Alumni Focus

David Fett is Leading by Example

David Fett, M.D.

"Example is not the main thing in influencing others, it is the only thing," so the popular Albert Schweitzer quote goes. Indeed, Dr. David Fett's example of giving generously to Dartmouth Medical School has been key to his ability to inspire his fellow alumni from the Class of 1980 to contribute to their 25th class reunion gift. But it hasn't been the only thing.

As co-chair of the Class of 1980 Reunion Gift Committee, Dr. Fett, along with his co-chair and fellow DMS '80 Dr. Eric Donnenfeld, leads reunion gift committee meetings, helps establish fundraising goals and strategies, and most importantly, personally reaches out to fellow alumni across the country to encourage giving. "After 25 years," Dr. Fett observes, "most people's practices and lives have matured to such a point where they're able to give."

Success

And Dr. Fett's classmates are giving. To date, the Class of 1980 has raised well over $200,000 for its reunion gift. The gift, which will go toward the Fund for DMS, will provide much needed unrestricted, annual support.

Unrestricted giving is critical to the Dartmouth medical enterprise-so much so that it is one of the priorities of the Transforming Medicine Campaign for Dartmouth Medical School and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Annual unrestricted gifts to the Fund for DMS provide the fiscal flexibility the Medical School needs to seize opportunities and respond to the demands of providing the next generation of doctors and scientists with the best education and training possible.

David Fett is pleased with the gift total so far, but is eager to set the fundraising goal even higher. "Private institutions like DMS depend on funding from alumni and other resources to attract good faculty, to improve physical structures, to do research-they need that support. Without it, you simply cannot succeed," he says.

Success is certainly something Dr. Fett is familiar with. After graduating from DMS, he completed his internship at the University of California San Francisco and Mount Zion Hospital. Dr. Fett then did his residency at the renowned Jules Stein Eye Institute and completed fellowships in Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Orbital Surgery at the University of Illinois and Michael Reese Hospitals in Chicago. Today, Dr. Fett helps train the next generation of physicians at the UCLA/Jules Stein Eye Institute as well as Drew Medical School/Martin Luther King, Jr. Hospital.

David Fett also has a thriving practice in Los Angeles, the Fett Laser Center. As an ophthalmic plastic surgeon, he uses advanced laser technology to perform minimally-invasive reconstructive and cosmetic eyelid surgery and skin resurfacing. "One of the reasons I went into ophthalmic plastics," Dr. Fett explains, "is that it's continually on the cutting edge of technology. There's always something new and innovative in terms of patient care."

Giving Back

Despite a busy career and the many miles that separate him from DMS, David Fett's ties to his alma mater remain strong. Over the years, he and his wife Randi have generously provided DMS with unrestricted funds. "The school is very well run," Dr. Fett notes, adding, "People like Dean Spielberg and others know better than I do where the money should go, so I leave it up to them to decide where to apply it."

Supporting Dartmouth Medical School through giving and volunteering is of great importance to David Fett because, he says, "Dartmouth added to my life-it educated me to be a physician. I feel an ethical obligation as well as a personal desire to give back."

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