Phillip Wyatt Felts was a 1952 graduate of Vanderbilt University and a 1956 alumnus of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Felts' attachment to Vanderbilt ran through his internship, residency, fellowship, and the majority of his academic and clinical appointments.

Following his residency in medicine and his fellowship in diabetes and metabolism, Dr. Felts held faculty positions in medicine, physiology, and biochemistry and medical administration. His early training in diabetes began a clinical and research career that included writing numerous articles for diabetes-related organizations and serving as Chief of Diabetes and Metabolism at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Nashville. He was also Director of the Diabetes Clinics at VUMC and coordinator of Teaching and Learning Resources at Vanderbilt's Diabetes Center.

Felts was honored with the Upjohn Award from the American Diabetes Association as 'outstanding educator in the field of diabetes.' He was well-known for going beyond the call of duty as Assistant Dean of Student Affairs. Felts was executive director of Medical Alumni services for the School of Medicine at the time of his death in 1992. His many friends and former students established the Philip Felts Lecture in History and the Humanities in his memory.