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Howard University Hospital selects Dr. Claudia Thomas as the visiting scholar for the quarterly grand rounds
America’s First African American Female
Orthopaedic Surgeon and Author of God Spare Life to Speak
on Spirituality & Medicine ROCHESTER, NY (August 13, 2008):
Windsor Media Enterprises, LLC announced today that author Dr.
Claudia Thomas, America's first black female orthopedic surgeon,
has been selected to be the Visiting Scholar for Howard
University Hospital’s quarterly Grand Rounds. Presented in
conjunction with various departments in the College of Medicine,
the Grand Rounds Visiting Scholar Program will take place on
Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at 9:00 am at the Tower Auditorium,
Howard University Hospital in Washington, DC. As the Visiting
Scholar, Dr. Thomas will give her personal testimony on “How
God Intervened in the Life of a Physician.” A book signing
will immediately follow her lecture.
Dr. Thomas will explore the relatedness of spirituality and
medicine and the role that the mind and spirit play in the
healing of the body. In a world that was still bound by
prejudice and anger, Claudia Thomas learned the value of faith –
faith in herself, faith in her upbringing, and faith in God.
That lesson, embraced and held tightly to her heart, guided
Claudia through the tempestuous events that have unfolded
throughout her life. She will highlight those experiences with
her own enduring faith and will speak on how to achieve it to
aid in the healing process and in maintaining wellness.
During the 1960s, Dr. Thomas rode out the turbulence of coming
of age as a college student at Vassar College. Years later,
while trapped in the jaws of a demonic hurricane, she clung to
the arm of a sofa and prayed repeatedly, “God spare life!” and
was saved. But as awful as Hugo was, it could not match the
storm of the desperate illness that threatened her very life:
kidney cancer and transplant surgery.
“It was the prayers of my mother and others that allowed me to
survive when I could not pray for myself,” Thomas said. “At a
time when I was literally dying, I became distraught, lost my
faith and fell into depression. However, it was the prayers and
resilience of those around me that saved my life.”
Seventeen years later, the 2008 Spirituality and Medicine
Physician honoree lives a cancer free life. Doctors say she has
overcome the illness through the power of her own faith.
Dr. Thomas’ book of memoirs, God Spare Life, is
historical in perspective and highlights the many challenges she
has overcome in her lifetime through faith. It details
spirituality and medicine, as well a story of achievement and
faith. For more information on Dr. Thomas’s incredible story,
visit her website and blog at
www.GodSpareLife.com.
In April 2008, Dr. Claudia Thomas was honored by Howard
University Hospital. In an awards ceremony held in Washington,
DC, Dr. Thomas was issued the 2008 Spirituality and Medicine
Award. Grand Rounds sessions are designed to augment the
clinical training for the medical students. Because significant
numbers of patients are discussing questions about their overall
health within a context of spirituality, there continues to be a
growing need for present and future physicians to recognize the
importance of the patient’s spiritual dimension within the
context of total care.
Interview Opportunity: To schedule an interview with Dr.
Claudia Thomas, American’s first African American female
orthopaedic surgeon and author of God Spare Life, please
contact D-D Flannery at 585-703-6243 or
dd@flannery-pr.com |
