Dr. Thomas is a board-certified Otolaryngologist-Head and Neck Surgeon with a sub-specialty interest in head and neck tumors and general pediatrics. He spent over 2 decades practicing in a large single specialty group, during which he served as president for 7 years. He then joined the University of Minnesota Physicians and M Health Fairview. For the last 10 years he has been voted a "Top Doctor" by Msp-St Paul Magazine. After a year and half with University of Minnesota physicians, Dr. Thomas retired from clinical practice to join Optum as an ENT Medical Director. He is currently the ENT and Orthognathic Surgery Team Lead. Dr. Thomas is the Past Chair of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission (IMLCC), which provides an expedited pathway for multistate licensure. Dr. Thomas helped develop the national legislation and was integral to the launch of the IMLCC. In recognition of his leadership, Dr. Thomas was awarded the Federation of State Medical Board's Distinguished Service Award and Mayo Clinic Alumni Association's Professional Achievement Award. Dr. Thomas served on the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice for 16 years. He has the unique honor of being appointed by subsequent Independent, Republican and Democratic Governors. He has held a variety of leadership positions at the local, state and national level in medical regulation, including Chair of the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB). He led the effort to develop the FSMB’s telemedicine policy, the first of its kind, which subsequently served as a model for state and national telemedicine regulation.Since 2013, Dr. Thomas continues his service in ensuring a professional, ethical and competent healthcare workforce. He is Chair of the Committee for Individualized Review of the United States Medical Licensing Exam, which ensures proper conduct by examinees. Dr. Thomas also serves on the Board of Directors of the National Board of Medical Examiners. In January of 2024, Dr. Thomas will serve as the Vice Chair of the Accreditation Council of Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). The ACCME accredits CME providers and sets standards for effective continuing medical education that is free from industry bias. Dr. Thomas is always looking for an opportunity to make a positive difference for patients at the confluence of healthcare delivery, financing, regulation and policy.