I am a fourth year medical student at Weill Cornell Medical College pursuing an academic career in geriatric psychiatry. My areas of interest include palliative care, education in geriatrics, and the relationship between older adults and their hired caregivers.

The Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) program was critical in shaping the trajectory of my career. After spending my first year of medical school learning basic science in a lecture auditorium, the innovative MSTAR program provided an invigorating first glimpse into the professional life of an academic physician in geriatrics. I conducted a study to identify factors affecting the utilization of an inpatient palliative care service with the support and close mentorship of a leading expert in the field, Dr. Cary Reid. The simultaneous exposure to a comprehensive clinical and didactic geriatrics curriculum underscored the significance of the research that my classmates and I were performing. The opportunity to present my findings to an interested audience at the annual American Geriatrics Society conference with other MSTAR scholars was an exciting and gratifying conclusion to the program.

The MSTAR experience deepened my commitment to becoming an academic physician working with an older patient population in a setting that combines clinical practice, research, educational activities, and innovative programming. Most importantly, the physicians I collaborated with during that summer were inspiring role models and mentors, and the Geriatrics Division became my home base throughout the duration of medical school. In fact, my experience during MSTAR was so positive that I elected to take a research year between my third and fourth years of school to work with the Geriatrics Division.

During this time, I co-authored grant proposals for new faculty development and clinical care models, and prepared articles about mental health screening and behavior counseling in the primary care setting. In addition, I worked with my mentor Dr. Ronald Adelman to create a book of photographic portraits and written narratives exploring the extraordinary late-life relationship that can form between older adults and their hired home care attendants. Through this work we are uncovering useful information about best practices in achieving successful older patient and hired caregiver collaborations.

As I reflect on my experience as a medical student, I am particularly grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in the MSTAR program at an early point in my training. The knowledge I gained and the relationships I formed during that summer became the foundation for all of my future projects as I excitedly prepared for a career in geriatric psychiatry.

Caitlin Snow is a 2007 Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) Scholar. She continues her geriatric and medical training at Weill Medical College at Cornell University.