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Thomas Hunt, M.D., D.Sc. is a Board Certified orthopaedic surgeon who maintains a Subspecialty Certificate in Surgery of the Hand from the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. He is an internationally renowned sports hand/wrist surgeon who functions as Team Physician for the NFL Houston Texans, Hand and Wrist Consultant to the NFL’s Musculoskeletal Committee, and Medical Advisor for the Titleist Performance Institute in Carlsbad, California. Dr. Hunt has held numerous academic and hospital leadership positions over the course of his distinguished career. For 17 years he served as Professor and Chair of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Alabama Birmingham and at Baylor College of Medicine. His contributions to education include well over 125 lectures/symposia, 55 articles/posters/electronic works, and 25 book chapters. He has edited nine books, including three editions of Operative Techniques in Hand, Wrist, and Elbow Surgery, and has personally trained more than 125 orthopedic residents and hand surgery fellows. Finally, Dr. Hunt is an innovator in his field serving on the Advisory Council of the Texas Medical Center’s Innovation Institute (TMCx) and designing devices for the care of wrist injuries that are in common use today.
Dr. Hunt is a graduate of Stanford University in Palo Alto, California whose medical training and experience spans more than 30 years.
In 1986 he earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee. He then went on to complete a general surgery internship before returning home to Kansas City where he completed an orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Kansas Medical Center. He spent an additional year in the laboratory investigating osteoinduction, the stimulation of immature cells to produce bone and heal fractures as well as bone defects.
In 1992, Dr. Hunt sought highly specialized fellowship training in the fields of hand and upper extremity surgery, and microsurgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Upon graduation he began his surgical practice in Seattle, Washington.
In 2004 Dr. Hunt assumed leadership of a busy academic orthopedic division and sought applicable leadership and business knowledge at the Harvard School of Public Health’s course entitled “Leadership Development for Physicians in Academic Health Centers.” He completed this highly regarded certificate program in 2005.
From 2010 to 2014, while overseeing this orthopedic division and also maintaining a busy surgical practice, Dr. Hunt returned to the classroom earning a Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) degree in Health Service Administration and Research from the University of Alabama School of Health Professions, consistently ranked as one of the top two programs in the nation. Later, Dr. Hunt would be honored as the 2016 Distinguished Alumnus by the school and would earn Board Certification in Healthcare Management by attaining the designation of “Fellow” within the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Education
Pembroke Country Day School (Pembroke Hill School)
Kansas City, MO
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Bachelor of Science (Biology)
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Nashville, TN
Doctor of Medicine
University of Alabama School of Health Professions
Birmingham, AL
Doctor of Science (Health Services Research & Healthcare Leadership)
Post-Graduate Training
General Surgery Internship
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, TN
Orthopaedic Surgery / Pathology Research Fellowship
University of Kansas Medical Center
Kansas City, KS
Orthopaedic Surgery Residency
University of Kansas Medical Center
Kansas City, KS
Hand and Microvascular Surgery Rotation
Thomas Jefferson University Medical Center
Philadelphia, PA
Hand and Microvascular Surgery Fellowship (ACGME accredited)
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania / Children’s Hospital of Phila.
Philadelphia, PA
Leadership Fellows Program
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
AOA Leadership and Management Series – Module 1
Developing the Skills and Competencies to Catalyze Others to Act
Strategy Formation
Managing Organizational Change: Strategy Implementation
Executive Decision Making
Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management
Evanston, IL
AOA Leadership and Management Series – Module 2
Transformational Leadership: Key Human Resource Levers
Leadership and Ethics: Managing Values
Negotiating Productive Agreements
Masking Risky Decisions
Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management
Evanston, IL
AOA Leadership and Management Series – Module 3
Leadership Targets, Tactics, and Timing of Promoting Ideas and Change
Leading Organizational Transformation
Responding to Crisis Situations: Converting Challenges to Opportunities
Trends in Governance
Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management
Evanston, IL
Leadership Development for Physicians in Academic Health Centers
Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Boston, MA
Baylor Scott & White Executive Education Program (BSWEEP)
Scott and White Healthcare
Austin, TX
Strategy for Value-Based Health Care Delivery
Harvard Business School and Rice Business School
Michael Porter and Robert Kaplan
Houston, TX
Value-Based Healthcare Delivery – Executive Summit
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Houston Branch
Houston, TX
AO North America Faculty Education Program
Orlando, FL
Advanced Collaborative Leadership Series
CHI Service Line Leadership
Woodlands, TX
AO North America Chair Education Program
Wayne, PA
Multiple additional and ongoing professional education courses/meetings/events
Dr. Hunt has held leadership positions at several prestigious institutions throughout this country. In 1993 he began his professional career in Seattle at the Virginia Mason Medical Center, an institution known widely for its pioneering focus on high quality, patient-centered care delivery. He quickly rose to the rank of Head, Section of Hand Surgery and led a multidisciplinary upper extremity care team.
Dr. Hunt was recruited to the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in 1998 where he eventually oversaw all clinical, educational and research activities for the Section of Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery and directed the Cleveland Combined Hand Surgery Fellowship Program until he was recruited away in 2004. While in Cleveland, Dr. Hunt served as the hand / wrist surgeon for multiple high schools, colleges, and professional teams, including the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers and the NFL Cleveland Browns.
In 2004 Dr. Hunt accepted the position as Professor and Director of the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. While there he not only grew the division in size and prominence but also as Surgeon-in-Chief of UAB University Highlands Hospital helped develop and oversee the surgical service line at this new hospital. Until his departure in 2012, his clinical activities included serving as a team physician for the University of Alabama and the University of Alabama, Birmingham and as the hand / wrist consultant for Auburn University, Jacksonville State University and West Alabama University to name just a few.
Dr. Hunt recently stepped-down as Chair of the Joseph Barnhart Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Surgery, and Space Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Deeply integrated into the academic medical center’s leadership structure, he served as Vice-chair for the Board of Governors (which oversaw Baylor’s faculty group practice known as Baylor Medicine), as Musculoskeletal Service Line Chief at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, and as Chief Physician Executive of the Orthopedic Service Line for the entire CHI Texas Division.
Dr. Hunt remains a highly active and exceedingly dedicated clinician, attending to patients of all sizes and shapes with hand, wrist, and elbow disorders and injuries. His exit from Baylor and departmental administration was purposeful, allowing him to focus on innovative, high value patient care, his true passion.
Employment (descending dates)
Chair
The Joseph Barnhart Department of Orthopedic Surgery
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX
Director
Division of Orthopaedic Surgery
The University of Alabama, Birmingham
Birmingham, AL
Attending Surgeon and Section Head
Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
The Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Cleveland, OH
Attending Surgeon and Section Head
Hand Surgery
Department of Surgery
The Virginia Mason Medical Center
Seattle, WA
Major Health System and Hospital Service (past and present)
Dr. Hunt is intensely focused on research and innovation as the critical means of improving patient care outcomes. He has participated in numerous scientific investigations within his specialty and has designed a series of novel orthopedic implants for the treatment of traumatic upper extremity injuries.
Dr. Hunt has served as a Senior Scientist and Internal Advisor on a number of university-designated basic science research centers over the years. He was a member of the Program Advisory Board for the Rolanette and Berdon Lawrence Bone Disease Program of Texas, a multi-institutional research collaborative based in the Texas Medical Center (TMC). Dr. Hunt is an appointed consultant to the NFL’s Musculoskeletal Committee, a group dedicated to improving the health and safety of players in the league. In addition, he has lead a collaborative multi-institutional effort to re-design the TMC’s National Center for Human Performance into a world-class site dedicated to the functional assessment of late-stage healthcare-related scientific advances and innovations with the overarching goal of enhancing human performance and maximizing human potential. This functional outcome effort dovetails with the patient outcome programs he developed within the Baylor orthopedic department as a means of assessing and documenting the safety, efficacy and value of the patient care being delivered. As an Advisor for the TMC Innovation Institute, Dr. Hunt provides guidance to digital health and medical start-up companies as well as strategic partners.
Baylor College of Medicine’s strength as a genomic and research institution provided Dr. Hunt and his team an exceptional environment for translation of scientific discoveries and groundbreaking therapies for the benefit of his patients. Dr. Hunt’s recent research focused on the genetic basis underlying ligament and tendon injuries in athletes with the goal of preventing injury, simplifying treatment, and speeding recovery. He is working to discover susceptible therapeutic targets for injured tendons and ligaments through transcriptome and functional analysis of normal and abnormal human specimens.
As an educator, Dr. Hunt has held a variety of teaching positions at academic institutions throughout this country. He has served as an academic advisor to numerous medical students, residents and fellows. He has also directed or overseen orthopedic resident and upper extremity fellowship programs at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, the University of Alabama Birmingham, and the Baylor College of Medicine.
Dr. Hunt has served as visiting professor at prestigious medical schools throughout this country, as well as course organizer, faculty, or invited speaker for national and international symposia. He has educated those in training, along with his peers, through podium presentations, laboratory skills instruction and scientific publications, ranging from books and original scientific articles to digital media. He currently serves on the AO Trauma Hand Education Committee. From 2010 to 2014, while overseeing this orthopedic division and also maintaining a busy surgical practice, Dr. Hunt returned to the classroom earning a Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) degree in Health Service Administration and Research from the University of Alabama School of Health Professions, consistently ranked as one of the top two programs in the nation. Later, Dr. Hunt would be honored as the school’s 2016 Distinguished Alumnus.
Dr. Hunt is a prominent member of numerous orthopedic organizations including American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Orthopaedic Association, American Society of Sports Medicine, American Society for Surgery of the Hand, American Association for Hand Surgery, Twentieth Century Orthopaedic Association, AO North America, Texas Orthopedic Association, Western Orthopedic Association, and National Football League Physicians Society.
Dr. Hunt was recently named as one of only three orthopaedic surgeons to the advisory board for the Titleist Performance Institute in Carlsbad, CA.
Thomas Hunt, M.D., D.Sc. is a board certified orthopedic surgeon who holds a Subspecialty Certificate in Surgery of the Hand from the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery.
He maintains active medical practice licenses in the states of Texas, Florida, and Alabama.
He is also Board Certified in Healthcare Management by attaining the designation of “Fellow” within the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Dr. Hunt is married and has four children. He was born and raised in the Midwest by his mother, a renowned scientist, and his father, a neurosurgeon.
His passion for keeping patients active and involved in life, especially through sports, is evidenced by his clinical specialization and his research focus. His recent pursuit of additional education in the health services and health administration reflects his desire to effectively respond to healthcare reform on behalf of his patients, especially in regard to quality, safety, and value initiatives. This additional education, combined with his experience in varied patient care settings throughout this country, has provided him a unique perspective regarding the provision of healthcare services on a large scale.
Dr. Hunt is a dedicated father and husband as well as an avid golfer. His other primary interests include snow skiing, hiking, biking, and physical fitness.