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2018 40 Under 40: Dr. Jacob Thomas, 37

Partner and surgeon, Mattax-Neu-Prater Eye Center Inc.

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How can patient care improve? It’s the question Dr. Jacob Thomas is always asking himself and his team at Mattax-Neu-Prater Eye Center Inc. This has led Thomas to implement numerous new surgical techniques and innovative technology. Sharing this knowledge, Thomas says, is a great joy and he spends time educating others – such as teaching a class for nurses on ocular emergencies, or leading eye dissections with junior-high students. Additionally, Thomas has served with numerous organizations including the Vision Rehabilitation Center of the Ozarks, Health Science Academy at Mercy and American Academy of Ophthalmology.

What was your first job? I worked as a concession stand attendant at the Dickinson 8 movie theater in Springfield.  In addition to summers filled with free movies, this job taught me the value of hard work.
 
What are you doing to make the Ozarks better? Improving people’s eyesight has a positive impact on quality of life for our patients and allows them to continue making contributions to the Ozarks.

What was your professional aha moment? I worked as a technician at Mattax-Neu-Prater in college. Watching my future partners restore eyesight to blind patients motivated me to pursue a career in eye surgery.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? The ability to move through time so that I could see scientific advancements firsthand.

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Congratulations Dr. Thomas.

Monday, November 5, 2018
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