Page 98 - Clearwater Christian College 2007

One of Tom's goals is to

take a couple of weeks a

year to go to Central Amer­

ica with medical mission­

aries. This past summer,

however, he kept it close

to home. "I finished work

early in the summer and

traveled the country for a

few weeks to see family

and friends."

As engrossed as he may

be in the world of medi­

cine, Tom is still a country

boy at heart. "I love to do

just about anything outside

—hiking, fishing, camping,

canoeing, whatever."

I

Tom Starnes, a native of North Carolina and a Tarheels *

fan, first decided to major in pre-med as a second se­

mester sophomore. "Actually, when I was a kid, the

last thing I wanted to be was a doctor," said Tom.

"I always liked science the best of all my classes in

school though, so I majored in biology once I got

to CCC. Here in Clearwater I met a doctor who

changed my perceptions about the held and made

me want to pursue medicine as a career." Tom has

gained experience by serving under Dr. Wayne Deckert

and Dr. Jonathan Henry as a science lab assistant. "Recently

I have been able go to an orthopedic clinic in St. Petersburg and shadow

Dr. George Canizares, who has performed some surgeries for some

of CCC’s athletes as well as for professional athletes," explains Tom.

"In my small amount of experience, Fve seen how orthopedics has

given people back the life they used to have. I enjoy orthopedics be­

cause the majority of people are tough and determined to get better."

rwood

academics