Joel Thomas, MD

My hometown: Long Island, NY

My teachable medical school moment: Anki is a game-changer if you know how to use it properly. Medicine – and particularly radiology – requires rote memorization of a ton of material. If you’re constantly having to look up the same material that your colleagues know cold, then you will be noticeably slower and comparatively inefficient. Once I realized in my first year of medical school that spending 30-60 minutes per day on flashcards had massive returns on long-term knowledge retention, I became infinitely less stressed about studying. The same 30-60 minutes of Anki per day remains my main study strategy, and it’s worked wonderfully throughout my radiology residency.

I chose MIR because: Outstanding clinical education in radiology and strong referring departments in medicine (including neurology) and surgery

My personal interests: Lifting weights, making pastries and hanging out with my fiancée and our 3 cats

My favorite go-to meal: the “Sushi-me Rollin” from BLK MKT Eats – a glorious sushi burrito that I’ll usually get with crispy tofu nuggets

I’m excited about living in St. Louis because: Tons to do with free entry and easy parking, even during peak hours. The cost of living is fantastic, and the food scene is exceptional.

Something most people don’t know about me: I majored in philosophy and am always down to deep dive into interesting philosophical topics

Anything else you should know: I make macarons and ice cream. I welcome all flavor requests, no matter how weird (ask me about my Caprese salad ice cream)