Thomas Fitzpatrick selected for Public Intellectuals Program

Dr. Thomas Fitzpatrick, acting instructor (Allergy and Infectious Diseases) has been selected for the ninth round of the Public Intellectuals Program (PIP).

Launched in 2005, PIP identifies outstanding members of the next generation of American China specialists – in the academic, professional, or policymaking spheres – who, in the tradition of earlier China hands, have the interest and potential to venture outside of academia or their professions into areas relevant to foreign policy and public education.  

The two-year program is designed to enrich the twenty fellows’ understanding of policymaking processes in the United States and China; help them establish useful relationships both with their academic and professional colleagues and with policy practitioners; encourage them to move beyond the confines of their own disciplines; and nurture their ability to engage with the public at a national, regional, and local level.

PIP is implemented through a series of activities including workshops in Washington, D.C., and other U.S. cities; international study tours to Greater China and elsewhere in Asia; opportunities to participate in National Committee delegations as scholar-escorts or in NCUSCR Track II dialogues; and public education initiatives.   

PIP is an enrichment opportunity intended to complement the primary academic or professional positions held by the fellows. The program offers unique opportunities for professional development, mentoring by senior scholars, networking, and exposure.

Fellows gain access to senior policymakers and experts in both the United States and China, and to individuals and fields they are not typically exposed to, such as the business, arts, health, and civil society sectors in China, as well as to the media in both countries. Fellows have access to media coaches to help edit and place op-eds and develop a social media presence.   

The ninth cohort joins an accomplished community of 160 PIP Fellows from cohorts one through eight, who have formed a strong network of mutual support and academic collaboration.

Dr. Thomas Fitzpatrick, MD, MPH, is an acting instructor and infectious diseases physician at the University of Washington.

He specializes in preventing and treating infections among marginalized communities, including people who use drugs (PWUD) and men who have sex with men (MSM).

He has led multiple clinical trials on HIV, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the United States and China.

His research and scholarship in China have been supported by a Fulbright Research Grant (2010), a Blakemore Freeman Fellowship (2013), and a Doris Duke International Clinical Research Fellowship (2017).

He is currently supported by the China Medical Board Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (2024–present), with ongoing work focused on developing strategies that leverage social networks to improve sexual health and prevent STIs.