When Dr. Thomas was younger, he spent a great deal of time with his grandparents and saw how much they respected their own physician—that inspired him. Add in his interest in science and a few medical shows from the 1970s, like M.A.S.H. and Emergency, and Dr. Thomas was sold on becoming a doctor. After getting his bachelor’s degree in history and science from Harvard in 1991, he came to medical school at Ohio State. Dr. Thomas spent some of the best years of his adult life at Ohio State and in Columbus, with his wife, Lisa Wilkins Doran, and their three kids.

As chief clinical officer (CCO) for The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Dr. Thomas’ role includes oversight of inpatient, outpatient and Emergency Department services at OSU’s five hospitals, outpatient clinics and specialized care facilities. Some of his key responsibilities include facilitating care between specialties and coordinating collaboration between departments; guiding organizational strategy and representing physicians around the business table; enforcing rules when necessary and—perhaps his favorite part of the job—mentoring students, residents and younger physicians.

In addition, even after moving into an administrative role, Dr. Thomas always maintained his connection to patient care and still sees patients a couple times a week. It is a crucial part of not only his own personal job satisfaction, but his role as CCO. It’s what keeps Dr. Thomas focused on helping everyone at Ohio State deliver the best possible care and allows him to see the impact of organizational decisions.

Dr. Thomas has been at Ohio State for 30 years this coming summer and completed medical school, residency and my MBA at Ohio State. As well as being as a primary care physician, he is an executive leader within the Medical Center focusing on clinical care, quality, safety and patient satisfaction. In terms of COVID, Dr. Thomas has been part of the team leading OSU Wexner Medical Center’s COVID Command Center within the Medical Center as well as part of team building collaborations across Central Ohio and Zone 2.