November 18, 1956 – May 6, 2015
Patricia Ann Thomas entered the world on November 18, 1956 to Earlina and Wilbert Thomas in Leavenworth, Kansas. Preceding her in death were her mother and father, two sisters, Gwendolyn and Linda Thomas and one brother, Danny Edward Thomas.
Patricia was united in holy matrimony to Martin Kenneth Haynes in 1985 and to this union three children; Alexander Kenneth, Harrison Cody and Francesca Elizabeth, were born.
A one-line "personal mission statement" accompanying her professional resume neatly characterizes Patricia Thomas' caring attitude and lifelong ambition: "I will inspire and empower others, and myself, to make a real difference in the world we share."
Patricia was guided by this commitment since her earliest days in her home town of Leavenworth, where she and her four siblings grew up, a brother and sister died, and a serendipitous encounter in high school with a college recruiter set her on the path to college. An honors student in high school, she was spotted by a representative from Harvard University who was interested in attracting gifted black students to the university. Thomas seized the opportunity, eventually graduating from Harvard with a degree in biochemistry and, later, from the University of Kansas with a master's degree in biology and biochemistry. Despite these accomplishments, Patricia felt her real calling was as a physician. Inspired in part by the loss of her siblings years earlier, she began to study medicine, eventually earning her M.D. from New York University Medical Center.
Today she is a nationally known expert on pathology and cytopathology, with special interest and training in fine needle aspiration and breast pathology. Her current research focuses on early detection of benign breast lesions that might predict a woman's risk of developing breast cancer, as well as any racial or ethnic variations in breast cancer survival.
Nominated as a Local Legend of Medicine by Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS-3), she was Chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Kansas and an Associate Dean heading the university's Office of Cultural Enhancement and Diversity (OCED), which addresses
issues relating to the art, science, learning and "humanness" of medicine. Patricia championed the effort to foster diversity in the School of Medicine. She directed both the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in Medicine and the Minority Resource Center at the university. As a respected teacher and campus leader, she was instrumental in the initiative to increase the number of underrepresented students in health professions. Thanks to Patricia’s efforts, the University of Kansas School of Medicine received a $5.5 million endowment grant from the National Institutes of Health National Center
for Minority Health and Health Disparities for merit-based scholarships for minority students in the Greater Kansas City area.
A prolific researcher, Patricia has published more than 110 articles and abstracts and made numerous presentations. Recipient of the University of Kansas Student Voice Award for Excellence in Teaching (2002-2003), she has many other awards and citations to her credit.
Patricia had a brilliance about her that expanded beyond the world of academia and medicine. She can be quoted as saying "Medicine is the perfect combination of the things I like to do: study science, make a difference and make decisions that help people," she says. "The most important thing to me though, is my family. That I can have a family and be a doctor is what inspires me."
She is survived by her husband, Martin; son Alexander and daughter-in-law Jillian (New York, NY); son Cody (Lawrence, KS) and daughter Francesca (Lawrence, KS); brothers Marvin Thomas (Houston, TX), Wilbert Thomas Jr (Norfolk, VA), Fredrick Thomas (Leavenworth, KS), and sister Janice Thomas Owolabi (Sanya – Sugar Land, TX); mother-in-law Jean Haynes (Overland Park, KS) sister in law Martha Haynes Hagen (Kenneth – McPherson, KS) ; Nieces Emilie Hagen Schlueter (John - San Francisco, CA); Claire Hagen Alvarado (Jorge - Austin, TX); Blaire Thomas (Los Angeles, CA) ; Nephews Bradley Thomas (Baltimore, MD); Bryant Thomas (Richmond, VA); Deji Owolabi (Sugar Land, TX); Jaiye Owolabi (Sugar Land, TX), aunts, uncles and host of friends and relatives.
Arrangements under the direction of: McGilley & Frye Funeral Home and Crematory Olathe, Kansas
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