When Dr. Thomas T. Medsker, a board-certified diagnostic radiologist, was a ninth grader in Elyria, Ohio, he was asked to write an essay on a classic topic: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” He envisioned a future in medicine and made good on his aspiration, obtaining his undergraduate degree in biology and medical degree from the University of Cincinnati. He continued his medical training at the University of Virginia, where he completed an internship and residency in diagnostic radiology.
In 1982, Dr. Medsker joined the Radiologic Associates of Fredericksburg (RAF) team. Now he is RAF’s most senior partner “by five minutes,” he quipped. “Dr. Hewitt arrived at work moments after I did. Dr. Scott and Dr. Allen, who were senior members, retired on June 30. So that makes me the oldest one standing.”
Over the years, he has been instrumental in RAF’s steady growth. In 1986, he co-founded Medical Imaging of Fredericksburg (MIF), a partnership between RAF and Mary Washington Healthcare.
He also served as one of MIF’s five original staff members when the facility first opened on Princess Anne Street. MIF started with one IVP/tomo table, two used fluoro units, one ultrasound unit and a mammogram unit. In 1989, a used CT scanner was added. In 2001, MIF moved to its current location on the Mary Washington Hospital Campus. It has since expanded with three additional facilities and a staff of more than 200 associates, including three of the technologists from Dr. Medsker’s original outpatient team.
For a decade, Dr. Medsker served as MIF’s first president, and then as RAF’s president from 2004 to 2010. With a primary focus on women’s imaging, he works three days a week at MIF’s Imaging Center for Women. The rest of his time is divided among other facilities, where he practices nuclear medicine/ PETCT and general radiology.
Dr. Medsker and his wife of 38 years, Robin, have lived in Fredericksburg’s River Bluffs neighborhood for 28 years. Their property was once the site of pre Civil War gold mines. In its current incarnation, it hosts the Medskers’ Colonial-style home and spacious garden, which have been profiled in The Free Lance-Star newspaper and featured on the Historic Garden Week tour.
The Medskers have two sons. Mike, 34, a Virginia Tech graduate with an undergraduate mechanical engineering degree and a masters degree from the VT school of architecture, lives in Maryland with his wife Debbie, a University of Maryland graduate. Greg, 31, also a VT grad with a BS in business, was co-captain of the VT men’s varsity soccer team in 2002. He recently moved to Los Angeles, CA, after signing with L A Models, Inc. He has opened his own personal training business. Debbie and Mike’s 10-month-old son, Luke, is the newest Medsker.
Dr. Medsker has a wide range of interests, from gardening to his model train set. Chugging through the basement of the Medsker home, on an “0 gauge” layout he designed, his train empire has been featured in Classic Toy Trains magazine. Another favorite activity is Wednesday night basketball games with a cadre of other physicians and members of the business community. “I’m not very good, but it’s great exercise and even better camaraderie.” He also enjoys snow skiing, rollerblading, and boating on the Chesapeake Bay in their Sea Ray Cruiser, Tomfoolery.
As for his longevity at RAF, Dr. Medsker summed it up this way: “I feel fortunate to have found the right practice, in the right place, and with the right people, the first time around. I am proud of the fact that RAF has maintained an atmosphere of excellence and equitability. The most senior members share responsibilities, including after hours duties, to the same degree as the newest members. After all these years, my colleagues and co workers still endure, and even occasionally smile, at my one liners and jokes. When you like your work and your co-workers, why ever leave?”