DR . WHO ?
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT THOMAS GLASS , MD
Aaron Burch
It takes a village to make a physician . For allergist and immunologist Dr . Thomas Glass , that village was formed in the small town of Somerset , Ky . His parents Thomas and Joyce Glass instilled in their children an enduring work ethic . From an early age , they learned to contribute to the family .
“ My parents worked hard . They taught us to be responsible , accountable , take pride and find something you enjoy ,” he recalled . “ I remember my father telling me that your greatest source of energy comes from pride and enjoyment of what you ’ re doing . So find something you enjoy .”
In the early days , the thing Dr . Glass enjoyed the most was spending time outdoors and playing sports . As the middle child , surrounded by two older sisters and two younger ones , he spent his formative years playing football , basketball and baseball ; he ran track as well .
“ I did that all the way through high school with plans of playing baseball after college , though those plans fell through . I loved anything to do with the outdoors ,” Dr . Glass said , recalling when he helped to map cave systems in Pulaski County during high school and college .
He did well in school but , despite an early interest in science , the topic of medicine as a career didn ’ t come up . His closest medical influences growing up were friends of his parents , and the pediatrician .
As a student , he pursued an interest in biology , thanks in part to several passionate science teachers at his high school in Somerset . Of the 11 students from his high school class who went on to Georgetown College , eight majored in biology and three went into medicine . “ They really put a fire in us . We had great teachers and what goes around comes around ,” Dr . Glass said .
While at Georgetown , Dr . Glass was introduced to Dr . Dwight Lindsay , the head of the biology department , and his son , also named Dwight , who would later be Dr . Glass ’ partner at the Allergy Care practice .
“ Before I went to medical school , I actually went to dental school at the University of Kentucky for two years ,” said Dr . Glass , a lifelong Kentucky Wildcat fan . “ But I found that dental school didn ’ t fit me . There wasn ’ t a passion for it . My best friend , Dr . Brad Mays , was going to medical school in Louisville and he told me I needed to come for a summer to see what the lab experience was like .
“ It seemed like a good idea while I was figuring out what to do , so I took him up on it and was introduced to Dr . Bill Cheadle and Dr . Hiram C . Polk . They invited me to work in their lab for a summer and that summer turned into a year ,” he laughed .
The influence of Dr . Cheadle and Dr . Polk has been long-lasting ; the doctors provided an excellent mentorship for his early years of medical training .
“ They gave me great experience , kept me on point and wrote me great letters of recommendation . If it takes a village to make a physician , they were definitely two of the people who helped me become the doctor I am today .”
During his General Surgery rotation , Dr . Glass met Mindy , the ICU nurse who became his wife . He graduated from the University
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Editor ’ s Note : Welcome to Louisville Medicine ’ s member spotlight section , Dr . Who ? In the interest of simply getting to know each other as a society of colleagues , we ’ ll be highlighting random GLMS physicians on a regular basis . If you would like to recommend any GLMS physician member to the Editorial Board for this section , please e-mail aaron . burch @ glms . org or call him at 736-6338 .
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