Olympic Athlete Joins Carle Clinic Orthopedics

September 4, 2007

URBANA – Olympic medalist and champion figure skater Debi Thomas, MD, has joined Carle Clinic’s Orthopedic Surgery team.

She comes to Carle Clinic from The Dorr Arthritis Institute in Inglewood, California. She recently worked with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s chief health care advisor consulting on health care policy.  

Dr. Thomas specializes in minimally invasive total hip replacement surgery. She joins colleagues Chris Dangles, MD, Robert Bane, MD, and Robert Gurtler, MD, who perform total joint replacement surgery; James Sobeski, MD, and Clifford B. Johnson Jr., MD, who specialize in hand surgery; and Kenneth Dols, MD, and Alain Desy, MD, who specialize in trauma surgery.

She says she looks forward to contributing her training and expertise to Carle Clinic’s highly skilled orthopedic surgery team.

“The best part of my job is giving patients their lives back by improving their mobility and earning their appreciation for the extra efforts I make for them.”

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Thomas join our team,” says James Sobeski, MD, Head of Orthopedics at Carle Clinic. “As a world class athlete and reputable surgeon, there’s no doubt she will bring an additional component to our already dynamic team.”

Dr. Thomas won the World Figure Skating Championship in 1986 and the United States National Figure Skating Championship in 1986 and 1988. A bronze medalist at the 1988 Winter Olympics, she was the first black athlete from any country to ever receive a medal in the Winter Olympic Games.