Thomas J. Graham Explained

Thomas Graham
Birth Date:26 June 1962
Birth Place:East Liverpool, Ohio, U.S.
Occupation:Orthopedic surgeon
Known For:Curtis National Hand Center, director
Cleveland Clinic, inaugural chief innovation officer
Education:Williams College (Chemistry)
University of Cincinnati (M.D.)

Thomas J. Graham (born June 26, 1962) is an American orthopedic surgeon, inventor, author, business owner, and hospital executive.[1] Practicing in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Graham has operated on several professional athletes.[2]

He has also served as team doctor for numerous professional franchises, including the Washington Football Team, Washington Nationals, and Philadelphia Flyers.

Early life and education

Graham was born in East Liverpool, Ohio, on June 26, 1962, He received his undergraduate degree from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts in 1984, his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati Medical School in 1988, and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Michigan in 1993. He held fellowships in hand and upper extremity surgery at the Indiana Hand Center in Indianapolis and at the Mayo Clinic, where he fulfilled the nation's first fellowship in elbow surgery.

Career

In 2000, Graham became director of the Curtis National Hand Center, located at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital. Then in 2002, he became director of MedStar SportsHealth, building the leadership hospital-based sports medicine program. Graham also served as chief of Union Memorial Hospital's Division of Hand Surgery.

In 2010, Graham became chairman of Cleveland Clinic Innovations and the inaugural Chief Innovation Officer at Cleveland Clinic.[3] Graham later distilled his experiences in innovation and healthcare leadership in his book Innovation the Cleveland Clinic Way: Powering Transformation by Putting Ideas to Work.

Graham is credited with more than 35 patents.[4] In 2023 Graham was promoted to be the chief of Orthepedics at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown PA.

Notable patients

Graham has performed surgery on more than 2000 professional athletes and consulted with more. He treated or consulted with Arnold Palmer,[5] David Ortiz,[6] Shaquille O'Neal,[7] Kyrie Irving,[8] Russell Wilson, Sal Frelick, Bryce Harper, Bryson DeChambeau, Joe Burrow, and T.J. Hockenson.

Notes and References

  1. News: Renowned hand surgeon to be Cleveland Clinic Innovations chair . MedCity News.
  2. News: Why a hand surgeon who treats pro athletes took new position at Kettering Health . Dayton Daily News.
  3. News: Leader of Cleveland Clinic Innovations is leaving for Florida job . Modern Healthcare.
  4. Web site: U.S. Patents for Thomas J Graham . USPTO.
  5. News: Palmer, hospital become partners . The Baltimore Sun.
  6. News: Ortiz not quite ready . Boston.com.
  7. News: Shaq takes bum thumb to specialist . FoxSports.
  8. News: Irving has surgery on broken hand . WTSP Tampa Bay.