School of Medicine student wins Pat Fedeles Award for Compassion

The tenth winner of the Patricia “Pat” Fedeles Award for Compassion in Physical Diagnosis was presented to Rebecca Brown on March 22, 2016. This award is presented to a second year medical student who portrays ongoing compassion, friendliness, and an overall caring attitude toward patients, peers, faculty, and staff.

Pat Fedeles served as coordinator for the West Virginia University School of Medicine Introduction to Clinical Medicine and Physical Diagnosis courses from 1992 until 2006 when she retired while battling with cancer. She passed away in January 2007. Mrs. Fedeles gave unconditionally to everyone who came in contact with her. She always treated people fairly and with a caring attitude. Pat truly enjoyed working with the students and strived to make each one feel special and confident in achieving his/her goals.

It was important to Pat that students learned the proper "bedside manner” of patient care. She emphasized that each patient should be treated as a human being and not just a number, and that is exactly how Pat treated her students, with unconditional compassion and understanding.  

Rebecca Brown portrays all of the above characteristics and was nominated by her peers.  She was presented with a certificate and a WVU Bookstore gift certificate.