26
COM Outlook . Winter 2014
Lifelong Learning the Key to
Dr. David Thomas’ Diversified Career
By Debra R. Gibbs, B.A., Medical Communications
Coordinator, and Scott Colton, B.A., APR, COM/HPD Director
of Medical Communications and Public Relations
hen you envision a portrait of nonstop hard work
and leadership, imagine Dr. David Thomas. His list
of achievements—including multiple degrees, decorated
military service, and steadfast commitment to his commu-
nity—is massive and amazing. In fact, he has mastered not
one, not two, but six different careers.
When asked what inspired him to be so dedicated to
learning and working to help people, he said it is “just who
I was.” Fortunately, it still is.
David Thomas, M.D., J.D., Ed.D., professor and chair of
the college’s Department of Surgery and Division of Cor-
rectional Medicine, was born in Germantown, a neighbor-
hood north of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1945 and
moved to Miami when he was 6. By the age of 11, he was
already showcasing his strong work ethic by working as a
kennel boy in a veterinary clinic.
After graduating from Miami Edison Senior High
School in 1963, the whirlwind of his accomplishments com-
menced at the University of Miami (UM), where he took
an overload of credits and graduated in three years with
his undergraduate degree. Dr. Thomas said he “always
wanted to study medicine” and successfully pursued his
M.D. degree at UM, graduating in 1970 before completing
a surgical internship.
W
An Urge to Help Others
“I liked helping people, and I enjoyed the intellectual
challenge of knowledge,” explained Dr. Thomas, who
served as a research assistant in a clinical laboratory and
a phlebotomist at the Veterans Administration Medical
Center during his first year of medical school. “I per-
ceived myself as a compassionate person even though I
went into surgery.”
Additional odd jobs kept him busy during his third and
fourth years of medical school. However, it would soon
be an assignment of a different nature that would occupy
his time. While completing his internship and residency in
general surgery at the University of Miami Affiliated Hos-
pitals, Dr. Thomas was drafted by the U.S. Army in 1971
and stationed in Vietnam, where he supervised three other
surgeons at a 30-bed hospital facility that supported an
infantry unit. During his time there, Dr. Thomas witnessed
quite a bit of action, including the pivotal campaign known
as the Tet Offensive.
“My unit was pushed back almost to the outskirts of Da
Nang, and we later retook much of that territory,” re-
called Dr. Thomas, who after a one-year term of service in
Vietnam rose to the rank of temporary major and received
the Bronze Star, which is awarded to individual members
