A Commitment That Carries On

Christopher Thomas, MD, HU ’72 graduated from the Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital in 1972. During his four years there, he clearly saw Hahnemann's strong commitment to education, care and service. Over his years of practice, he came to appreciate that even more. Now, Chris and his wife, Charlotte, want to honor that commitment by including a gift to the Drexel University College of Medicine in their estate plan.

After Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital graduate, Christopher Thomas, MD, HU ’72 completed his residency in Cleveland, he and his wife, Charlotte, returned to their hometown of Meadville, Pennsylvania. Chris had a private practice in internal medicine, initially solo, but later joining others in forming a small group. Charlotte, a graduate of the Cornell University School of Nursing, served as the RN for the county’s Family Planning Service after their two sons entered grade school. Today, Chris and Charlotte have been married for 54 years – and they want to support the institution that shaped Chris.

Chris' grandfather was a general practitioner in Erie, Pennsylvania. He was dedicated and caring. Chris knew from second grade that he wanted to “do what my grandfather did” – and Hahnemann gave him the opportunity to do that.

“I loved Hahnemann,” Chris says. "My four years there were among the happiest and most exciting in my life. And the whole theme there seemed to be one of commitment.”

Chris specifically valued the teachers’ commitment to him and his classmates. He reflects, "We had wonderful teaching. Our teachers were seriously dedicated. Particularly formative for me were Robert Alteveer in Physiology; Alexander Gero in Pharmacology; and Wilbur Oaks, David Major and Charles Schwartz in Medicine. Maybe above all, I remember our small-group seminars with Paul Fink (Psychiatry) on death and dying.”

Chris also appreciated Hahnemann’s commitment to the local community. He says, "We served. We served not only our faculty's private patients and referrals but also the needy of our loxL neighborhood. Plus, Hahnemann was one of three medical schools that served Philadelphia General Hospital. We provided what to this day I consider to have been excellent care, while also receiving terrific hands-on clinical experience. These were true commitments – for all involved.”

In the late 1990s, when it appeared that Hahnemann would disappear, Chris worried. “I was very, very sad. But then, Drexel University did the most marvelous thing: It stepped forward and saved the Hahnemann legacy! And that of the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania and Medical College of Pennsylvania. At the time, I did not really understand the scope of what Drexel was doing at the College of Medicine or understand Drexel's vision for it. That is, until Charlotte and I went back to Philly for our 50th Hahnemann Class of 1972 reunion. It was a joyous occasion, where we met with Dean Cairns and others.”

Today, Chris and Charlotte are grateful that the College of Medicine is carrying on Hahnemann’s commitment. "Drexel is truly striving to provide physician care to under-served areas – local and nationwide, urban and rural – very much including primary care. And it is also working to provide opportunities to more students and to more students of different backgrounds from and in all sorts of different locales. This will truly enhance our ability to deliver healthcare.”

Medicine has changed since 1972, but in Drexel today, Chris and Charlotte see the same commitment to medical education that he saw in Hahnemann. For that reason, they have set up the Christopher W. Thomas, MD and Charlotte C. Thomas Endowed Scholarship Fund. They say, “It is our way of thanking Hahnemann and Drexel together."

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