Major General Richard Thomas

Major General Richard W. Thomas is an Army physician and serves as the Chief Medical Officer and Director of the Defense Health Agency Healthcare Operations Directorate.

MG Thomas was commissioned through the ROTC program at West Virginia University. He graduated from the WVU School of Dentistry and served in the U.S. Army Dental Corps before receiving his Medical Degree from the WVU School of Medicine in 1994. MG Thomas completed his Internship at Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas and residency in Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery at Madigan Army Medical Center, Fort Lewis, Washington.  MG Thomas is certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery and is a Fellow in the American College of Surgeons. He is a previous Consultant to The Army Surgeon General in his medical specialty.

MG Thomas’ military education includes the Army War College, the Army Command and General Staff College, and the Army Medical Department Officer Advanced and Basic Courses. 

Prior to his current assignment, MG Thomas served as the Commanding General of Western Regional Medical Command; Chief, U.S. Army Medical Corps and Senior Market Executive for TRICARE Puget Sound Multi-Service Market.  Previous duty assignments include Surgeon General, United States Forces-Afghanistan and Senior Medical Advisor, International Security Assistance Forces Joint Command-Afghanistan; Assistant Army Surgeon General (Force Projection), the Pentagon; Commander, Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Principal Assistant Deputy (Human Resources), Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower & Reserve Affairs), the  Pentagon; Commander, 47th Combat Support Hospital, Fort Lewis, Washington; Division Surgeon, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Assistant Chief, Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Madigan Army Medical Center; Commander, 53nd Medical Team (Head and Neck), Fort Lewis, Washington; Staff Surgeon, Madigan Army Medical Center, Fort Lewis, Washington; Division Dental Surgeon, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Dental Officer, Fort Clayton, Republic of Panama. Operational deployments include Operation Just Cause, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

MG Thomas’ awards, decorations and honors include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit (with two oak leaf clusters), the Bronze Star Medal (with oak leaf cluster), the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (with two oak leaf clusters), the Air Medal and various campaign medals. He earned the Army Staff Badge, Combat Medical Badge, Senior Parachutist Badge, Flight Surgeon Badge, Air Assault Badge and the Expert Field Medical Badge. MG Thomas holds the “A” proficiency designator for expertise in his medical specialty and he has been honored with the Order of Military Medical Merit. MG Thomas is a proud Honorary Member of the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club. His professional affiliations include the American College of Surgeons, the American Academy of Otolaryngology and various other national and international medical societies.