Patricia F. Kao, MD

2024 Dean’s Impact Award Recipient

Patricia F. Kao, MD, has been selected for the Dean’s Impact Award in recognition of her outstanding mentorship in the Division of Nephrology. Recruited to WashU Medicine in 2016, she holds a full-time appointment as a professor of medicine on WashU Medicine’s Clinician Track. Since joining the faculty, Kao has made a major contribution to the WashU Medicine community through her mentorship of residents and fellows who aspire to be scholarly clinician educators and leaders in medical education. Kao pioneered and is the program director for two important programs: the Washington University Teaching Physician Pathway (WUTPP) Certificate tracks for residents and fellows, and the Clinical Fellowship in Medical Education (CFME). These programs are available to residents and fellows who seek formal professional development in medical education scholarship, pedagogy and leadership. Since 2017, 121 residents and fellows from internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, general surgery, dermatology, radiation oncology, and physical medicine and rehabilitation have graduated from, or are currently participating in, one of Kao’s clinician educator programs. As part of the WUTPP and CFME programs, Kao has mentored trainees in teaching and facilitation skills, curriculum development, assessment, and education scholarship. Kao was selected to receive the prestigious Carol B. and Jerome T. Loeb Teaching Fellowship for 2017-2019. The fellowship promotes the use of innovative teaching ideas to enhance the education of residents and medical students.