Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 12-31-21

Features
Longtime Skin Doctor Made Tampa His Home After Serving At MacDill AFB
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Staff Writer
Dr. Thomas Taylor of Skin Health Forever is a gifted physician. His thriving medical practice offers both general surgery dermatology and cosmetic dermatology.
He was born in Tuskegee, Alabama. He was raised in the same neighborhood as Lionel Richie and dated his sister.
He grew up around the Tuskegee VA Hospital where his mother was the head So- cial Worker, and his father was head of physical therapy. Dr. Taylor says that the envi- ronment was nurturing and supportive.
As he and his twin brother became teens, his parents were concerned about their sons continuing their educa- tion in the segregated south.
So, the twins spent the re- mainder of their high school years in Pennsylvania.
Dr. Taylor appreciates the sacrifices his parents made to ensure he and his brother had the best educa- tion.
After high school, Dr. Tay- lor attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. He played football and baseball.
He credits his sports back- ground for the competitive- ness in achieving his goals after college graduation. He had an opportunity to go pro in baseball, but decided to go to medical school.
Dr. Taylor attended the University of Indiana for medical school.
God is key in Dr. Taylor’s life. God led his choices for a specialty. After rotations in surgery and pediatrics, der-
DR. THOMAS TAYLOR
... Owner, Skin Health For- ever Dermatology Practice
matology was his choice. There were only 5 Black peo-
ple in his class.
Because the United States
Air Force paid for medical school, he was required to spend three years in the serv- ice. He ended up serving for 21 years.
The first assignment was the supervision of the resi- dency program in Madrid. There he learned the busi- ness side of medicine. During his four-year stay, he estab- lished dermatology clinics in Spain and Italy.
When that time was up, God again moved him to take an assignment in Tampa at MacDill AFB. He served as the Chief of Dermatology at MacDill Air Force Base.
Before he retired from the military, he had been collab- orating with a local derma- tologist. He kept most of his patients in his sole practice. Dr. Taylor says that some
of his patients have been with him since 1990. He states, “As long as there are Black people and MacDill AFB, I will have clients.”
Dr. Taylor believes in sharing his knowledge with others. He is a great mentor and loves to educate and train people. He encourages young people to set reason- able, attainable goals to keep motivated.
Dr. Taylor is board cer- tified in dermatology and a member of the American So- ciety for Dermatologic Sur- gery, the Bay Area Medical Association, and the Florida Society of Dermatologic Sur- geons.
His office is located at 3514 W. Bay to Bay Blvd, Suite #3, Tampa, FL 33629, and is centrally located to his military patients and non- military patients.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2021 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY PAGE 3-A