Richard K. Tompkins, M.D. Endowed Scholarship

EST.2007

When Richard K. Tompkins, M.D., a former professor of medicine and health services, returned to Seattle after a 13-year hiatus, he did something a little unusual: he began a fellowship in gerontology and geriatric medicine. During his training, Dr. Tompkins spent a great deal of time at Harborview Medical Center and the VA Puget Sound Health Care System and became acutely aware of the daily financial pressure of debt on students and residents. When he learned of the University’s Faculty-Staff-Retiree Campaign for Students, Dr. Tompkins knew it was the right time to make a gift to UW Medicine. “I get more out of teaching students than they get from me,” says Tompkins, “and I want them to make good choices about their future without having concerns about debt incurred during medical school.”