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Claudia Thomas, MD: A Pioneer on Two Fronts
First Black Female Orthopaedic Surgeon Now Mobilizes Others
| Source: AAOS
SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - March 6, 2008) - The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
(AAOS) is honored to recognize a surgeon who heals, inspires and encourages
others. Claudia Thomas, MD, the first black female orthopaedic surgeon in
her field, was presented today with the Academy's 2008 Diversity Award at
the 75th Annual Meeting.
Dr. Thomas has worked throughout her residency and practice to recruit and
retain individuals who are underrepresented in the field of orthopaedic
surgery. According to Jason Hammond, MD, chief resident in the Department
of Orthopaedic Surgery at Johns Hopkins Medical Center, Dr. Thomas "stands
out as a preeminent role model in the black community and also in the field
of orthopaedics." Her tireless efforts have helped increase the proportion
of female residents at Johns Hopkins to 20 percent and black residents to
32 percent.
As part of her current practice, she and other physicians visit their local
middle schools to cultivate positive relationships with the students and to
demonstrate the opportunities available through education and perseverance.
"I have been mentoring since elementary school," Dr. Thomas noted. "I am
still sought out by young people who are interested in pursuing
orthopaedics. This has given me the opportunity to mentor, encourage and
'prop up' those who may have felt discouraged along the way."
Dr. Thomas credits her early interest in art, mathematics, the carpentry
she learned from her father and the art of sewing passed down from her
mother as strong influences that led her to choose orthopaedic surgery as
her specialty. "When I realized that this is what I wanted to do, I began
reading materials and subscribed to the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. I
absorbed the language of orthopaedic surgery, and that made me more
comfortable with the specialty."
Now, she reaches out to other potential candidates for the program,
particularly those who are black or female. Keisha DePass, MD, of the
Maryland Pediatric Orthopaedic Center, said, "Dr. Thomas has been
instrumental in helping me to achieve my goals. She is my role model and
one of the main reasons I felt that I could successfully accomplish my
dreams of becoming an orthopaedic surgeon."
Dr. Thomas' biography clearly reflects her vast talent and ongoing
commitment to diversity. A graduate of the New York City High School of
Music and Art, Vassar College and the Johns Hopkins University School of
Medicine, she interned at the Yale-New Haven Hospital in general and
orthopaedic surgery. She also completed a fellowship in orthopaedic trauma
and the spine at the University of Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical
Services Systems. She founded the African-American Alumnae of Vassar
College and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Minority Faculty
Association. Dr. Thomas also chaired the education committee at St. Thomas
Hospital in the United States Virgin Islands and the membership committee
of the Monumental City Medical Society, and she was elected president of
the Virgin Islands Medical Society, the Maryland State Medical Society and
the Monumental City Medical Society. Sitting on the Board of Directors of
the J. Robert Gladden Society since 1998, she is also a current member of
the Journal of the National Medical Association's Editorial Review Board
and a Fellow of the AAOS.
These impressive credentials still do not fully reveal Dr. Thomas'
unwavering dedication to an orthopaedic future that will in her words,
"more closely represent the composition of the United States, as a whole,
and its gender and racial mix of people." It is this passion for advocacy
that demonstrates her contributions to the Academy and to underserved
communities around the country.
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