Name and Degree: 

Mike Tabet, MD

Where are you from? 

Colchester, VT

Education and Training

Undergraduate: McGill University (Montreal, QC, Canada)

Medical School: The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at the University of Vermont (Burlington, VT)

Residency: University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA)

What are your career goals?

I see myself practicing nephrology in an academic setting. I love to teach and to learn, and there is plenty of both in the world of nephrology! I am keeping the doors open to specific concentrations after I finish my training, as I am fascinated by all aspects of the specialty, including critical care and transplant nephrology.

What were you looking for in a fellowship program?

My biggest desire in a fellowship program is to be exposed to as much variety in both patient presentations and experiences as possible. I would like to be a well-rounded nephrologist when I am finished with training. Duke University Hospital is known for attracting all sorts of patients, from common presentations to the zebras we only hear about in textbooks. The program does a great job in exposing us to all facets of nephrology as well, including critical care nephrology, home hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and transplant nephrology, which is important as more patients are receiving kidney transplants than ever before.

Which Scholar pathway will you choose and why?

I will likely pursue the Clinical Concentration Pathway as nothing brings me more joy than to take care of patients and keep my clinical acumen sharp. That said, Duke also offers plenty of opportunities to do research and quality improvement projects, which I plan to take advantage of in order to learn how to ask good questions and build skills to critique literature.

What are the strengths of the Duke program?

One of this program’s biggest strengths is the wonderful people I get to work with. Everyone from the leadership to the dialysis nurses brings such positive energy to work, that no matter how hard the day is, it is always a good day. The program is very well organized thanks to the constant efforts of Dr. Sparks and program leadership. They frequently seek out our feedback and I cannot overstate how valued I feel here as a fellow.