Patricia Kritek appointed interim chair

Dr. Patricia (Trish) Kritek, professor (Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine) will be interim chair of the Department of Medicine, effective Jan. 1, 2025.

Kritek is currently vice dean for faculty affairs in the School of Medicine, focusing on helping School of Medicine faculty thrive by bringing them a broad array of resources including those focused on career development, leadership skills, well-being and more.

She earned her medical degree from the University of Connecticut and her master's degree in education from Harvard. She completed her residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and her fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine in the Harvard Combined Program. She joined the University of Washington in 2010 as an associate professor, and was promoted to full professor in 2017.

She is an active teacher of medical students, residents, fellows, and faculty, and her clinical and research interests include mechanical ventilation, sepsis, patient and family centered care, mentoring and leadership training.

She has received many honors, including the Paul Beeson Teaching Award, Maria Hall Award for Excellence in Patient and Family Centered Care, William J. Bremner Endowed Mentorship Award, and American Thoracic Society Outstanding Educator Award.