is also evaluating the synergy between chemotherapeutic agents and AKT inhibitors in elderly AML patients.

Catherine P. Kaminetzky, MD, MPH

Dr. Kaminetzky is an Associate in Medicine and Director of the PRIME Program, Division of General Internal Medicine. After graduating from Duke University School of Medicine, Dr. Kaminetzky completed her internship and residency in internal medicine at Duke. She is a staff physician at the Durham VA Medical Center and a preceptor for the residents’ continuity clinic at the Durham VAMC. Her special interests include medical education, particularly in geriatrics and ambulatory medicine.