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Tennessee Memory Disorders Foundation Clinical Internship Program

Through the internship program at Tennessee Memory Disorders Foundation and Clinic, undergraduate students have the opportunity to learn about a variety of neurodegenerative diseases, assist the community’s leading healthcare providers in the diagnosis of such illnesses, and have hands-on interactions with patients.

The internship program was created to introduce highly inquisitive pre-professionals to the world of geriatric medicine. We also seek to promote the inclusion and mentorship of demographics that are underrepresented in healthcare by providing them equal access to both tools and opportunities for successful matriculation into any healthcare profession.

Program Details and Activities

  • Administer and grade cognitive testing such as the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)
  • Observe how a subspecialty clinic operates day-to-day 
  • Learn the innovative procedures and treatments that affect the care of our community’s elderly population
  • Review cognitive testing and brain imaging with healthcare professionals to understand their relevance to the diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases
  • Perform a wide array clinical tasks and enter patient information into an electronic health record
  • Network with students who have similar interests and goal

Mentorship in the program

This internship program is designed to offer guidance and support for our students who are interested in pursuing a career in healthcare and who may not otherwise have the resources or experience needed.

Students will be working in tandem with the staff on a year-round basis during their time at TMDF. Often, the providers will elaborate on disease progression and diagnosis as well as give advice to students in their pursuit of a healthcare career. Access to this type of information and direct patient interactions provides our interns with a unique clinical experience that is hard to find anywhere else.

At TMDF, we take time to ensure that the students learn how the information they have discussed in their scientific coursework is applied in the real world and are able to experience the intrinsic rewards of working with the geriatric population. We hope that with these goals in mind, the next generation of healthcare providers will be more prepared to address the needs of the geriatric population and focus on patient care to those who are underserved.

Benefits

Tennessee Memory Disorders Foundation and Clinic is devoted to promoting diversity and reaching out to students that are underrepresented in the field of medicine. Students who are members of underrepresented populations are strongly encouraged to apply.

We offer an opportunity for our interns to receive compensation for their work at the clinic through the Genie Kilday scholarship. The scholarship was created after a patient’s husband graciously donated to our foundation in order to promote the continued education of our staff. The purpose of this scholarship is to alleviate the financial burden associated with taking on an unpaid internship position.

Testimonials

Christiane Alvarez

“I started working as a Clinical Assistant at Genesis, and will be joining full time to spend my summer working alongside extremely competent staff and learning from my peers.  My experience has been irreplaceable.  It has allowed me to explore the promising field of medicine and find in myself the desire to pursue such field.  This discovery largely came from the unique experience Genesis offers to work with patients and hear their stories.  Because of my background from a single-parent household, I must support myself financially, and thus, being a paid staff member has provided means for me as well.” 

Caroline Arias

“My experience at Genesis Neuroscience Clinic was one full of growth and reflection. I was introduced to technologies and tools I had never heard of and trained to administer testing in a professional manner. I observed clinical operations and staff expertise in a way I did not have access to before. I am confident that the skills I learned here will serve me well wherever I may take them and are easily translated to a multitude of fields.”

Joshua Duzan

“My time at Genesis taught me a lot about myself and medicine at the same time. My experience with the program was one of the key factors in my acceptance to medical school. Not only did this reaffirm that this is what I am meant to do, I am confident that I will not be a better physician- especially towards the geriatric population. I learned important skills such as how to be more compassionate and talk to patients in many different ways to ensure they can understand. I feel that I will carry the lessons I learned through my time here throughout my career as a physician and for that I am forever grateful.”

Gia Hodges

“I remember one patient in particular had complimented me on my ability to lead the cognitive testing sessions with confidence. She followed that compliment with, “I know you will become a great doctor one day!” This is why coming to this internship is such an integral part of my week. I know that I am a part in taking care of them, but sometimes I feel like they are taking care of me. My internship at Genesis reminds me why I want to become a doctor every day.”

Joshua Lederle

“My time at Genesis was a formative experience for me during my time in college. I was given a chance to work with patients every single day and was given the opportunity to connect with them in a therapeutic way which is what I dream of doing in the future. Not only that, but I was constantly confronted with new challenges that allowed me to grow as a professional and as a student of psychology and neuroscience. I am forever thankful for Genesis Neuroscience for allowing me the opportunity to hone my therapeutic skills while also expanding my knowledge of neuroscience more than I thought was possible.”

Shahin Ahmadi

“I was very involved in the daily operations of the clinic, where I had the privilege to work with incredibly qualified staff in a friendly environment. This internship has also opened up doors to competitive scholarships and academic programs that I would otherwise not have access to. My time at Genesis provided me with both a clearer vision of how I see myself as a future doctor and a mindfulness towards people and their struggles that made me grow as a person.”

Pooja Patel

“Typically, patients and family members will just say, ‘Good luck with medical school.’ This one, though, really caught me off guard. He said, ‘You know what makes me certain you love what you are doing and will be an amazing doctor? You’re wearing a mask, but I can see your smile just from looking at your eyes. They glisten when you talk. Don’t let that light in your eyes fade. It will be the reason people come to you for help. Thank you for what you did for me today and I hope you continue helping others.”

This is why being an intern at Genesis solidified my decision to go into healthcare. There were many days in my undergraduate career that made me rethink my choice of wanting to pursue medicine, but every week when I came into the clinic and interacted with patients, I left with the same decision: I want to go to medical school. No other career would make my eyes glisten; I think it would only make the light fade.

Shahin Ahmadi, participated in the program during the year of 2020. He is now studying Pre-medical science at Davidson College.
Danyelle Harmon, participated in the program for three years. She is now joining the Physician Assistant Class of 2023 at Lipscomb University in Nashville.
Brett Emery, served as an intern for a year and was swiftly added to our staff for another two years. She is now at the DZNE (German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases) on a DIGS-BB internship program. Afterwards she will be applying for a PhD in this field.
Austin Montgomery began as an intern at Genesis in 2019 and joined our staff as our Senior Clinical Coordinator in 2020. Austin is now a medical student at Emory School of Medicine and plans to graduate 2025. 
Jerica Jackson began as an intern in 2017 and joined our staff in 2018 as our Senior Clinical Coordinator. She was promoted to Clinical Manager in 2019. Jerica is now a medical student at Lincoln Memorial University- Debusk College of Osteopathic Medicine and is set to graduate in 2025. She is interested in serving rural and underserved communities to help resolve health disparities that present themselves in these areas especially among underrepresented communities.
Jessica Brock started as an intern in 2019 and joined our staff in 2020 where she eventually became Lead Medical Assistant. She is now a medical student at Lincoln Memorial University- Debusk College of Osteopathic Medicine. Jessica hopes to become a geriatric neurologist and contribute to research within Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative disorders.
Katie Thronson became an intern in August of 2020 and stayed for 2 years. She is now pursuing a Master’s in Nonprofit Administration at the University of Notre Dame. After completing her Master’s, she plans on applying to medical school. 
Joshua Duzan began as an intern in May 2021 and joined our staff in the fall later that year as Supporting Clinical Coordinator and Research Coordinator. Joshua is now a medical student at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine in Memphis as a part of the class of 2027.  

How to Apply

Applications are accepted year-round with most acceptances occurring a month prior to the upcoming school semester.

If your application fits the needs of our clinic, we will contact you to schedule an interview and provide you with the next steps.

Click the button below to begin the application process

If you have any questions, please direct them to the email listed below:
Eduardo Chacon, MPH, CHES 

clinical.coordinator@tmdf.org

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