Figure skating’s Olympic medalist: Debi Thomas is available during the Vancouver Olympics for appearances
Program Titles
- Expert television analyst
- Sports Hall of Fame
- Musculoskeletal tissues in microgravity environments
- Adult reconstructive surgery
- Orthopedic surgeon
- Adult reconstruction specialist: Specializing in total joint replacement
Dr. Debi Thomas-Bequette is most often introduced as the Olympic medalist, athlete, and now Orthopedic surgeon in figure skating.
One of America’s best-known female sports stars, there were numerous pinnacles.
Debi was crowned skating’s World champion and twice won the U.S. National Championship title.
She later captured three World Professional skating titles and entertained audiences as a frequent headliner in shows and tours, skating for four years with the popular Discover Card “Stars On Ice” cast.
Still, these achievements represent only a part of Debi’s identity, for she rarely has been content to pursue excellence one objective at a time.
Olympic medal, and graduated from Stanford.
Her proudest achievement in skating occurred during her first year at Stanford; Debi won both the U.S. and World Championship titles, a feat many said: “couldn’t be done.”
Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, Debi was the first and only black athlete to win an Olympic medal at the Winter Games.
But the journey is far from over. Debi graduated from Chicago’s prestigious Northwestern University Medical School and recently completed what she’s worked so diligently toward: a residency in orthopedic surgery.
She has served on the Athletes Against Drugs advisory board and the U.S. Olympic Committee’s (USOC) Sports Medicine advisory board. She was recently appointed to the advisory board of the World Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fame.
Debi has also applied her considerable insights on figure skating to work in broadcasting, frequently appearing as a guest on numerous sports-related radio and TV programs.
She was the expert television analyst for CBS affiliate WBBM-Chicago as the dramatic women’s skating competition unfolded at the Lillehammer Winter Olympics.
Leading up to and during the Nagano Olympic Games, Debi appeared in a Minute Maid orange juice consumer promotion, appeared on various television talk shows and news programs, and made several corporate appearances in addition to working behind-the-scenes with CBS New York on various taped viewer features that aired during the figure skating coverage.
The U.S. Olympic Committee asked Debi to be their on-site celebrity representative at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games.
Debi was in great demand with the media, participating in numerous interviews and forecasting the skating competitions, in addition to helping entertain the USOC’s corporate sponsors and significant benefactors attending the Games as guests of the USOC.
During the Winter Games in Torino, Debi was part of the official White House delegation that accompanied First Lady Laura Bush to the Olympics. She thoroughly enjoyed her time with Mrs. Bush and the other delegates and was honored to be chosen as the President’s official representative at the Games.
During the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Debi was inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame, indeed one of her most cherished honors.
Debi is recognizable worldwide and occasionally takes time to appear in infomercials. She has appeared in the Easy Shaper exercise system and American Signature mattresses.
Debi was featured in a public service announcement (PSA) for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in Washington, D.C. AHRQ is the lead Federal agency charged with improving the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans.
Since delivering her first message, which was to stress the importance of seeking a doctor’s advice for common medical concerns that can become serious if left untreated, Debi has become a media spokesperson for AHRQ/HHS and frequently participates in media interviews and PSAs delivering various messages on their behalf.
Debi is particularly interested in studying the properties of musculoskeletal tissues in microgravity environments and has contemplated applying her research to the International Space Station someday.
Former astronaut Jim Lovell appointed Debi to the “Mission HOME” (Harvesting Opportunities for Mother Earth) Advisory Board.
Book Dr. Debi Thomas-Bequette for your Event!