The Pat Fleet Endowment will serve as a deeply meaningful tribute to Dr. Fleet's legacy, while also providing enhanced educational opportunities for our nephrology fellows.
Wendell Patrick “Pat” Fleet, MD, was a Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a beloved faculty member at Harborview Medical Center for over 40 years. He was an inspiring role model who cared deeply about educating the next generation of nephrologists — and all clinicians. Practicing empathy was at the heart of his approach to medicine, and Pat taught medical students, residents, and fellows the value of truly getting to know their patients, learning not just about their illnesses but also their unique backgrounds and circumstances.
The Fleet Endowment is a tribute to Pat’s tireless work as an educator, nephrologist, and humanitarian, helping us offer richer training opportunities to our fellows.
Surveys have shown that medical students do not receive much clinical exposure to this specialty, and they perceive nephrology courses as lacking in innovation and relevance. In addition, Internal Medicine residents are less exposed to nephrologists and outpatient nephrology care. Perhaps for these reasons, the total number of applicants in any given year is only 60-70% of the number of positions nationwide. As a result, nephrology training programs compete to attract the most talented residents from a small group of applicants.
Furthermore, the Division of Nephrology at the University of Washington lacks a consistent source of funding to provide specialized training opportunities in areas such as kidney physiology, epidemiology, quality improvement, bedside ultrasound, or travel for regional and global health meetings and electives.
This fellowship fund will address these challenges by helping us offer richer training opportunities, enhancing the quality of our fellowship program and enabling us to be more competitive in attracting and retaining the most promising candidates nationwide. The Fleet Endowment is a truly fitting tribute to Pat’s tireless work as an educator, nephrologist and humanitarian.
Please consider making a gift to the Dr. Pat Fleet Endowed Fellowship Fund. Your donation will impact our success in providing an outstanding education for our nephrology fellows.