Claudia L. Thomas facts for kids

Claudia L. Thomas is a very important doctor. She was the first African-American woman to become an orthopedic surgeon in the United States. An orthopedic surgeon is a doctor who specializes in bones, joints, and muscles.

Dr. Thomas went to Johns Hopkins University for medical school. She was also the first African-American person and the first woman to be accepted into the orthopedic program at Yale University. She works hard to help more minority students get into medical school. She also tries to make sure everyone gets fair healthcare, no matter their background.

When she was in college at Vassar College, she helped start a group called the Students' Afro-American Society (SAS). This group worked to create a Black Studies program at the college. Dr. Thomas has also bravely overcome serious health challenges in her life.

Early Life

Claudia Lynn Thomas was born in Brooklyn, New York. She grew up in Queens, New York, with her parents, Charles and Daisy Thomas, and her older sister, Catharine. Dr. Thomas often says her parents were her biggest supporters.

Her father, Charles, worked many jobs, including as a welder. Dr. Thomas was also inspired by her childhood doctor, Pearl Foster, who was an African-American woman. Even though her parents did not go to college, they taught Claudia and her sister how important education was.

Education

Education has always been a very big part of Dr. Thomas's life. Before she and her sister started kindergarten, their mother taught them their letters and numbers. Dr. Thomas went to the High School of Music and Art in New York City.

She earned high scores on her tests. This helped her win important scholarships, like the National Merit Scholarship. For college, Dr. Thomas went to Vassar College. She first studied math, but she later changed her major and earned her degree in Black Studies.

Dr. Thomas then attended the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She completed her special training, called a residency, at the Yale University Orthopedic Program. She was the first woman to finish this program. This also made her the first African-American woman to become an orthopedic surgeon in the United States.

Career

Dr. Thomas began her orthopedic residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut in 1975. After that, in 1980, she completed a special fellowship. This was at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, where she worked in the shock trauma unit.

In 1981, she became an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery. This was at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. Later, in 1991, Dr. Thomas joined the Maryland medical Licensure board as a part-time helper. In 2004, she started working in a private practice. This was at the Tri County Orthopedic Center in Leesburg, Florida.

Social Impact

While she was a student at Vassar College, Dr. Thomas helped create the Students’ Afro-American Society (SAS). This group organized discussions about issues important to Black people on campus. The SAS worked hard to get the college to create a Black Studies Major.

They even took over Vassar’s main building for three days in October 1969. This action led the college to agree to create the Black Studies Major. The college also promised to hire more Black professors. This new program brought important teachers to the school. It also offered a six-week trip to Africa for students.

Later, when Dr. Thomas was a professor at Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, she helped recruit many minority students and women. She encouraged them to train in orthopedics at Johns Hopkins. In 2008, Dr. Thomas received the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons Diversity Award. This award recognized her efforts to improve diversity in her field. It also honored her for being a mentor and a role model to others. Today, Dr. Thomas continues to mentor middle school-aged boys in Leesburg, Florida.