Tulane doctor elected to elite surgery college
Tulane surgeon Raju Thomas, MD, has been inducted into the prestigious Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons in Scotland, a distinction that recognizes some of the world’s top surgeons.
A pioneer in urology and robotic surgery, Thomas has been dedicated to innovations in delivering minimally invasive urologic surgical procedures. He is chair of Urology and chief of Minimally Invasive Urologic Surgery at Tulane University School of Medicine.
“I’m absolutely thrilled and humbled,” Thomas said. “The FRCS is the gold standard that has been established in much of the world.”
“Surgery is one of the greatest healthcare needs in the world and approximately 5 billion people don’t have prompt access to surgical care.”
Raju Thomas, MD
Thomas is the fourth Tulane School of Medicine faculty member to be named a FRCS fellow. He shares the distinction with Rudolph Matas (1927), Alton Ochsner (1962) and Michael DeBakey (1974).
“Tulane has a long history of bringing in top faculty from around the world and pushing the boundaries of medicine with groundbreaking surgical advances,” said Lee Hamm, MD, dean of Tulane School of Medicine and senior vice president. “We’re proud of Dr. Thomas for being awarded this top honor in surgical medicine.”
The fellowship also honors members’ volunteer work in areas with few medical facilities.
“Surgery is one of the greatest healthcare needs in the world and approximately 5 billion people don’t have prompt access to surgical care,” Thomas said. “The agenda for the Royal College is, what are our members doing to bring access to surgical care around the world?”
Along with his work at Tulane since 1982, Thomas operates a week each year in India with the International Volunteers of Urology. He performs approximately 100–115 minimally invasive surgeries during the week for people who have no other access to surgery.
Thomas earned his medical degree from Seth G.S. Medical College of the University of Bombay, where all of his professors were FRCS members.
