Emily Thomas doesn’t remember a time when hospitals weren’t part of her life. The beeping of monitors and the shuffle of carts formed the backdrop of her earliest memories. By the time she was two, her father, Michael, had already undergone his first transplant.
Now an MPH epidemiology student at Pitt Public Health, Thomas has watched her family navigate kidney and liver transplants, thyroid cancer and heart attacks. She never saw these moments as tragedies but as experiences that taught her resilience, generosity and the difference organ donors can make. At just 22, she’s channeling those lessons into a career devoted to helping others through public health and donor advocacy.
“I did not know any different,” she says. “It was just our life. But it made me passionate about organ donation and helping others.”
Her family’s commitment to giving is woven into every chapter of her story. When her father needed a kidney transplant while Thomas was in high school, her mother, Rachelle, stepped forward. Years earlier, an uncle had donated. Later, when her father suffered a cardiac arrest, her mother’s quick thinking saved him. These moments inspired Thomas to pursue a path in medicine and public health that blends empathy with action.
“My dad is the strongest person I know, and he wakes up every day with such a good attitude,” says Thomas. “Both my parents are the reasons why I care so much, and they inspire me every day because they seek opportunity and aim to do the greatest good.”
Thomas discovered her calling at the University of Pittsburgh. She started as a pre-med student but soon realized that public health would allow her to impact entire communities, not just individual patients. “I fell in love with the idea of helping people on a broader scale,” she says. That passion led her to transfer into the Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) program in 2022. Admitted through Pitt’s Guaranteed Admission Program, Thomas is currently in her first year of her master’s degree.
Her research spans addiction, social networks and organ donation patterns, and she is particularly interested in finding ways to engage younger donors and reduce barriers to giving. She even shared her story and perspective on the power of donation in her TEDx Talk, Giving the Gift of Life.
Thomas says that the support she has received at Pitt Public Health has been just as meaningful as her academic journey. She credits her advisor, Adrian Gonzales, with helping her through one of the most frightening moments of her life.
“When my dad had his heart attack, we had to rush to the hospital, and we did not know if he was going to make it,” she recalls. “I emailed Adrian and told him I really needed help contacting my professors. He called me within two minutes to make sure my family was OK. I was sobbing, and he just said, ‘Do not worry about anything. I will handle it. Go be with your family.’ It was the most comforting thing.”
Gonzales continued to check in, emailing her every few weeks to ask about her father and to make sure she had what she needed to keep moving forward. She felt the same support from her advisor Nancy Glynn, associate professor of epidemiology, and her mentor, Beth Hoffman, assistant professor of behavioral and community health sciences. Their compassion, she says, helped her stay grounded during some of her family’s most difficult moments.
“Every single day, I learn something that directly applies to my family or has applied to my family,” Thomas says. “It is incredible to be part of a field and school that saves lives in ways most people never see.”
Looking ahead, Emily hopes to earn a PhD in Epidemiology and mentor the next generation of public health leaders. She is determined to translate research into real-world impact. “I want to support families the way we were supported, and to teach and mentor others—just to fill those shoes as best I can,” she says.
As the University celebrates Pitt Day of Giving on Feb. 24, Emily’s story is a reminder that every act, whether donating, volunteering or registering as an organ donor, can shape lives in ways we might not have imagined.
To learn more about organ donation and how you can make a difference, visit Donate Life Pennsylvania.
-Clare Collins