James P. Thomas, MD

I have enjoyed science from as early as I can remember and upon entering 9th grade, physics teacher, Ted Barnhart, allowed me to enter independent study a year early. He just opened the door to a lab full of lasers, transistors, patch panels and measuring equipment and let me loose. I can't thank him enough for this head start. I found an unused darkroom and began processing black and white photos, shooting and editing for the yearbook. I discovered a carbon arc projector way up in the projection room above the auditorium. By my senior year at high school, physics research on the Aerodynamics of Tractor Trailer trucks led me to the International Science Fair. While at Penn State for eight years (BS and MD), I built a hammer dulcimer and played in a old time string band perhaps developing an ear for music. Studying acoustics while in residency (some forgettable paper taking photos of kitten tympanic membrane diameters), Ron Konrad gave me free rein to study ear anatomy, neurosurgery and push the boundaries of otolaryngology. I ultimately switched after residency to the nascent field of laryngology as video and digital computer equipment were intertwining. Searching for a mentor in laryngology, otologist colleague Michael Teixido led me to Robert Bastian in Chicago and through him I learned to how to hear a voice disorder. Now, as I take my turn teaching interested fellows about laryngology, I can, in retrospect, see how all this past, seemingly disparate fascination with music, aerodynamics, physics, sound, computers, film, anatomy, surgery, nerves, video and photography, actually fits together like a puzzle to formulate what has become a passionate career in the diagnosis and treatment of voice disorders.